PR for Startups: 5 Don’ts When You Talk To Journalists
Every startup founder knows a dilemma - whether to focus on product, or to go after the awareness. And when deciding, everyone is scared to make mistakes and ruin the reputation with media forever. No worries - we are here to share a handy checklist to help prioritize efforts in a PR strategy for startups.
First, we’ll look at five common don’ts - things that you should never do when building media relations.
Note — despite a common phrase, not all PR is good PR. A nifty, focused and positive approach putting your product and your amazing team in the spotlight is a not-so-secret way to get media coverage you are aiming for. And before you start, remember…
Don’t Keep Quiet
Building good relationships with media is important from the early stage.
A typical founder’s mistake is to delay reaching out to press until you decide to raise your first round. Trust us, it will be too late! Most VCs appreciate some press mentions - it’s a sign your project is active, viable and, at the very least, interesting for that particular journalist. Reach out to media as soon as you have something to share - a product beta or a great hire is good enough.
Don’t Spam Journalists
On the other hand, keep a balance - oversharing leads to frustration.
Not keeping quiet doesn’t mean you need to reach out to media with every single new feature or idea. As we said before, not every news is big news worthy of media coverage. A good practice is to go through some articles about your competitors or startups of the same size and see what exactly gets press attention.
Don’t Harass Or Stalk
Follow up with caution.
If you are not Apple (yet), there is a high chance your pitch will receive very little response at first. Journalists simply don’t know who you are and what you do! Or your pitch went to spam. Or they were too busy covering that iPhone presentation. There is a 100 and one reason why reporters might not respond to your pitch - doesn’t mean you should stalk them day and night on email, Twitter and (God forbid) DMs on Instagram asking ‘Have you seen my pitch yet?”
Send your pitch, preferably through an app like Polymail which allows tracking opening rate and wait for 1-2 days. Then follow up politely with a bit of humor. Focus on on the reporters who actually opened your email before - ask if they need more detail. And if they still don’t answer…
Don’t Argue With Reporters
PLEASE just don’t.
Taking refusals with a light heart is one most undervalued PR skill. Never argue with a reporter who didn’t take your pitch or comment. If a journalist has not responded to your follow up, they might have their reasons. If they responded with a polite ‘This is not for us, thanks”, take it and move on. By arguing with a reporter, you’re digging yourself a hole in your public reputation you’ll never be able to get out of.
Don’t Spend Too Much
Time, money or other resources are scarce - focus on what matters most.
Doing PR is intoxicating. You are already imagining yourself in TechCrunch or Bloomberg, or getting featured in Wired. We know the feeling. However, if you are still an early stage startup, don’t dedicate all your money or other resources on PR.
Your business and your product are your number one priority right now. Do your PR, but keep your media relations targeted, focused and on point - and outsource as much as you can until you can really afford a PR consultant or an agency without deprioritizing crucial business tasks. Tools like PR Guy are here just for that: we help creating quality media pitches and getting contacts of the relevant journalists, all at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional PR.
It's our job to share the knowledge. Whether you're early-stage, pre-seed, or already funded contact us to receive step-by-step advice for startups looking to get good press coverage without an agency.