5 PR Tips To Get Your Startup Off The Ground!

You just launched a company. Great! But what next after the big launch? How would you let the world know about your project? In simple words, you need a good PR.

Brands are built on what people are saying about you. When you get media exposure, not only does it draw people’s attention to your site and earn you business, but also it makes you appear to be more credible. Startup PR might seem daunting, but if you want to get your startup off the ground then you need to work your socks off to get a good amount of publicity. But the obvious question is how to garner media attention? Here are some tips by the pundits to get you started on a successful PR campaign for your startup.

1. Who should you target in media? Do your research well!

It is very important to know who you’re pitching to. Determine the journalists and the publications that would be interested in your startup and create a pitch specifically tailored for their audience. Many journalists today are on Twitter, which is a great way to understand the types of stories they are interested in writing. This will help you to identify the persons who you should create dialogues with and build relationships.

2. Build & maintain relationships with Press

Journalists are more likely to give your pitch a chance if you built a relationship with them beforehand. But how? Find opportunities to create dialogues directly with the media outlets you want to cover you and use that time to develop a direct relationship. Good relationships  with press are key to a successful public relations campaign. You can follow journalists on Twitter and other social media platforms and participate in online discussions with them. By doing this you can start meaningful conversations with them.

3. Start off with pitching local publications first

Don’t aim for the big leagues right out of the gate. Start local – pitch some of the smaller news outlets and bloggers in your city. Local publications can be much easier to pitch many of them are actively seeking out interesting things to feature. Once you get featured in a local publication, you can leverage the credibility from that article to work your way up the top notch media houses.

4. Use compelling content assets to craft the perfect story

There are thousands of startups out there that want media coverage, but not every startup is going to get the coverage they drool over. To increase your odds of standing out, it is a great idea to have a clever and well thought-out piece of content to present as part of your pitch.  Get creative and pitch your product through infographics, photos, videos, etc. Instead of just offering a text-only story, use visual assets to explain what your company does and why it does. This will grab the journalists’ attention, and if they publish it your startup will get a much larger audience.

5. Deliver a value-driven and a newsworthy pitch

You must have a well-crafted storyline about your start-up to build your pitches around. You not only have to highlight your startup’s unique selling point but also have to craft your pitch well to target the media outlets. That being said, if you feel your startup is unique and worthy of coverage, figure out the right angle with which to approach a journalist. A few common ideas include:

• The startup’s launch
• The launch of a new product, feature or offering
• The release of a compelling study or interesting data
• The company’s response to a current event
• News of a high-profile partnership

Every pitch should be unique and clearly valuable to the specific outlet you are targeting.