Have proper photos of the founder and other speakers within the organization and a short profile of each individual that can quickly be sent to media while they are preparing for the interview or publications . Some media may prefer to take their own but remember they are often times busy and short staffed so having a pool of your own resources always works best during publicity cycles considering some opportunities may be unplanned .
These steps to getting ready for PR and publicity opportunities may look easy but need to be done right . Startups may lack the funding to hire a publicist or agency in the initial stages and therefore it is important to consider the cost of doing so .
Founders do not also have the time to go through the development of these granular steps in the right order and may be overwhelmed or get it wrong and fail to achieve effective media engagement .
The best alternative is to hire as per need throughout the setup journey and engage a publicist or agency whose niche focuses on startups , including early-stage founders . These individuals are aware of the needs and most urgent things media would look for in relation to a startup and may save you a ton of time and money with the PR effort . You can also start with minimum KPIs and
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Ad hoc and unbudgeted PR efforts often would not yield much and other tactics would be best until both the business and entrepreneur are in the right place to reap the maximum benefit or PR activity .
increase the requirements gradually as the business grows . Having a professional can also help you manage a burst of publicity should it happen .
Consider the scenario with China Square that happened in February 2023 in Nairobi that raised attention due to dramatic increase in footfall to a formerly dead mall . The shopping hub received a single mention from a top government official that made it a headline story overnight controversially pushing it to closure . Media reports and stories continued throughout the week driving up awareness of the store beyond what the owner could have ever imagined . Sentiments were both negative and positive and the outcome of the publicity was also unexpected . It was unlikely that the founder had time to get a publicist or PR agency to manage the spiraling press in the right way .
This scenario can happen to any start up and can either build or damage the reputation of the business . Instant success in PR is however rare and PR is only effective when strategically managed .
For early start-ups , the right partner who can offer advice on the correct approach and tempo is most important to achieving the publicity goals .
Ad hoc and unbudgeted PR efforts often would not yield much and other tactics would be best until both the business and entrepreneur are in the right place to reap the maximum benefit or PR activity .
Diana Obath is a seasoned Public Relations and Communications Specialist . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail on : ObathD @ gmail . com .
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