Public relations (PR) can help you get attention for your startup and attract potential customers, investors, and partners. PR is crucial for creating and strengthening your brand image, trust, and reputation, not only in your market but also beyond. But how do you start with PR for your startup? What are the best tips and strategies to make sure that your story reaches the right audience? And how can you measure the effect of your PR efforts?

This blog post will outline the PR playbook designed explicitly for startups, incorporating the most up-to-date industry trends and data.

What is PR and why is it important for startups?

PR, short for public relations, encompasses the process of managing and influencing people’s perceptions, emotions, and opinions of your startup. It involves crafting and disseminating positive and compelling narratives about your startup through various media channels like newspapers, magazines, blogs, podcasts, social media, and more. By doing so, PR contributes to shaping public sentiment towards your startup and can profoundly impact your visibility and success.

PR is important for startups because it can help you achieve several benefits, such as:

• Increase your brand awareness and visibility among your target market and beyond
• Establish your credibility and authority as an expert and leader in your industry
• Generate trust and loyalty among your existing and potential customers
• Attract more traffic, leads, and conversions to your website and products
• Boost your SEO and online reputation by getting backlinks and mentions from authoritative sources
• Raise your profile and attract more investors, partners, and talent to your startup

According to a recent report by Meltwater, the global PR market is worth $88 billion and is projected to grow to a value of $129 billion by 2026. The same report also found that the global PR industry grew by 10.2% in 2021, led by a shift to digital mediums due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This shows that PR is a booming and evolving industry that offers many opportunities for startups to get exposure and recognition. However, PR is also a competitive and challenging field that requires a lot of planning, creativity, and persistence. That’s why you need a PR playbook to guide you through the process and help you achieve your PR goals.

How to define your PR goals and target audience

The first step in your PR playbook is to define your PR goals and target audience. This will help you focus your efforts and resources on the most relevant and impactful PR activities for your startup.

Your PR goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, your PR goals could be:

• To get featured in 10 top-tier media outlets in your industry within the next 6 months
• To increase your website traffic by 50% and your email subscribers by 25% within the next 3 months
• To generate 100 qualified leads and 10 sales from your PR campaign within the next month

Your target audience refers to the specific group of individuals who are most likely to show interest in your startup and its products or services. Identifying your target audience requires analyzing their demographics, psychographics, behaviors, needs, and pain points. For instance, your target audience might consist of:

1. Female entrepreneurs aged 25-40 seeking a platform for connection and collaboration with like-minded women.
2. Small business owners grappling with accounting and bookkeeping challenges and in need of a straightforward and cost-effective solution.
3. Travel enthusiasts in search of distinctive and personalized experiences and recommendations.

Once you have established your PR objectives and identified your target audience, you can proceed to the next step: developing your PR narrative and key messages.

How to craft your PR story and key messages

Your PR story is the heart of your PR campaign. It is the story that you want to tell the media and your target audience to present your startup and its value proposition. Your PR story should be captivating, genuine, and relevant to your audience and the media.

To create your PR story, you should follow the 3 P’s of PR storytelling: product, purpose, and passion.

• Product: Describe what your product or service is and what it does. Show how it is different from and better than your competitors. Emphasize the features and benefits that make your product or service special and useful.
• Purpose: Explain your startup’s “why”. What problem does your product or service fix and for whom? What is your vision and mission? How do you make a positive difference for your customers and the world?
• Passion: Demonstrate your startup’s “how”. How did you get the idea for your product or service? What difficulties did you face along the way? What are your values and culture? How do you express your passion and excitement for your product or service?

Your key messages are the main points that you want to communicate to your audience and the media. They should be clear, concise, and consistent across all your PR channels. Your key messages should support your PR story and highlight your unique selling proposition (USP).

To craft your key messages, you should answer the following questions:

• What is your startup’s name and tagline?
• What is your product or service and what does it do?
• What is your target market and how big is it?
• What is the problem that your product or service solves and how does it solve it?
• What are the benefits and advantages of your product or service?
• What are the proof points and testimonials that validate your product or service?
• What are the call to actions and next steps that you want your audience to take?

How to find and pitch relevant media outlets and journalists

The next step in your PR playbook is to find and pitch relevant media outlets and journalists who can help you spread your PR story and key messages to your target audience. This step requires a lot of research, outreach, and follow-up.

To find relevant media outlets and journalists, you should:

• Determine the media channels that your target audience frequently engages with and trusts. These channels may include newspapers, magazines, blogs, podcasts, social media platforms, and more.
• Refine your selection by focusing on media outlets that specifically cover topics related to your industry, niche, product, or service.
• Take advantage of tools like Muck Rack, Cision, or BuzzSumo to discover contact information and social media profiles of relevant journalists, editors, and influencers associated with those media outlets.
• Establish a connection with them through social media interactions and email communications, aiming to foster rapport and trust.

To pitch relevant media outlets and journalists, you should:

• Craft a personalized and compelling email pitch that captures their attention and interest. Your email pitch should include:
  • A catchy and relevant subject line that summarizes your PR story and key messages
  • A brief introduction of yourself and your startup
  • A clear and concise explanation of why your PR story is newsworthy and relevant to their audience
  • A link to your website, press kit, or media kit where they can find more information and resources about your startup
  • A call to action and a deadline for them to respond to your pitch

• Send your email pitch at the optimal time and day for the highest open and response rates. According to Muck Rack, the optimal length for a PR email pitch is 200 words or less, and the best day to launch a press release is Thursday.
• Follow up with them politely and professionally if you don’t hear back from them within a week. Don’t spam them or be pushy, but show them that you are genuinely interested and eager to work with them.
• Thank them and provide them with any additional information or assistance they may need if they respond positively to your pitch. Keep them updated on your PR story and key messages and maintain a good relationship with them.

How to use PR tools and services to boost your outreach and results

The final step in your PR playbook is to use PR tools and services to boost your outreach and results. PR tools and services can help you automate, optimize, and measure your PR efforts and save you time, money, and hassle.

Some of the PR tools and services that you can use are:

You can use these PR tools and services to make your outreach more effective and get better results. But don’t forget that PR is not just about tools and services. You also need to have human skills and relationships. You need to tell a clear and captivating PR story and key messages, reach out to the right people in a personal way, and build trust and respect with media contacts and your audience.

Conclusion

PR can help you get your startup noticed and achieve your business goals. But PR is not easy. It takes a lot of planning, creativity, and hard work. That’s why you need a PR playbook to help you navigate the process and reach your PR goals.

We hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and learned something useful. If you are an early-stage startup founder who needs help with financial modeling, pitch deck creation, and business plan writing, feel free to contact us. We are here to help you grow your startup!