A good PR strategy for startups is an opportunity to build both a loyal customer base and great media relations. The thing about PR is that the relationships you build determine your success in it. The fact is that a good PR strategy doesn’t necessarily have to include a press release or mass emailing journalists to try and get their attention. In fact, at Pressfarm we discourage our users from sending mass emails in the hopes of getting several replies from the media. It never works. PR is changing and 2023 has very new trends that govern how companies achieve press coverage.
Without spending a huge budget of your funding on PR, you can use these very pro-level tips to get ahead of the news, in online publications, and in newspapers.
1. Study the competition
Track the press coverage that your competitors receive and find ways to get in on the mix. The best way to do this is to start building relationships with the journalists who cover your competition long before you ever need them to cover your brand. Start by reaching out to them to provide a news tip, or updating them on a new market trend. What we found working at Pressfarm is that aside from sending over your news tips, resource, or market trends, you can suggest interesting story angles to help a journalist write their story.
The goal is to build a mutually beneficial relationship with the journalists. Eventually, when you do pitch your product to them, it won’t look like you’re just trying to get them to write about your company. Instead, it will feel like they are returning a favor to a very good friend.
2. Talk to people
Emails, phone calls, cold emails to journalists, social media, and networking sites among others are cool and all. However, sometimes you achieve so much more in your PR strategy if you get out there and talk to people face-to-face.
Go to networking events, conferences, and meetups within your industry. You might get a chance to pitch your product to a few people. Sometimes this can win you more attention than you would get from sending out emails or social media posts for months.
Journalists attend so many of these events too. You could get a contact, invite them for coffee and make friends. Someday they might just write about your product.
Do not underestimate the effectiveness of post-conference follow-up. People, in this case, the press, are more likely to want to meet up immediately after the first interaction at a conference. Plan a coffee or lunch, invite them along, and catch up on the discussion you didn’t finish. Build on the relationships.
3. The elevator pitch
If you cannot explain what your company does in only 10 seconds or so, you have clearly failed to understand what your company does. It is that simple.
In simple terms, what you do not understand, no journalist will attempt to understand on your behalf.
A journalist wants to write a story on a product that can be easily understood in simple terms by the readers. If the founder can explain what the product is about without complicating everything, this paints a good impression.
Master your elevator pitch perfectly. A good elevator pitch makes it very easy for someone to write a story about your startup.
4. Leverage the right medium
Think about Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter for a moment. Which network presents the best opportunity for your brand to stay consistent with its message and grow?
Some brands work very well on Pinterest, others are perfect for Instagram, while some perform very well on Twitter. As a founder, it is important to use these mediums to push your brand’s message. To avoid breaking the bank, you should understand the network that presents the best opportunity for growth with minimal spending of funds.
For instance, some brands have built a consistent branding message – that their companies represent a lifestyle, not a product. On Instagram, such stories have gone viral without huge budgets. Could your startup achieve the same?
5. Identify your ideal media outlets
Take a pen and paper, research, and find your dream media companies. Is it Mashable? Forbes? TechCrunch? CNN? Vogue? BBC?
Knowing very well the publications you would like to be in allows you to start following and analyzing pieces of news from these publications.
Doing research in advance helps when you finally pitch your product because you will have understood what story angle fits what media outlet. For instance, Mashable leans a bit towards the trendy news, while TechCrunch is more into in-depth startup news breakouts and analysis.
Understanding these distinctions allows you to start preparing story angles geared and customized towards each of these outlets.
6. Differentiate PR from marketing and advertising
PR is just that: PR. Public relations has often been confused with marketing or advertising. This confusion has gone into PR strategies leading to people having very poor PR results. A startup ought to have a marketing strategy, an advertising strategy, and a PR strategy. None of these are the same.
When you are working on your PR, always remember that the goal of PR is to get high-quality coverage; not high quantity.
The most personalized and relevant approaches toward PR always deliver great results.
A founder doesn’t have to appear in the company’s adverts or marketing campaigns. However, founders who have taken charge of their company’s PR – a good example being Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg – have gotten their companies to become daily topics in the press.
In the process, they have built great companies with huge revenues and profits.
Founders don’t need to restrict themselves to traditional press releases and email pitches. Rather, they should also focus on brand events, thought-leadership platforms, charitable programs, influencer initiatives, and partnerships. All these strategies can help you get ahead of your company’s PR message.
How Pressfarm can help with your media outreach
However, heading the PR efforts can sometimes be draining for startup founders who already have so much on their plate. If this is the case for you, then you can reach out to a PR agency such as Pressfarm for help. When you collaborate with this team of PR specialists, expert writers, and certified designers, you can get quality content and a winning PR strategy.
When you sign up, you can get a professional press release, some winning guest posts, and an eye-catching media kit from Pressfarm. With this content, you can make a splash and stand out in your industry. In addition to creating this quality content, Pressfarm can also help you to put it in front of the right eyes.
By submitting your content to the right media outlets and startup directories, Pressfarm can boost your online presence. This strategy is built to ensure your brand ranks in relevant search results. Moreover, by giving you custom media lists and access to a PR database of 1 million+ journalists, Pressfarm can help you connect with the best journalists in your niche.
With one of Pressfarm’s PR packages, you can generate the publicity your brand deserves.