In this step-by-step guide, we will take you through the various stages of our startup PR roadmap, highlighting tactics to help you reach your goals
Are you a startup looking to make a big splash in the business world? If so, it’s essential to develop a strong PR strategy to boost your brand and increase visibility. We understand that every startup has its unique strengths and challenges, which is why we’ve tailored this guide to suit your specific needs. Whether you’re seeking media coverage, building influencer relationships, or leveraging social media platforms, we’ve got you covered.
By using Roadmap PowerPoint Templates, you’ll learn how to craft a compelling brand story, identify target media outlets, create effective press releases, and engage with journalists and influencers. We’ll also share tips and tricks to measure the success of your PR efforts and adjust your strategy accordingly.
With the right PR approach, your startup can capture the attention of your target audience, gain credibility, and ultimately drive business growth. So, let’s dive in and take your brand to new heights with our startup PR roadmap.
How a PR calendar works
The calendar plans out the news releases for the year in advance and serves as your company’s initial schedule that can be adhered to throughout the year in order to stay focused on the PR goals. A calendar also helps to provide focus and consistency to your company’s PR strategy. For startups, the PR goal is to ensure that the public and the media are well-informed about an upcoming event. In the case of the public, a last-minute PR push can be very useful. A PR calendar is therefore created to make sure that nothing gets forgotten during the PR planning and preparation processes.
Below are seven tips for creating a successful PR calendar:
1. Goal Setting
The public relations goals should serve as the foundation of the PR calendar. These goals should influence what is to be published and when. The goals should be developed based on the most suitable method that works for your company, and they must be measurable. The goals highlight the theme, the media outlets targeted and the type of news to be created. For instance, if a goal is to draw customers, it should include the excellent work that needs to be done to build customer satisfaction, loyalty, and experience.
2. Create a Plan
Create a spreadsheet in Excel, Word, or any other tracking tool that can be used to keep the content organized for the year. This helps to change certain activities and link content more visually. Each event should incorporate the date, working title, the medium, the target audience, the goal, and the progress throughout the process. You might also want to keep track of the keywords and images used as well as any other PR information. The more information is included in the PR calendar, the easier it is to design new content for the year.
3. Make a Plan for Changes
It is important to create some room to adapt to new ideas and strategies as the year progresses. Any breaking news and current events happening in your company’s industry should be highlighted. After all, they may facilitate necessary changes in the calendar plan. Keep track of the metrics during the year as certain events may not happen as expected. This may require the company to carry out some adjustments in the PR calendar. Additionally, the company might need to observe the competitors to see if they are doing anything new and innovative. As such, the company may be forced to change the PR calendar in order to achieve a competitive edge.
4. Start Planning Backwards
A successful PR calendar must be created by planning backwards. Startups may start planning a PR calendar from the furthest date from your company’s actual event date. Doing this helps to assure that no event in the PR calendar is overlooked.
5. Stay Ahead of Schedules
Stick to the PR calendar by staying ahead of the dates and deadlines. If necessary, design and draft content weeks or months in advance of the publishing date. In this way, deadlines will not snowball, and events will not get backlogged.
6. Team Participation
Effective PR calendars are the result of the active involvement of the team leader and his/her members during the creation process. When the team is actively engaged in scheduling events, they are able to embrace the plan and become more motivated to accomplish it. Whether the team members are in-house or remote, they can provide valuable ideas on when to schedule certain events. It is highly recommended to gather the team members together and allow them to be part of the calendar creation process.
7. Backup Copy
Calendars can be subject to manhandling, theft, or even misplacement, whether it is on paper or stored by electronic means. It is possible, albeit cumbersome, to maintain a backup copy of the calendar. With an electronically managed calendar, it is possible to create and maintain several copies with just a few clicks.
Food for Thought
Take note that the PR calendar is designed to assist in efficiently managing time. It is there to ensure that everything that needs to be done is incorporated into the program and appropriate time is allocated. What the calendar achieves greatly depends on how effective it is. Creating a PR calendar may seem complex but can help to accomplish PR and marketing goals and objectives. The tips highlighted will assist in creating a convenient schedule that blends with the PR goals.
We have attached below a roadmap template to illustrate more on this discussion.
Startup PR Roadmap Template
One Year Out
- Edit, save, and download photos and videos for the previous year’s events
- Share photos and videos that highlight the employees and relevant stakeholders on social media and blogs
- Cover story – All major industry shows. Key industry executives talk about the creative insights they would be implementing with their teams.
- Sales and media report
- Company updates. The management shares the goals of the company on social media platforms. They incorporate future prospects and what things have been and what can be learned.
11 Months Out
- Boldfaced listings throughout the printed version
- Featured supplier listings on the buyer’s guide
- Create an ad that provides enough information for the viewers to get a feel of what products are being offered and why they should use it
- Brainstorm ideas for future events
10 Months Out
- Create a full-page color print ad of the best product for sale and list others on the ad
- Share a blog post. Feature the latest news for the industry on the company’s blog
- Sales and media report
9 Months Out
- Local news programs and national magazine feature on ‘America’s most promising companies to demonstrate innovative thinking and strong determination of the movers and shakers.
- Host workshops and webinars for entrepreneurs in the country to identify the most influential individuals in their industry.
- Grow the list of reporters, bloggers and social media influencers. The list should contain the contact details of their publications and reporters who are active in the industry. They should be organized in order of how valuable they are in terms of reaching the target audience.
8 Months Out
- Set up an autoresponder on the website to respond to sales inquiries
- Upload presentation videos to social media channels
- Update and create a new list of influential reporters, journalists, bloggers, and social media influencers. The media list should be revised frequently in order to build a database of key reporters.
6 Months Out
- Market reports for retail and service
- Make a speech and give comments on the industry and trade blogs.
- Maintain media partnerships
- Negotiate for Ads, editorials, interviews, and onsite coverage
4 Months Out
- Marketing to digital marketing and SEO
- Publish press releases on future partnerships, suppliers, community involvement and impact, and new event feature
- Live stream video broadcast and magazine feature on ‘How I got started’. The story provides customers with a better insight into what the company is and why that particular industry was chosen.
3 Months Out
- Launching of new product
- Prepare the media for the product launch
- Display ad to attract local customers and businesses
- Speaking opportunity – Lessons and startup sales from big entrepreneurs who were once startups themselves
- Sales and media report
2 Months Out
- More invitations and follow-ups are conducted. Necessary arrangements are made for informal meetings to discuss the outlook for the company and the industry.
- Prepare reporter friendlies for product launch
- Set up a meeting
- Respond to calls, queries, and emails from the media
- Incorporate a video and photo coverage
- Trade shows and partner events to share thoughts and give opinions on current news for the industry
- Post pre-campaign teasers
- Share a blog post
- Sales and media report
1 Month Out
- During this month, the company features all holidays on its local calendar and sets out the goals and objectives to be achieved throughout the year. The company is also committed to introducing a new product in its portfolio and releases demos for the same. The essence of the PR is to pitch the media and the foundation for any PR program is to develop a solid media list. Once the list is created, time is scheduled on the calendar for media outreach. Each reporter is then contacted to introduce the company.
- Feature all festivities and holidays on the local calendar
- Develop PR prospects and goals for the year
- Speech – Talk about why social media is mandatory for startup success, bold ways to stand out and more
- Company updates
- Marketing ideas and upcoming events
- Ads for an upcoming seminar and reporter meetings
- Set up media meetings
- Make phone calls and send emails to reporters to confirm their participation
- Capture contact information, schedule and meeting venue for pre-arranged meetings and interviews
- Prepare product launch materials
- Get approval for product launch materials
- Sales and media report
2 Weeks Out
- Feature story in an industry trade magazine. This story should feature a testimonial from the founder’s early stages in their career
- Sponsorship for an event in Las Vegas
- International conference meeting in New York
5 Days Out
- Press conference to announce the new managing director
- Our Chief PR Officer makes a speech in Europe on the key strengths of the PR industry.
- Event report and photos
- Share community content
Ongoing
- Press release on new product launch
- New and emerging tech conference
- Post a link to content from a blog with a short update
- Share a promotional product, discounts, and freebies
- Remind people to join the company’s mailing list and tell them about the benefits of doing so
Do you need help building an effective PR strategy for your brand? With a team of PR experts, Pressfarm can help you do that! The team at Pressfarm is skilled at creating quality content that will make a good impression on your brand. They’re also experienced in developing outreach strategies to put this content in front of the right eyes.
Sign up today and let us help you create winning press releases, especially, engaging feature stories and creative media kits that will build a memorable brand image. With our personalized media lists and our extensive database featuring over 1 million journalists across industries, we can help you connect with the right people to tell your story. With Pressfarm, you can finally boost your online visibility by featuring in relevant search results across search engines.
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