7 must-know PR tips for startups

News coverage can make or break your startup. As such, creating a strong public relations strategy is an important investment. 

 

We got in touch with someone who knows public relations well. Brian Byrnes’ boutique firm Agency Byrnes Communications provides public relations services to companies across the country, including tech startups Washio, Cargomatic and Trivia Crack. Byrnes' understanding of the news media landscape comes from years of reporting, including five years with CNN. When you’re trying to grow your startup there are a few things that are key to a strong public relations strategy. Here are Byrnes’ seven essential tips:  

 

 

Ask yourself if the time is right for PR. Sure, beta stage was a success, and you are anxious to tell the world what you have been putting your blood, sweat and tears into for the past two years, but you should be certain that you are prepared to invest the time and money, and handle the potential attention, associated with launching a PR campaign. Do you have a budget set aside for PR? Is your startup ready to talk about its origins, investors, partners, employees, metrics, etc.? If not, it may be too early. 

 

 

What are your PR objectives? Are you seeking media attention to help attract investors or capture new customers and grow your business? Or is it to feed your ego? Chances are, it is a little bit of all those things -- and that's fine, but taking the time to consider exactly why you are seeking media coverage, and what you hope to achieve through it, will best serve your business in the long run. PR costs can vary wildly, so be sure to shop around. 

 

 

Be realistic about your media outreach goals. Indeed, a mention inTechCrunch or The Wall Street Journal will be beneficial, but that is certainly not the only way to reach your target audience. If you are a B2B company, a positive story in a respected trade publication that will be seen by your peers, competitors, and potential customers can work wonders. In addition, take the time to understand the difference between earned media and paid media. Generally speaking, your PR team will be seeking earned media mentions, while your marketing team will handle paid advertising. PR and marketing are not the same. 

 

 

Hiring a PR agency with experience, contacts and knowledge can be a vital and smart investment for a startup. Ideally, they will provide an outside-the-bubble perspective that proves beneficial. Conversely, you may choose to create an in-house PR position. Either way, there will be work for everyone when launching a PR campaign. Collaboration is key, particularly in the beginning when you should provide your PR team with as many details as possible. Then, trust them to give you an honest assessment on the best ways to achieve your PR objectives. A press release blast will be appropriate on some occasions, while individual media outreach will make more sense for others. Seeking local media coverage first may provide valuable feedback before going out for national exposure, while devising a smart combination of outreach across print, broadcast, online and social media outlets may yield stronger results than just concentrating on one medium alone.  

 

 

You are competing with scores of other startups for journalists’ attention, and reporters can be a jaded bunch, so you need to give considerable thought to your story. What sets you apart? What makes you and your company special? Backstory anecdotes are vital to crafting a message that will resonate first with journalists, then with their editors, and then with the general public. Of course, resist any temptation to embellish your exploits, it can only come back to haunt you. Tell the truth, it’s easier to remember. 

 

 

Don't expect to execute a successful PR campaign in two weeks. Plan ahead. Whether you are releasing an update of your app, opening a new storefront location, or launching in a new city, you need to plan well in advance, and consider how and to whom you plan to share your news. Journalists are bombarded with pitches daily, and they are always on deadline, so give your PR team ample time to work their media contacts, and then give journalists enough time to react. They may be interested, but perhaps they can’t get to the story today, this week, or even this month. Media outreach is a delicate balance between patience and persistence.    

 

 

If you are being interviewed by the media, know what you want the headline to be and aim for it. No matter how sidetracked you may become by a line of questioning, always go back to your message. And when the story does come out, don’t get caught up in your own hype, but also don’t get bogged down with unfavorable or slightly inaccurate coverage. Throughout the process, continually work to build relationships with the press, so that you can count on them, and they can count on you, for continued coverage as your company grows.