Manjuu Rangarajan Founder/ CEO - BrandiT Communications Committed public relations specialist with extensive experience in driving PR campaigns and brand building for lifestyle luxury & boutique brands. Proven success developing and implementing media strategies across traditional and digital media channels. Grew businesses from Ad sales while working with top media firms. Bring to the table a strong network of media contacts.

1. Startups and PR

2. Startups, sounds familiar?
• If you are from Bangalore, every lane near you would have couple of Startups or atleast budding Startup
Entrepreneurs. If you have noticed, Startups have become the new trend. Food, Fashion, IT, Hiring, Tech and so on, every
Industry has their own startups and rightly so.
• Scores of Startups get launched everyday and unfortunately there are some which shut everyday.
• How do you make sure your startup has reached your audience, creates a buzz in town and does not add to the list of
the ones that got shut?
Let me tell you

3. Introduce the startup to the world
Not having your startup featured in that news publication or talked about among the industry experts would be like
creating an amazing car but keeping it in your garage. Startups need coverage, they need to be known to its audience and
that is exactly what PR does. PR gets your startup the kind of exposure it needs and helps your business bloom. Brand
awareness always tops PR’s list.
PR is lighter on your pocket
Let’s talk business. For a business venture like startup, one needs at least a year or two to break even. And at the time
when you are not even minting profits, you definitely do not want to shell out those wads of notes on advertising. That is
where PR comes into light. Hiring a PR agency and choosing an appropriate plan, be it monthly, quarterly or yearly (differs
from agency to agency) can save you almost thrice the amount that you could have otherwise spent on advertising.

4. Not just publishing the company but also the spokesperson
This is pretty much a BOGO deal. By investing in a PR agency, you are not just generating coverage for your startup but
also yourself. You are obviously an expert in the domain that your startup belongs to, so why not showcase yourself as an
industry expert and make yourself heard at the right places and to the right investors.
Explaining the complex startup idea to the AamAadmi
Most of the startups are not based on simple theories and concepts and can be intricate and baffling at times. You as an
expert and curator of the startup will not feel the same but your audience might find it difficult to decipher the concept.
An expert would usually find it hard to showcase his/her idea in simple words as that would take away the beauty of it. So
leave that job to the PR professional. They will spin the idea in a simple yet attractive way to pull that target ” aamaadmi”
of yours.

5. Frequently feeding the media pipeline
After venturing into a startup, it is not necessary that you have to do something new and attention-worthy at frequent
intervals. So how do you maintain that presence in the media? The PR agency is here for your rescue. They tend to
generate media queries based on different angles and features of your company to ensure the inflow of new features.

6. Why PR Is Important For A New Business
PR can help project a favorable image to a startup's target audience. Image is everything; it can make or break a company and
could even be a deciding factor when it comes to sales.
However, you can't achieve the media coverage needed to become a household name overnight. Laying the foundation in the
press takes time. Whether you decide to build an in-house PR team or hire a firm, keep in mind:
• Consistency is key. Obtaining press coverage requires consistency, and when trying to grow a business, extra time is
nonexistent. Nailing down journalists can be tough due to the deadlines and time constraints they’re working under. PR teams
will need to push for a story and stay on top of the follow-up.
• PR is a marathon, not a sprint. The saying, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint,” also applies to PR. What your PR team is doing
is setting up long-term strategies, and patience is key. In order to be effective, PR campaigns must be consistent. And building
those relationships with the media takes time. The goal is to ensure your company’s name is constantly in the press and online
publications. The more a target audience hears about a company or brand in a credible publication, the more they’ll trust it.

7. How To Ensure A High Return On Your PR Investment
• Handing over control of certain aspects of your company, no matter how large or small, can be difficult. Up until that point,
no task was off-limits to you as the founder. But in order to see growth, you must allow the people who are experts in their
field to take the reins. And while your PR team is working their magic, it’s a good idea to follow some simple yet effective
advice:
• Communicate well. It’s important that you not only get along well with your PR team but also that you establish a close
relationship and welcome them into your inner circle. Next to your leadership team, they are the closest to you in taking your
company to the next level.
• If working with a firm, understand how it works. When interviewing PR firms, it’s a good idea to understand how they work
because not all operate in the same way. Generally speaking, agreements run between six months to a year because it takes
time to obtain big press hits. PR is a process, and knowing from the start how it works, and trusting in it, is important to your
overall success.

8. • Be available. Running a company is demanding, and getting one off the ground is even more so. Despite the fact you’re likely
to be pulled in multiple directions on a daily basis, you still need to be accessible to your PR team. Whether that means
providing materials for a story or even yourself for an interview, keep in mind that journalists work on deadlines, so if PR needs
you now, it’s for a reason.
• Make PR a priority. Many times, PR is the last part of a company’s plan, however, it should be one of the first. In my
experience as the CEO of a PR firm, I know the sooner a firm can come on board, the more time they have to create the
materials needed for pitching media outlets.
My advice to founders who are planning to work with a PR firm is to do your research ahead of time and interview the
company. That way, when you’re ready to bring a team on board, they’ll be familiar with your company and its mission, a
relationship will have started to take shape, and together you can work to bring your company to the next level.
For Founders and CEO’s who do not know where to begin can connect with us ☺

9. Thank you