This post is by Joe Eckert, the most effective PR executive I know (we worked together at LogMeIn). Joe has played a critical role helping startups generate press coverage as both an inside VP and on the agency side. He is now at Baker Communications Group.
Given my limited PR knowledge, I asked Joe to write this guest post to help you begin your startup’s PR program. – Sean
When PR?
Because we specialize in communications for high tech start-ups, we’re often asked “when should I start a PR program?”
It’s a simple question. The simple answer (often given) is: “No time like the present.”
The real answer is bit more complex. We always ask prospective clients about their strategic company goals, as well as near- and long-term product plans so that we can help the management team determine whether a PR program can be helpful – and sustainable.
Once all parties agree that the time is, in fact, “now”, we go about the work of creating and executing the strategies and tactics that will help support the corporate vision. One of the first things we look at is helping a client generate a fairly steady stream of “content”.
Content is King
A good PR firm will help guide you and “tease out” the information that will help communicate your value and credibility to customers and partners. Part of your commitment to the PR process is to make sure the company is ready to handle the increased attention that comes with an effective and successful PR program. PR places additional demands on executives and managers who are designated as spokespeople or who otherwise have a stake in the PR process.
Content can begin – and often should begin – with company/product strategy communicated in the form of industry analyst discussions. This foundation work often precedes a more “public” PR campaign, It can also be combined with social media activity and/or “wire press releases” – two examples of content distribution tools. Knowing who is watching you and who you should be watching can often dictate the type, style and frequency of the content. But the key is that a lot of PR deliverables are no longer just media stories. They ARE company-created content that adds value and context to the more traditional media channels.
The Good (Bad?) Old Days
Not so long ago, PR lived in a relatively simple world of communication to the traditional press, who then processed, fact-checked and distilled that information before sending it out to the world. Today’s PR landscape is quite a bit more complex.
Before embarking 10 years ago into the land of the start-up, I and most of our team here spent time at large companies (IBM, Compaq, HP) where the simple rule was don’t communicate unless you get coverage in the press. Today, we’re seeing a disaggregation of traditional media “centers”, however, and now direct forms of communication are supplementing (not supplanting) the role of media. Take blogs, for example. They have become a significant supplement to traditional media and, in fact, many reporters also do double duty as bloggers. And, of course, companies and organizations have their own blogs, which add to the content volume. The influence of Twitter is well documented (ironically, in the traditional media). Even CUSTOMERS are publicly influencing the buying decisions of other customers. So, today, the press release, the company blog, the analyst deck all take on significance in addition to, and beyond the role of media in delivering content.
While scary (for some), companies must be willing to communicate with their customers and potential customers in an almost 1:1 fashion, or at least to appear that way. You might be thinking “that’s marketing.” And, in a way, it is, but it’s marketing using the tools, language and credibility of public relations/media. And, of course, it’s also using the traditional PR tools FOR press articles and analyst reports.
PR is not a magic bullet. Just as with building a sales and marketing organization – indeed an entire company – an effective PR program builds up over time with activities strategically dictated by what stage the company is at and where it wants to go.
So, when PR?
Ask a simple question…
We welcome your comments about your own experience with startup PR and/or any questions for Joe. – Sean
Andrew Chen
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Joe – thanks for the post. I would like to hear about some tangible examples about implementing these strategies within startups. I agree you should always be thinking about the PR messaging just like you might always be thinking about how to improve a product. For example – We’re about to launch a website, and I can tell you there are specific pieces of the site we’ve designed with specific bloggers in mind hopefully increasing our odds of coverage.
Maybe you could share a Top 10 steps/things for startups for startups trying to run their own PR. How do you get bloggers/writers attention with no existing relationship or street cred? Whenever I’ve worked with big PR firms we get hundreds of hits on one meaningful story angle or product update.
What can a startup do (with limited time and resources) to help deliver that type of coverage? And maybe as it relates to the post above, when should you realistically start and what are the specific steps (3 months from launch, 2-weeks from launch, etc).
Derek
Sean and Joe, thanks for the insight. It’s difficult to filter through all the PR “help” online and I’m glad someone is addressing the PR issue for tech startups.
Do you have any recommendations for disseminating press releases? Do PRWeb or BusinessWire work? I know the best way to get a press release out there is to establish, grow, and maintain personal relationships with writers in key publications and then distribute that way. Unfortunately, time constraints make this task difficult for many entrepreneurs. Do you have any tips in this regard?
Warmest Regards,
Vitaliy Levit
http://www.recessapp.com
Derek — it’s very difficult to give blanket specifics — it’s one of the things I enjoy about PR — it’s a craft, so you get to play and experiment based on very specific conditions. That said, you ask specifically about reaching bloggers so I’ll give you a few things that we’ve done successfully. First, you have to know who they are — this can be done fairly easily with key word search (including Twitter) and then tracking what they are interested in. It can also be done with a web hit audit (they may already be watching you). So how to engage them? Post responses to their blogs — be helpful, be authoritative. Call them out in your blog — or Twitter feed — agreeing or disagreeing with them (nicely). One thing we did recently with a client was take some pretty creative t-shirts they created and send them around (kinda old school but it was really well received AND got coverage).
Hope this was helpful
Vitaliy — I think you use “Press Release” as a synonym for “announcement” or “news”. A press release is just a tool — helpful for getting content and messaging down in a digestible format but still just a tool. To answer your question about distribution — we mostly use PRWeb — it’s cheap — gets into the same database engines to drive up Google score and does the job. We also use aggregation sites to further the distribution. I don’t know, however, of a single reporter who earns their living getting press releases off the wire. Reporters, bloggers, gadflies and analysts really do need to be cultivated. Not just talked to, but watched and listened to. Sometimes, sending a specific target a link to the latest blog post (hey, thought you’d appreciate) or responding to their latest post — has resulted in stories.
But, better not to do anything than to alienate them by proving how little you know about what what they do.
I’ve heard two camps saying conflicting things on PR: some suggesting that start-ups should consider PR from the very beginning (like Marc Benioff suggested in his book: Behind the cloud) and others advising to wait until/after a product/market fit. By reading your post, it didn’t help me to get a better understanding. So net and net, is there any simple answer that when should a start-up start PR, assuming a Beta product is about to be released and the team is ready to commit its time for public responses on PR?
Joe, thanks for the quick response. I definitely understand how important it is to cultivate those relationships, I just wish we had more time to do so 🙂
Luosheng — there is no harm engaging a PR expert as early in the process as possible, they can often have insight into what is already publicly available, they can also help you engage industry analysts who can help you shape your messaging and marketing. Working with PR does not necessarily mean going public right away — a lot of PR work is done behind the scenes. We have helped launch several companies from stealth well before their product (and even product messaging) was complete.
Thanks for the response Joe. Insightful advice.
Joe,
Thanks for the informative post and responses. I have a question though: how many startups can afford good PR firms / consultants, especially if they are self-funded or bootstrapped. Most of the entrepreneurs like me resort to self-service web media such as PRWeb and let the search engines do the rest. Any specific thoughts would be appreciated.
Paddu — good PR pays for itself and is usually less expensive than many other alternatives. There are also consultants out there willing to work for cash/equity arrangements — putting skin in the game. The damage self service can do can be irreparable to credibility — be careful.
Great Article. This will help with my pitch deck.
I have two questions.
For a startup who already places a large emphasis on customer service, building trust, being open and authentic (through a Tribe, blog, Twitter and FB fan pages – with all communication done by everyone in the startup), where does a PR firm fit in? ie. If we are savvy enough to launch these new media initiatives and new media is the role of PR 2.0, how can we further benefit from a professional PR firm?
Second question. What should a start-up that works with mobile apps, but has larger plans to transform a very large market through the web, expect to pay a PR firm?
This is really open ended, but there must be a threshold figure between value and over paying. Yes, this is to figure out numbers for my burn rate. : )
Your thoughts are appreciated
Jonathan, apologies for the delay in responding. Outstanding re: social media and your open, authentic mindset. A good PR firm can blend these new media activities to better connect with old media (and vise-versa).
As you are undoubtedly aware, mobile is experiencing huge buzz — CTIA this year was packed (and the mobile focus “meet the media” showcase was the best we’ve seen in years). It really depends on what you want the agency to do (AR, media, social media) or whether they are also receiving equity. If you’d like to discuss feel free to get in contact with us.
Great Article. This will help with my pitch deck.
I have two questions.
For a startup who already places a large emphasis on customer service, building trust, being open and authentic (through a Tribe, blog, Twitter and FB fan pages – with all communication done by everyone in the startup), where does a PR firm fit in? ie. If we are savvy enough to launch these new media initiatives and new media is the role of PR 2.0, how can we further benefit from a professional PR firm?
Second question. What should a start-up that works with mobile apps, but has larger plans to transform a very large market through the web, expect to pay a PR firm?
This is really open ended, but there must be a threshold figure between value and over paying. Yes, this is to figure out numbers for my burn rate. : )
Your thoughts are appreciated
The evolving face of business, due to the effects of the internet has had far reaching consequences into traditional areas of marketing. Many borders are getting blurred, and as the evolution continues many traditional avenues are being closed down by the power of the information superhighway. As a consequence traditional PR and Marketing firms are having a tough time of it out in the marketplace.