This document provides an overview of public relations strategies for startups. It discusses defining PR goals, researching target journalists, crafting effective pitches, and building relationships over time. The key lessons are to focus on developing genuine connections with journalists through engaging conversations rather than one-time pitches, and positioning your startup as solving a real problem for readers in order to attract media coverage.

1. The Beginners Guide to
PR for
Startups
presents

2. Table of Contents
Foundation Research Perfecting the Pitch
● Defining PR in 2014
● Public Relations vs. Human Relations
● Making Friends, Not Contacts
!
!
● Defining Success
● Choosing the right journalists
● Understanding the media
● Niche vs. Broad outlets
● Putting together a press kit
● Positioning statements
● Making things personal
● What’s in it for them?
● Keeping it concise
● Newsjacking 101
Media Outreach Measuring Success Best Practices
● Sending your pitch
● Timing is everything
● The follow-up process
● Accepting ‘no’ and moving on
● When to guest blog instead
● Setting up analytics tools
● Media doesn’t guarantee success
● Knowing when to say ‘no’
● Brainstorming creative new ideas
● Media Monitoring
● Tools of the Trade
● Use all your resources
Slides 4-8 Slides 9-14 Slides 15-20
Slides 21-26 Slides 27-31 Slides 32-35

3. Many startups still believe public relations begins and ends with receiving a
nod from TechCrunch.
Startup success stories are no longer written with thanks to the media. In
today’s ecosystem overflowing with startup ideas, to ‘launch’ is simply not
enough justification for media coverage.
Overnight success stories are a thing of the past, and we say it’s time for a
refreshing new take on PR.
What worked last year isn’t going to work today.
The secret is in adopting a human approach to PR.
Introduction

4. Foundation
Step away from the keyboard. Don’t send another haphazard
pitch to a journalist without understanding the basics.
The golden rule? Always make friends before you need them.

5. Defining PR in 2014
The name of the game is changing. No longer just about press releases
and embargoes - the definition of PR isn’t as cut and dry as it once was.
The homepage of Forbes? Yes, that’s PR, but so is your contributed
piece to Entrepreneur or HubSpot. In 2014, thought-leaders are just as
much media rockstars, as Mick Jagger himself.
Whether you’re a publicist, a growth hacker, or rockstar - you’re in the
business of PR and it’s time to take advantage of it.

6. Public Relations vs. Human
Relations
A PR person has coverage and favorable
public image in mind. They’re self-serving.
A human relations pro works hard for
meaningful, social relations that provide
value and create long-lasting relationships.
They’re selfless.
Which do you think has a greater impact
on your business in the long run? Which
would you rather have represent your
company?

7. We Say: Make Friends, Not Contacts
1. Cold Call No More - Long gone are the days of generic pitches, cold
calls or emails. If you don’t know the person you’re pitching,
consider putting on the brakes and heading back to the drawing
board.
2. Cut the “Blah Blah” - If your pitches lack authenticity (and worse
yet - if they don’t deliver value), all a journalist hears is “blah, blah,
blah.” Cut the buzzwords and focus on value.
3. The Value of One Friend - Another golden PR rule? Quality over
quantity. Focus on strengthening the relationships you have with
your existing contacts to make them more meaningful and
personal.

8. Forget playing the numbers game.
Pitching 100 journalists may be less effective than building a
relationship with three.
Pick three, and start getting to know them today.
- What do they write about?
- Where do they socialize online?
- Who might you have in common?
TIP:

9. Not

10. sure

11. where

12. to

13. start?

16.
Use

17. a

18. tool

19. like

20. Followerwonk

21.
to

22. search

23. for

24. journalists

25.
active

26. on

27. Twitter

28. using

29.
specific

30. keywords.

31.
Try This At Home [Exercise]:
Find 3 Journalists You Think Will Love Your
Idea

32. Research
You wouldn’t vacation somewhere without
doing a little digging first, would you? Then
why would you pitch a journalist you know
nothing about?

33. Defining Success
PR is only part of a comprehensive
marketing and branding strategy.
Always take the time to define what
your ‘big picture’ of success looks like,
integrating PR effort throughout the
process.
Avoid vanity metrics (like the number of
PR mentions you collect.) Instead, focus
on the return on your PR investment:
new relationships, inbound leads and
of course - new customers.

34. Choosing the Right Journalists
The key to getting great coverage is to
start with a journalist that covers your
industry!
!
Once you’ve identified writers who have
covered similar themes, get to know
them.
• Engage with them on Twitter.
• Comment on their articles.
• Introduce yourself over email in a
non-promotional way.
Tip:

35. Start

36. engaging

37. long