Public Relation is an inseparable and indispensable aspect of a startup which every entrepreneur need to reckon/consider upon.
“PR is extremely important, and being able to use it in the right way means everything. You have to market your success.” – Lee Haney, bodybuilder and former Mr. Olympia.
There is no mystery in the fact that for a startup to flourish, it needs good and effective promotion and PR. Public Relations is 10 to 50 times more effective than advertising because consumer or target audience has more trust in earned media as compared to paid media.
The backbone of every successful brand story we see in media is PR. With an effective PR strategy, you can make a simple story newsworthy for the media and consumers.
The right PR technique used at right time helps the startup to gain media coverage and establish potential consumers for the brand. Some PR techniques for startup one needs to remember are given below:
- Set your goal
Before drafting a story, one must set the goals and objectives he/she wants to achieve through the news story.
- Is your goal to attract attention to your product launch?
- To signal that you’re looking to hire new employees?
- To increase the visibility of your startup to encourage more investment?
- To attract attention to launching in a new location?
The answers to the above questions are very important because as Jason Calacanis has said “you have to think about what type of story you’re going to push in order to determine who you are trying to reach specifically.”
- Use the P’s of PR Storytelling
While drafting a media story, incorporate the 3 P’s of PR – product, purpose, and passion. This will help the consumers to view the “big picture” stuff about your startup.
- Think Like a Journalist to Earn a Journalist’s Attention
Using the 3 P elements in your story, you have provided a clear and concise view of your startup. Now your next task is to present the story in such an interesting manner that will attract the attention of the journalist and he will publicize the story.
- Find the Right Angle: Tailor Your Story to Each Journalist
After making your story interesting and newsworthy, the next step involves personalizing the story and catering to the needs of every journalist. In this step, it is very important to set a target group of journalists and cater to their needs.
The main reason for the downfall of a startup is that they are not able to develop new customers and markets. For a startup where a customer is an essential step for growth, effective PR techniques are required to discover potential customers, refine the market, and to develop products accordingly. Thus PR is an essential component for a startup keeping in mind the changing trends and demands of the market.
