A solid startup PR plan is behind every incredible story of a brand you see in the media. Implementing correct strategy, will garner you the newsworthy attention.
This tutorial will provide the capability of gaining the correct press coverage for your business so that you can enhance your exposure, thus gaining more clients at a critical time in its growth.
A strong PR has the ability to move people and encourage them into taking action. The key aspect of a PR you should never forget, is the personal touch it needs to carry it. Providing the human touch to your story, can persuade people in trusting your brand more.
Why is Startup PR Important?
Customers value earned reputation more so than bought commercials, therefore successful PR may be even more effective than the standard advertising approach. This is due to the fact that PR is a “third-party endorsement,” which is another individual or multiple people saying you’re fantastic, whereas advertising leans you calling your own brand fantastic, thus doesn’t create trust!
It can also aid in the development of trustworthiness among investors, partners, and other critical players.
It’s also a fantastic technique to promote your business to a larger audience. Paid advertisements must be targeted to a certain set of clients; else, your ad campaigns will most likely be unsuccessful.
Potential clients who aren’t inside these targeted limits can nonetheless receive your message and convert them into purchases thanks to public relations.
Product, Purpose, Passion
Here are a couple components you will need into creating a strong startup PR:
- Product: Define your product or service, what it accomplishes, as well as how your specialised offering fits into the present industry environment. You will need to be fully aware of how exactly your product differs in order to better define it. Analysing your competition would be an ideal area to begin with, so ensure this is down as possible.
- Purpose: Determine what problem your product or service tackles, and who it is designed for? You reason for existence is in the hands of your targeted consumers. you must have a thorough grasp of their traits, specifically in terms of who they are and their values.
- Passion: Your tone is key for this section. If you’re looking to present your brand as ambitious and enthusiastic, you would need to reflect this conveying genuine and upbeat tone. If you have any personal stories about the establishment of your startup, present that across. The vulnerability of your brand provides human touch some many companies strive for.
By implementing the product, purpose and passion of your brand, you’ve established a core that so many startups miss out during the initial stages. This ensures that the message you are trying to convey across to your target customers is consistent and makes sense.
Getting a Journalists Attention
The 3P’s (product, purpose and passion) may be core areas startups need, however it won’t be enough in order to catch the attention of a journalist. By thinking like a journalist, you will be able to give journalist a reason to pick your story.
In order to catch the attention of a journalist, you will need to adopt these three elements:
- Timeless: News is, by definition, ‘fresh’ information. Consider how you may participate in cutting-edge debates in your field.
- Relevance: Stay up to date with recent news written by journalists in your field. Examine popular posts in detail to discover how you may connect them to your very own experience.
- Novelty: Think about how your perspective or argument is distinctive. You’re not making a convincing argument on why you deserve to be heard from the pool of other startups. Mainly due to the lack of differentiation with who you are when compared to your competitors.
It’s difficult to admit that your product isn’t intrinsically attractive to someone else when you live by, and die for your business. However, in order to obtain publicity, it’s critical to create a good filter for what’s noteworthy in the eyes of other people.
Personalising Your Story for Different Journalists
Figuring out your newsworthy story is only the half way point for any startup PR. The difficult task will be to tailor your story for each journalist. Different journalist will have a different view of your story. Therefore, selecting which journalist you want to reach out to is key. A combination of selecting the ideal journalist, matched with the framing of your business, would be a perfect match!
- Identify the Right Journalist: Select 3-5 journalists that satisfy the following criteria: industry relevance, issue, and publication. This won’t give you a lot of alternatives, but that’s the point: according to studies, 20% of your outreach yields 80% of your outcomes. Smaller newspapers that address your relevant topic are a good choice. If you focus on comparable interests instead of the biggest media platform, you’ll be far more likely to gain momentum. Put your money where your target audience is – that is where you’ll receive the most engagement.
- Reaching Your Targets: You may look at subscribing to the journalist you find some interest in contacting. By getting an understanding of their writing style, this will allow you to tailor your approach to them. You may even look into the audience of the journalist, to an impression of your own audience. You may identify completely new elements.
- Establishing the Hook: In order for a journalist to be interested in your story, you must be able to demonstrate why they should be interested. To come up with your hook, include the use of your research have. Look at the themes your chosen journalist covers in their articles, and align those themes to your story.
Humanising Journalist
Don’t treat the journalist you have at your disposal as just another reason for growing your business. Journalist are still human beings, and therefore it is important that you have a personal connection with them.
A good relationship may make or break your public relations efforts. However, the goal isn’t to start bugging journalists in the hopes of gaining ‘valuable relationships.’ Alternatively, take an active role in developing a community. PR stands for two words, “public” and “relation.” Relation being short for “relationship.” In this very case, make sure you’re trying to establish a healthy relationship with journalists.
A golden rule: Make friends before becoming business partners!
Here’s way in order to establish a strong connection:
- Partake in discussions on social media
- Joining groups – relevant to you
- Conversate on forums and comment on publications
- Having a mutual friend can be beneficial
- Presenting your work and interests to them
- Participate in events
Evolving Your Startup PR Strategy
Because media that been earned from trusted journalists is placed very highly in the eyes of prospective buyers, building media relations and receiving the correct press coverage is critical for getting brand visibility. Currently, there’s has been a decline in readership from traditional media outlets, while other forms of media have become the norm to consume information. Access to articles via mobile devices, and the rise of independent publications, has changed the landscape of PR. When it comes to startup PR, its crucial that you mix different approaches to create a truly well-established strategy.
Here are some key areas to focus on:
- Producing Valuable Content Consistently: Any good content you publish has the potential to enrich your brand story. It boosts your reputation by giving you a cohesive, consistent voice across different digital channels. That’s why so many well-known businesses have evolved into publishing behemoths, producing everything from social media material to blogs, e-books, infographics, events, and movies. They’re informing their clients about the situation.
- Sharing Your Expertise: Contributing articles on industry themes to media outlets or businesses is a good method to establish reputation. This could be through guest posting or opinion article on another company’s site, as well as a webinar or podcast with a partner. You may receive third-party endorsements, create relationships with industry thought leaders, and increase engagement in new and interesting ways by sharing your knowledge on non-branded sites.
- Leveraging Your Social Outlets: You may now recruit and connect with specialised groups in ways which were unthinkable only ten years ago thanks to social media and different online communities. These social media platforms may (and should) be utilised in tandem with your public relations initiatives.
If you’d like to read more about Utilising PR for Your Startup – PR For Startups: Our Top Tips
Conclusion
It’s fairly unusual for startups to focus more on product development over the customer development. You should use PR in the early phases of your business for a growth model that prioritises the consumer. It will support you in the discovery of your clients, the ongoing refinement of your positioning, the provision of much-needed exposure, and the development of the product itself.
PR is an important part of your startup’s demand marketing mix, but it’s only effective if you’re proactively tackling it. While it won’t address last-minute client acquisition problems within the final hour, strategic plans and perfectly executing on plans can lead to a more successful and gratifying journey for your firm.
Amit Khanna, 7startup Founder
Amit has 18 years of experience in the industry and an MBA. He supports entrepreneurs with every aspect of their business including concept and product development, investor presentations, and fundraising. Amit & 7startup assist startups in the pre due-diligence process and help connect them to our vast network of investors. Reach out to us today and see if we’re a fit!
