Many companies have this idea that PR has an “on/off” switch, and when you turn it on it’ll work immediately. Startups are often the worst culprits because, by nature, they’re used to moving very fast and iterating often. Unfortunately, PR doesn’t quite work that way and it can end up hurting you in the long run if you try to rush it.
So what can you do to make sure your PR efforts are successful?
Be ready to make the commitment to PR
You need to commit to PR as an ongoing strategy if you want it to really make an impact. Of course you want fast results, but those don’t happen without dedicating resources to PR. I realize that’s easier said than done for startups that don’t have the money to hire an outside firm or dedicated internal PR person, but it’s still something you have to consider before diving in.
I’ve met with companies that had never focused on PR, and then all of a sudden decided they wanted to do a huge media blitz around the holidays because the season directly tied in to their product. That’s all they wanted. Then nothing. The “bursts of news” approach rarely works – the people you’re trying to reach probably aren’t familiar with you yet. If someone searches for your company they might not have seen any activity on record in months. And you’re just setting yourself up to be forgotten.
But if you think you’re ready to start focusing on PR, then be ready to commit to it for an extended period of time and make sure someone on your team has the bandwidth to focus on it.
Plan ahead
The worst thing you can do is seek out a PR firm/freelancer a week or two before your app is live in the App Store, expecting that they can ramp up and get results in a short amount of time. There’s a lot more that goes into a launch than you’d expect: your hire needs to become immersed in your business and industry to understand what the most interesting story is. They have to spend time figuring out the best way to tell that story. The startup needs to get all of its assets in order – do you have screenshots? Video demos? Bios? Any other collateral that describes the product?
You have to plan ahead so you can get your ducks in a row, even with timing. If you’re a tech company, you need to be aware of whether Apple is making a huge announcement the same day as your launch. Same type of concept applies in many other industries.
Think strategically
In addition to planning, you need to think strategically about how you want to approach PR. Many startups want to make a huge splash and start off with a media blitz. That isn’t always the best approach. Sometimes it’s better to ease in to the process with smart, compelling stories that are crafted individually for a specific audience.
This is especially true if the company and/or product isn’t fully up and running. You probably have little to no feedback to fully understand who your target market is and what resonates with them. You also might have bugs to work out or internal challenges to overcome before you put yourself out in the public eye.
Or, what if where you are now isn’t where you’re going to be in a month or so?
Consider all repercussions before you jump the gun. There’s no going back, but you can always ramp up over time, so be sure to think about the best approach before you hit the ground running.
Understand the “snowball effect”
This goes back to why you need to commit and think strategically. PR results don’t happen overnight. Sure you might get your 15 minutes of fame from tons of media coverage at one point, but it doesn’t mean you’ve effectively achieved your goal (even if it’s as simple as “raising awareness.” Over time, you get to tell different stories that show the evolution of your company. You build relationships with key media/analysts and any other audiences that are important to you. And the public gets to know you throughout the process.
After a while, your company is mentioned in the articles that relate to a topic in your industry (or mention your competitors) without you proactively seeking them out. You’ll have inbound requests for comments on industry topics because you’ve established your credibility as a leader. It “snowballs” over time, but this can take a year (or more), so you have to be patient and continuously think through how you want your story to evolve.
Things get sloppy when you rush. Don’t be the company that’s looking back thinking, “man I wish we would have thought of that.”