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StartUp PR Strategies
This document provides strategies for start-up communications. It discusses how strategic communications can help startups accelerate potential success, prepare for gaining media coverage, and be ready when opportunities arise. The document emphasizes treating the media as a first market by sharing your story across various platforms. It also notes that pitching should be replaced with storytelling and that startups should think of themselves as media companies by creating and distributing their own content.
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StartUp PR Strategies
- 1. START-UP COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES TechLoft 15 February 2012 Tel Aviv
- 2. PLEASE CHECK IN SHOW SOME LOVE... •@techloft •facebook.com/techloft
- 3. ABOUT • 30 years - yup, I am an old school PR guy :) • Based in San Antonio, TX • Frequent traveler to Israel - 6th trip in the last 12 months! • Works with Jeff Pulver on State of NOW -#140Conf & Israel initiatives • Involved with Israel’s traditional tech sector for the last 18 years
- 4. Life in threelabs.... pulver geekdom techloft ecosystem www.geekdom.com
- 5. WHO’S IN THEROOM? • Five startups... chime in - 30 seconds each • Show of hands.... • service providers / consultants • startups • funding • looking for partners / job hunting • previous exits?
- 6. NOTES... • This presentation will be online tomorrow.... • alanweinkrantz.com • slideshare.net/alanweinkrantz
- 7. GOALS FOR TODAY •How Strategic Communications can... • be applied as an element of your R&D and development strategies • help you accelerate the potential for success • prepare your company for gaining coverage • prepare your company for being discovered • be ready when you are found • learn how to market to the media
- 8. WHAT’S ON YOURMIND? • Leaving room open for time for questions, issues, challenges....
- 9. THE MEDIA IS YOUR FIRST MARKET to share and tell your story
- 10. The Media isYour Customer.... bloggers you the & analysts end enter- users prise media
- 11. I’M NOT READYFOR THIS... • WTF is a PR person doing in the room? • Most of you in the room are not ready for this •Istrongly advise you against doing “PR” until it makes business sense, or you have the bandwidth to do so (your mileage may vary)
- 12. GOOD NEWS :) •Very low cost / no cost to create a start-up • Big Idea • Core team • Strong will • Servers / hosting • Coding
- 13. BAD NEWS :( •Someone in Jerusalem, NY, Austin, SF, Singapore, Mumbai is thinking the same thing as you are :( • Hard to have a defensible position • Hard to protect your IP
- 14. QUALITIES THEN... • Strong Intellectual Property • Defensible technology • Strategic investors like Intel, Microsoft, Cisco, Motorola • VC funded • Office in U.S. for business development
- 15. QUALITIES NOW • No Intellectual property • Nothing really defensible • Strategic investors & partners - Google, Yahoo, AT&T, MTV, Jeff Pulver • No funding, or angel, micro, friends & family funding • Easyto run a virtual company... no real address, but a U.S. / European presence from a co-working space and an IP phone number
- 16. THE WORLD ASWE KNEW IT • Hardware • Software Go to School • Telecom Army Travel Year • Security Go to University • Bio Go to Work Sciences • Medical Devices
- 17. THE WORLD ASWE KNOW IT • Hardware School Start-Up • Software Army Start-Up • Telecom Travel Year Start-Up • Security University Start-Up • Bio Sciences Work • Medical Devices
- 18. Thought Story leadership Design wins “BRAND” Scale Industry Standards
- 19. THEN... • OEM • • Design Win • Industry Standards • Licensing • Thought Leadership
- 20. Outbound / InboundStrategy Outreach to media pick me Being found by the media find me
- 21. PR in thepast..... company agency media company analysts
- 22. WHAT I BELIEVE •12 Fundamental Belief Sets • Not everything I do always works •I do this for me. I do this for clients. • There’s always exceptions to the rules • Discussion is based on a combination of experience and principles
- 23.
- 24. #1 - STOPPITCHING • Start story telling • Yourpitch helps clarify / define what you do, but really sucks as a way to get coverage
- 25. #2 - YOU’REREALLY A MEDIA COMPANY THAT.... •Create and make media • Pinterest so you’ll be discovered, • Instagram found and shared • Cinchcast • YouTube • SoundCloud • Twitter • Google Plus • Facebook • LinkedIn • Blog
- 26. #3 UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCESBETWEEN BEING... being discovered and • Discovered - random being found • Found increases your - search chances of sharing
- 27. #4 IT’S NOTABOUT YOU • How do you help others do something in a compelling way you could not do before
- 28. #5 BE HUMAN •Get off your perch and write like you would speak • Conversewith your potential market wherever they are
- 29. #6 LIKE MINDEDPEOPLE TEND TO FIND EACH OTHER • Givethem a place to connect and share their story
- 30. #7 HAVE AMISSION • We’re out to make __________ better • We want to help _____ do _______ • We want to help others the opportunity to ________ • We’re connecting _______ with ______ so they can ________ • Make it easier to ____________ • Have your voice be heard about _________
- 31. #8 THINK LIKEA SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHER • The potential to collect Big Data means you have something of incredible value to a potential partner, investor, or brand • Gives you a better chance of a lift when an exit may present itself • Bigdata lends itself to infographics, which contributes to your thought leadership and a great way to get media coverage
- 32. spark - what if? technology platform story... narrative to real value engagement BIG DATA Lift towards an exit... (c) Alan Weinkrantz
- 33. #9 PUT ITOUT THERE • You never know who is going to find your content and engage • You don’t have to have high quality production values to do this • Hardware is cheap. Tools are free. Tons of creatives to help you
- 34. #10 DRAW, PAINT, PHOTOGRAPH, ROCK OUT • Do something or learn to do something creative other than working on your startup • Itwill re-wire your brain in an unexpected way my drums circa 1968
- 35. #11 IT’S NOTALWAYS REPLICABLE • Justbecause one strategy or tactic worked for one company does not mean it will work for another
- 36. Case Studies AreBullshit WSJ CNN TechCrunch GigaOm Financial Times Pando Daily Good Morning America NY Times Gizmodo BusinessWeek eWeek Computerworld Wired
- 37. Gartner Group Robert Scoble Mike Arrington IDC Yankee Group
- 38. #12 GET LUCKY •Go wide • Get lucky • Runwith it when you strike a chord
- 39. THE MIND OFA DEVELOPER • Focus on... • functionality • application • utilitarian value
- 40. MYTHS • Youhave to“know” the journalist • Much of this you can do yourself
- 41. CONSUMERIZATION OF IT The shift from • Journalists aren’t just reporting just reporting on the news about a product, about platform or technology, they are using them for their own technology, to personal use actually using it
- 42. CONSUMERIZATION OF IT NY, LA, SFO are • Journalists, andespecially a center, but not bloggers live at the end of their the center for IP connection and many travel meeting the extensively. media
- 43. CONSUMERIZATION OF IT Blogs are a vital • Many mainstream journalists part of the source, or verify emerging trends media coverage by sourcing story ideas from blogs. supply chain
- 44. PLAN.... • Postand writerelevant content • Read and comment on relevant so you can be a source to media articles without being self on your field of expertise promotional. • Develop & publish infographics • Askend user / beta customers if you can share you can refer to them to media • Follow a wish list of 20 • Follow editorial calendars journalists you think should cover you
- 45. PLAN FOR PR •Ifyou follow some of these basic • Get everyone on your team to principles, you’ll be further make this part of their regimen ahead. as it will make them aware of the opportunities that await you • This process takes at least six when you are ready. months to one year to really get on a journalist’s radar and be • Bring up PR in your team sticky meetings in a “what if...” scenario. Be Ready For PR So You Can Succeed
- 46. thank you alan@weinkrantz.com www.alanweinkrantz.com Twitter.Facebook. LinkedIn. all photos by me
- 47.