Having made the bold move of launching a start-up business, it is likely that you are faced with the challenge of spreading the word about your products or services to potential customers. Most start-ups look enviously at the big brands, wishing they could emulate their marketing activities. Of course, they are never able to do so due to an acute lack of funds to invest in marketing, especially in the early stages. The goal of media relations is to get positive coverage in the mass media without paying for it directly as by advertising. Media relations involves working with media for the purpose of informing your potential customers about how your offering will benefit them, and doing so in a credible positive and consistent manner. Typically, this means coordinating directly with the people who influence, generate and distribute news and features in the mass media. One of the most cost-effective ways to build buzz around your start-up is to get it covered by the media, either local or national. But how does one go about doing that on a shoe-string budget?

2. Media
Leveraging Media
Relations
N Bringi Dev
July 05, 2014

3. What?
Why?
When?
(w)How?
Who?

4. Why?

6. What can Media Publicity Do
for You?
Build awareness
Potential Employees
Investors and Banks
Possible Partners
The public at large
Build Brand and Value
Generate Business?

7. Media
Relations
& Public
Relations
Advertising,
Promotions,
Sales

8. Caveat:
There are No Free Lunches!
While media relations appears to be ‘free’,
there are costs involved:
Financial costs
Collateral
Outside resources..
Non-financial
Time!
Work!
Consistent Focus!

9. When?

10. An Absolute Must Read

11. When?

12. When?
Networking
+
WoM
Push Pull
Push +
Pull
Advertising
+ MRMR
Advertising
+ MR + PR
Note: My adaptation

13. Public relations
vs. media relations
How is it different
from Advertising?
Advertorial vs. Editorial

14. Types of Public Relations
Offline
Online
Social
Source: Alok Kejriwal

15. Does Offline PR Still Matter?
There is a market of decision makers (CEOs of
Companies, Heads of Departments, Senior
Govt. Officials, etc) who only read print.
The online websites of large publications have
large audiences and once you are written up in
print, you automatically get featured online too.
Think of it as ‘proof of concept’ test. The day you
can make it in the Fortune or Time or The
Economist, you have done something
worthwhile.
Source: Alok Kejriwal

16. How are
we doing
thus far?

17. What?

18. The Media Milieu
• Time
• Channels compete
• E-relationships
• Low attention span
• Technology massively
propagates pictures,
videos and ephemera

19. News is a Product

20. What media wants
Conflict of Interest?
What ‘sources’ want

21. Messaging Model
Messages
Target
Audience

22. Messaging Model - Now
Messages
Influencer/
Opinion
Leader
Target
Audience

23. Opinion Leaders
Have credibility
with readers that
media wishes to
leverage
Political figures
Celebrities
Community/
religious leaders
Teachers
Media analysts
Industrialists/
Investors

24. BEHIND THE NEWS

25. Behind the Scenes

26. Who Decides?
Editors commission stories/columns
Journalists/writers file
The Editors decide
Sub-Editors hack the story
Priorities change all the time

27. Journalist Roles
27
journalist has a personal
role
personal approach is allowed for the
journalist
journalist must be objective
newsroom
work only
commentary, note,
columns, opinion
news, news feature
story
reporting
interview

28. Traditional Interaction Model
Spokesperson
PR
Agency
Readers
Wire/News
Services
Spokesperson
Spokesperson
In-house
MarComm
Journalists
Editors
Analysts
Web Sites
Other
Stakeholders
Editors
Investors
Readers

29. Lower Hanging Fruit
Bloggers
Niche/Trade/Industry publications

30. Start-Up Publications

31. (w)How?

32. Fundamentals
Know thy TA!
Whom are you talking to?
How do I reach them?
What do they read?
Know thy messages!!
Find the right publications to reach your TAs

33. Getting Past the Gatekeeper

34. Connecting
Who are the journalists that write in your
area?
What kind of stories do they write?
Comment on their stories online –
responsibly yet provocatively
Write to them, but not spam them
Find out who their commissioning editor is
Give them reasons to want to know you

35. Network, network, network
Conferences & forums (sic): Speak!
Attend entrepreneurship group meetings
Be active part of the eco-system

36. Connecting Online
Develop serious blogs
Be the expert
Have a trenchant point of view
Comment on relevant issues
Develop an individual Brand personality

37. Be Prepared
Develop a pitch for the media
Focus on highlighting the aspects of your offering
that they think will be useful to their readers
Have a media page on your site
Your pitch is a ‘living document’
Develop a media kit: online + offline

38. Any
Questions?

39. Who?

40. Make vs. Buy?

41. You are the Business!
“The vast majority of the time,
the founders are the
voice and heart of the company.”
- Brooke Hammerling, Brew Media Relations

42. DIY MR
Is there a media-savvy person in your
founding team? Why Not?
No Idea? Get Idea
Can you find a media relations person
cheap?
One-person outfits exist - call themselves
consultants – select one who comes
recommended by someone you trust
The Moonlighter Option

43. Send Out News!
Blog!
Web site Media Section
E-newsletter
Create & post media releases for free

45. To Agency or Not to Agency?
Only three reasons an early-stage company
should consider retaining the services of a
firm:
1. It’s entering a crowded market.
2. It’s a very disruptive company that needs to
get out there ahead fast.
3. There’s a legacy CEO involved who has
history with the press.
- Brooke Hammerling, Brew Media Relations

46. A Few Bright Ideas
MR Now – Pay Later
Find a PR agency that will provide consulting now
for a slice of the business or later
Work on a pay for results basis
Fledging agencies may be willing to work for
costs
Get your investors to help you connect
They have a vested interest
Most times we do not ask them..

47. Stay the Course
Like all relationships, building media relations
takes time
Be prepared for the long haul –it is worth it!
Most importantly – the leadership team needs
to invest time and effort to make it work.

48. Last chance!
Any
Questions?