Rand Paul's transition from Senate troublemaker to "official" presidential candidate has been "a rocky one," the first days following the Kentucky senator's announcement that he would seek the White House in 2016 show, the Washington Post judged.

"In his first 24 hours as a contender, Paul lectured an NBC anchor about how to ask a question and told another to print his 'five-minute answer' when asked an abortion question," the newspaper detailed.

He also refused to talk to reporters after a rally, picked an early fight with the chairwoman of the Democratic Party and had his lawyers threaten television stations that run ads critical of his previous statements about Iran.

The newly minted candidate himself on Wednesday admitted on Fox News that the start of his campaign has not gone as smoothly as he might have hoped.

"I think we can all get better," Paul said. "I mean, I'm not perfect."

But the first stretch of a presidential campaign is particularly important because it gives contenders the opportunity to define themselves at a time when they attract mostly positive media coverage, CNN noted.

On the flipside, an "onslaught of political media coverage" also means that newcomers face closer than usual scrutiny, according to the news channel. And they need to understand that level of attention, insisted Republican strategist Ford O'Connell, who worked on Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign.

"Even when you breathe, it's news," he said. "There's always going to be mistakes, the question is how do you handle those mistakes and move forward."

While it can be a good idea to pick a fight with the media -- a move sometimes popular with the Republican primary electorate -- candidates need to choose their battles wisely, O'Connell added.

What is most important in the end, though, are the optics, said John Legittino, who led Mitt Romney's national event production.

"No matter how well-known a candidate may be going into a roll out tour, the goal of any presidential announcement event is to provide the optics and visuals that say, 'Meet the next president of the United States,'" Legittino explained.