The document outlines strategies for creating an effective communications plan for startups, emphasizing that journalists prioritize content that serves their audience's needs. It introduces the 'message house' concept to structure key messages around themes like the project's significance, utility, and potential criticisms. Successful media engagement also depends on timing, targeted messaging, and thorough preparation, including creating media kits.

1. How to design
your startup`s
communications
strategy
@miguelpaz
// cómo diseñar la estrategia
de comunicaciones de tu startup
www.poderomedia.org/academy

2. A look inside
journalistlandia and
the media

3. Journalists
don`t care
about what
you need

4. Journalists
hate press
releases

5. Journalists
don`t have
enough time
& always on
deadline

6. Media works
for it`s
audience
not for you

7. For Media
Information
is a commodity
with weight
value 0 to 100

8. Same content = less value

9. Content some have
= good value

10. Exclusive
Content
AWESOME
VALUE!

11. your message needs to fulfill
the Media`s need for
traffic or influence
or impact or branding or
all of them together

12. Setting up your
communication
strategy

13. Align your communications
strategy to your marketing
plan and goals

14. •At what stage are you now?
•Who are you trying to communicate to?
•What are you trying to communicate and why?
•What are your short term, mid term and long
term communication goals?
Answer the Big Questions

15. Set up your message, tone
and messaging style
¿is it funny, is it serious but entertaining, is it
loveable? is it Punk or House? is it Tesla or
Toyota?

16. Use Message House
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[Click here to insert a title
for your message house]
Please try to infuse your communications with these messages
as appropriate. You don’t have to use them verbatim.
For internal use.
“Stay inside the house and
Big picture:
Utility:
Critics:
Action:
This message conveys why this initiative matters in the larger scheme of things.
This message conveys the more immediate usefulness of the project.
This message pre-empts negative perceptions.
This message tells the audience what to do.
[Click here to insert your “big picture” message. It says why
your project matters in the larger scheme. Ideally it induces
goose bumps.]
[Click here to insert your utility message. It answers the
question “what’s in it for me?”, speaking to your audience’s
self interest.]
[Click here to insert your critics message, anticipating your
most likely criticism and blunting it with a positive statement.]
[Click here to enter the message telling your audience what
to do.]
at www.messagehouse.org.
The Message House Method
Put all your messages on a page inside what looks like the shape of a house.
Now tell your colleagues to “stay inside the house and bring our message home.”
Getting Your Messages Right
Your core messages always derive from answers to the same four fundamental questions:
“What’s the “big picture?” Speaks to the vision; why the project matters in the greater
scheme of things.
“What’s the value or utility?” Gets across what’s immediately useful to your audience.
What solution are you offering to what problem?
“What is the most likely criticism?” Find the answer, but then convert it into a positive
message to that will pre-empt the criticism. That’s your “critics message.”
Lastly, make sure you say what you want your audience to do.
Call that the “Action” message.
Tips:
Choose a title that describes your message house.
You can change this to: “Stay inside the message house and you’ll be safe.”
Not appropriate if the message house is for media professionals.
You can optionally remove or change the grayed-out explanatory texts.
It often makes sense to use the grayed-out text area above the critics message to
state the criticisms that you are trying to pre-empt.
You can modify these headers. For instance, instead of “utility” you can say “What’s
in it for them?” or “Value.” Or instead of “Big picture” you can say “Vision.”
For a better look, you can highlight all text with “CTRL+A”, and then use “CTRL+[“
or “CTRL+]” to decrease or increase all fonts proportionately, so that their sizes are
This short phrase below the title explains how to use the message house.
Message houses are most often for internal use only. Read the FAQ to learn about
exceptions.
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For more, check out the FAQ at www.messagehouse.org
(free at www.messagehouse.org)

17. Choose when you want to be
featured in media, with what kind
of message and in which news
organization according to your
marketing needs

18. Type of messages by content value, reach and energy
spent on getting your message out there
•News Agencies: Press Release, potential publication in many websites,
papers, etc. Low cost, low effort. Clone message. Volume over value.
•Generalistic media: Press release, tailored message via email, phone.
Medium cost and effort. More specific message. Good to high value, depending
how you got featured.
•Specialized sections of media and specialized media: Tailored
message via email and phone. Higher cost and effort. Specific message. High
value.
•Thought Leader at general media and specialized media: Higher cost
and effort. Specific message. High value. Good personal and startup branding.

19. Salad: Needed for volume and because it`s
cheap and easy to get. I can publish that fast
A Journalist`s Information Diet
Bread: More tasty than salad, I can work a
little more on it and showcase it a little more. I
can publish that too.
Meat: It`s what I love and what my editor
asks me for. He gives me more time to get it.
So think of it when you pitch me. I can
FEATURE THAT
Dessert: This is fun and can become viral in
the righ context. I love “postre”. Give me some at
the right moment please.
(so you know what to feed him/her)

20. Weekends are the best: No body likes to
work on weekends. Neither do Journalists. So
Monday editions are starving for content and
interns are desperate to fill the website / paper,
etc. Send Salad and Bread on fridays and
weekends.
Choose the right time and day
Context is king opportunity: It`s hard to
sell bikinis on winter right? Well, it`s the same for
content. If you look for the right moment you can
get press easy (Example: a Soccer Startup `s best
communication moments happen when there is
Soccer relevant news)

21. •What does the journalist write about?
•When and where does he/she do it?
•What sort of topics he/se likes more?
•His he/she the right person for my
message?
•Does he/she like the type of things
my startup does?
•If so, what kind of approach and
messaging should I deliver?
Know your targeted Journalist (like Snowden)

22. A few final tips

23. Don`t lie about your startup
(we will find out)

24. Pitch me like you know me
and want to Solve my
Audience Problems
(not yours)

25. Feed me something I can
use and can be good for you
(CREDIBILITY is a GOOD thing)

26. Send me kick ass email`s
•Tailored subject (who`s your audience here)
•Write short and sexy
•Sort your message from more important to the least
important (as if you are building a Landing Page)
•Include more info & resources as attachment and
link for downloading MediaKit

27. Mediakits rule!
Save me time and help me make you look sexy. Please include:
•High Res Logo and Low Res (web) in transparent form. Name it as
startupname-size
•High Res Screenshots (no browser around it). Name it startupname-
screenshotdescription-size
•High Res Picture/s of Founder/s & Team. Name it startupname-
personname-title
•Relevant information as text and links. We love data. Give us facts and
numbers we can use
•Video, audio, eye candy urls

28. Email works
but
Phone is BETTER

29. @miguelpaz
for more seminars, classes and workshops go to
www.poderomedia.org/academy
or follow @poderomedia
Thanks!