budget. Though this route is appealing,
it is often not the best route for startups,
as the team members in the startup are
already strained by their day-to-day
business undertakings and might not have
the sufficient time or knowledge to take
care of the communication needs of the
entity.
I however do not blame the startups,
because the field of communications
has mostly been concerned with bigger,
more established organizations, with
little research having been conducted
on communications function designed
specifically
for
young
technology
companies. Communications tactics and
practices are not topics in conversations by
or among startups. However, they should
be talking because communications
composites everything - from customers
to investors and even employees. If the
startup wants people to know about its
product or services, communications is
key.
I also don’t blame the communications
practitioners
most
of
whom
have experience working in large
communications departments with well-
laid out structures and might not have
experience with startups. They are used to
communications being organized and well
The communica-
tion function in a
startup needs to
align with the core
message, the posi-
tioning, and the
overall trend of
the mission of the
startup. Thus, the
startup needs to
learn how to crys-
tallize its most
important aspects
and execute its
communication
strategy in a sys-
temic approach.
24 MAL31/19 ISSUE
Startups are known to have “press release
fever,” but press releases alone don’t typi-
cally lead to media coverage in top-tier news
and business outlets. This is where PR pros
can be particularly useful, as they can pitch
ideas, place bylined thought leadership arti-
cles and submit interview requests with tar-
geted media to fit each company’s specific
objectives.
planned, which can be just the opposite
of startup communications. Unlike an
established organization with extensive
personnel, a startup normally consists of
a small founding team, most of whose
members are technology-focused.
However, just like established companies,
startups need to influence their potential
customers, the surrounding system of
shareholders and stakeholders, venture
capitalists, investors, board members and
of course, the media.
Working on a limited budget means
that startups need to find the most cost-
effective way to communicate their
message and make the biggest possible
impact within the shortest time possible.
Startups need to understand the right
communication channels with the right
delivery that will help them achieve their
business goals. These channels include
both social and traditional media.
The communication function in a startup
needs to align with the core message,
the positioning, and the overall trend
of the mission of the startup. Thus, the
startup needs to learn how to crystallize
its most important aspects and execute
its communication strategy in a systemic
approach.
A unique challenge
Start-ups face the unique challenge of
how to sell their product and create
a sustainable revenue stream, so that
they can further develop their product
offerings, build their infrastructure, repay
investors, and pay themselves.
Unfortunately, many tech startups get
stuck at this stage because they can’t
quite figure out a scalable way to go to
market. Often, this is because they’ve been
founded by techies, with a not-up-to-par
appreciation of the business environment,
and PR is not an area of expertise for them
either. Or perhaps it’s because the only
person who is passionate enough to sell
the product is the person who developed
it. Or people may believe their invention
is good enough to sell itself. So PR doesn’t
become an area of focus until cash starts
to burn.
Figuring out a go-to-market approach
is no trivial exercise - it makes all the
difference between companies that will be
successful and sustainable and those that
won’t. I have heard dozens of questions
related to how to start thinking about PR:
Will our salespeople require technical PR
support and work in teams? Should we
bundle maintenance and other services
into our sales approach, or sell them
separately? Can we get our product to
market through other channels, such as
social media or advertising? What about
pricing? The list goes on.
The problem is that these are fundamentally
the wrong questions to begin with. They
all focus on the perspective of the startup
and the technology; while like any other
business, startups need to take a closer look
at their prospective customers’ perspective
first, to understand how to approach the
market. They should think first about what
the customers are trying to achieve and
what problems they need to solve.
Adopt a customer-centric
focus
If you are part of a startup or a relatively
new company that needs to accelerate
revenue growth, consider this approach.
Start by identifying a small number of very
specific customers - either companies (if
you are a B2B player) or desired consumer
segments (e.g. urban professionals with
specific characteristics). Then put yourself
in the shoes of these customers by thinking