Comments on: When PR for Your Startup?

By: Donna @ Business for Sale

Donna @ Business for Sale — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:57:41 +0000

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.

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:59:14 +0000

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

By: Joe Eckert

Joe Eckert — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:12:07 +0000

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.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:37:24 +0000

Great Article. This will help with my pitch deck.

I have two questions.

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

By: Joe Eckert

Joe Eckert — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:37:11 +0000

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.

By: Paddu Govindaraj

Paddu Govindaraj — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:26:27 +0000

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.

By: Derek Andersen

Derek Andersen — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:39:27 +0000

Thanks for the response Joe. Insightful advice.

By: Joe Eckert

Joe Eckert — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:22:41 +0000

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.

By: Vitaliy Levit

Vitaliy Levit — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:54:08 +0000

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

By: Luosheng Peng

Luosheng Peng — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:04:11 +0000

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?