As a startup Brownie Communication Concepts faces several challenges, mainly relating to cutting through the smog of already well established competitors. While we find it useful to keep track of our competition’s moves, it is far more vital to stay obsessed with our own performance. In doing so we have made basic, easy to understand promises and have been consistent in keeping them and this will help establish our brand. We have also employed these 6 PR tips that we believe every startup should similarly embrace:
1. Be Prepared
If your product or service is not the best version of itself it will be that much harder to get positive reviews and the ultimate goal: press coverage. Being prepared to us also meant knowing how to field on the spot questions relating to what we do, how we may help other companies and our brand promise. Preparedness is also key at networking events when you come face to face with potential clients or persons that can lead to future referrals.
2. Establish your identity
Before you can tell the world who you are, make sure you know how to answer that question. This meant asking ourselves: What are our values? What exactly is our company culture? What makes us different from our competitors? Are we doing something that no one else is doing? and What makes us uniquely us? While we won’t go into our own answers to these questions we found that putting serious thought to what made us unique in particular, helped shaped the story we would share with others at networking opportunities.
3. Share your story
This perhaps is our favourite tip (hence the reason it is featured as the image of this post). It is quite interesting to note the responses and understanding looks we receive when we tell the narrative of our startup’s story. In summary we were created when the founder was first approached by a small organization to come to their office to assist in meeting their communication needs. This led to referrals and to the realization that many organizations simply can’t afford to retain full-time communications staff or hire expensive organizations. Their good work didn’t need to suffer because of it…we could help them.
If you want to stand out in the eyes of the press, investors and your target demographic, you must have a great story to share about who you are and how you got started. It will not only help you connect to your audience, but it will also make it hard for them to forget you. Incorporate this narrative (mentioning your company name each time) in social media, in your messaging, during interviews and any other opportunity to talk about your startup.
4. Amp up your social media
This tip not only involves being present on social media channels you find most useful to you, but creating a purposeful presence via a dynamic content plan or social media strategy that represents your brand, your values and culture. A good execution strategy for social media will allow you to establish your identity and credibility in your industry, while sharing your story. You need to dedicate time to directly engage with your followers, answer questions, share information and include them in the conversation.
5. Identify target media outlets and journalists
Go after the press you really want. Take some time to identify the journalists that write for the outlets you’ve pinpointed — read their work and follow them on social media. This will breed at least some familiarity of your startup to them when you are ready to present your well-thought out pitch
6. Use Twitter for soft introduction
Virtually every journalist is on Twitter and many use it as their main communication source. Following them gives you the opportunity to comment on their work and put your name in front of them. Give genuine comments on stories and compliment there work when you really saw some merit in it. With this soft introduction made via Twitter they may connect your pitch to your previous Twitter communications, and can be beneficial.
Brownie Communication Concepts