Startups launch expecting a flurry of media coverage from small to big outlets. However, it soon dawns on them that the process of getting press coverage is long and takes work. As they shift gears into making that happen, so many mistakes are made and a lot of money goes to waste. The biggest assets of any startup are money and time. Saving each of these and focusing them appropriately creates a huge lifeline.
As far as the PR game goes, there is no point in casting empty nets. We have worked with tens of startups to help them achieve their PR efforts and below are the mistakes that we have noticed being committed. We thought you could learn from them.
1. Not measuring results
Doing PR without measuring the results is like writing blank cheques. It does not help your bottom line in any way.
Startups must endeavor to keep tracking the PR metrics they have set and analyzing what is working and what isn’t, at least every other week.
For startups that choose to do their own PR, staying on top of the numbers, keeping up with the trends, knowing which outlets bring in the best leads, and being accountable to your benchmarks will help you achieve publicity that grows your startup.
Startups that choose to hire PR agencies should press the agencies for results. If you want to analyze your PR game, the agency should be able to provide measurable results so that you can separate what is working from what isn’t.
Successful PR is about measuring results, taking action and tweaking PR strategies, and essentially understanding what metrics affect the company’s benchmarks.
2. Unrealistic expectations
Startups often engage in PR expecting to hit a thousand new customers. Whether you are doing your own PR or you have a PR agency helping you out with that, do not expect immediate results. It is always advisable to give yourself or the PR agency about 60-90 days to deliver before trying something different.
This is because PR is a long game, and the efforts build and compound slowly over time. Unless your startup is extremely ground-breaking, you cannot expect to be featured in media outlets like TechCrunch or Forbes overnight. It takes work, and even if it were to happen, don’t expect a flurry of customers to sign up to your platform.
Managing your expectations will help you take short steps every day to implement your PR strategies and get closer to the end goal.
3. Assuming that PR is the only way
I hate to break it to you, but PR is not the only answer to your company’s growth. It is essential, but it takes that and much more to achieve the growth that you would like.
While investing in PR, invest in your content marketing as well. Put some work into your social media and invest in consistently educating, informing, and assisting your customers using powerful blog posts.
Getting published in the New York Times, or in TechCrunch is a huge achievement. It will get you some good publicity. You may receive about 5,000 unique visits to your site that day, and it might translate into a couple of hundred free trial signups. However, that incoming traffic won’t be sustained beyond a few days after that. You will go back to the struggle of looking for more users and trying to maintain the growth curve.
PR is good as a boost to your company’s message, but a few hundred free trial customers won’t give your startup the sustenance it needs to wade through murky waters. You should do more. Don’t sit and wait for the press. Instead, leverage other PR and growth strategies to keep growing your user numbers.
4. Using a PR agency with no SaaS experience
For Saas startups, it is advisable to use a PR agency that has worked with other Saas companies before. The experience they come with could go a long way to help you get your SaaS product out there.
The key question to ask yourself when choosing a PR agency is whether they can deliver what they’re promising. Base your choice on results. Ask where other SaaS startups working with them before have been featured. Be wary of agencies that are all talk and no action. They talk about success stories and push numbers that they cannot substantiate.
Since the SaaS field is fairly new, most big PR agencies have probably not worked with SaaS startups before. It’s therefore important to investigate well before committing your money month after month. It might even be worth just carrying out your own PR as a startup instead of hiring big guns for it.
Do you need help creating a buzz for your SaaS startup? At Pressfarm, we have extensive experience working with SaaS startups and getting them featured in the media. Our PR experts are skilled at writing effective press releases, developing engaging feature stories, and designing creative media kits, which all contribute to a memorable brand image for your startup.
In addition to creating quality content for you, we also have experience with building media outreach strategies to get your startup in front of the right eyes. In order to do this, we develop personalized media lists for each client, including contacts in their niche. Likewise, each of our clients has access to a comprehensive media database of over 1 million media contacts across industries. Launching a PR campaign with Pressfarm will get you the publicity your brand deserves. Ultimately, Pressfarm will help boost your online visibility by making sure your brand features in relevant search results across search engines.
5. Not having a PR strategy
Jumping into PR without having set up the goals, timelines, schedules, how-to, and objectives is like starting a journey with no clue of where you’re going. For very many startups, the focus is usually on publicity.
However, if you have not developed an overall PR strategy, your money and time will go to waste. It doesn’t matter how much you try – without a plan all your efforts will be in vain.
You need a PR strategy to guide all your PR efforts. Just the same way you should have a plan for your product development, you should also have a plan for your marketing and PR efforts. This will help you to reduce wastage and do the right things at the right times.
6. Concentrating on the wrong story
Of all the mistakes that can kill a startup’s PR efforts, telling the wrong story is probably one of the biggest. Startups need to zero in on the story that will make the reader’s eyes light up.
The biggest mistake in this instance is focusing on pitching your story like a sales pitch. As we have advised our clients before, journalists are never ever looking for sales pitches.
Startups that have hit it big can shine a light on the big ideas within their companies. Beyond just showcasing these ideas, they also tell stories based on these ideas. One such company is Slack – which has benefited from its strong storytelling capabilities.
Another company is Facebook, whose founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has continued to stay on top of the company’s messaging to its users and the media.
Every startup is attempting to disrupt a particular market. While dozens of other startups are focusing on disruption, you should be the founder who focuses and builds on a different story. Make your startup stand out by focusing on a unique story that is at the heart of your company’s idea.
How Pressfarm can help with your brand storytelling
It’s important to engage in media outreach continuously, right from day one. By sharing valuable content that media professionals appreciate, you can create a positive reputation that both they and their readers feel connected to.
With quality content like press releases, guest posts and media kits, Pressfarm can help you stand out and make a name for your brand as a trusted authority. Beyond that, custom media lists from Pressfarm can help you connect with media professionals who can help you tell a positive brand story, and win customers over.
Connecting with the PR experts at Pressfarm is definitely also helpful when you’re already in the middle of a crisis. They can help you craft a brand message to regain public trust and restore your reputation. However, if you sign up for a PR package before a crisis hits, you can build a more robust reputation that can survive a few hits. As a result, when you start with your PR early, there will be less work to do during a crisis.
Do you have anything to add to this story? Let us know in the comments section or by chatting with us on Twitter @pressfarmpr