Why PR is crucial for start-ups part 3

Last week: Some of the things you might want to consider when working out the right story angle in your story pitch.

It’s all about digital in the start-up space

When running a public relations campaign, you need to understand that the media is changing radically at the moment, with many magazines and newspapers going digital. Digital media is going from strength to strength and will be an important part of your mix.

In the start-up space, particularly, there are countless bloggers and e-magazines and newsletters that can help you create awareness for your business. And because they are digital, many have a global audience which is great for you! It is easy to find them; just Google ‘start-up media’ or ‘entrepreneur media’ to get started.

The other benefit of digital media is how an article can positively impact your SEO. Inbound links are rated highly by Google and therefore, getting an article in one of the NewsLtd sites (the Australian, Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail etc) or Fairfax papers (the Age, SMH, WA Today, Brisbane Times etc) can have a really positive impact on the visitors to your site and how it is ranked by the search engines. The bigger the media outlet, the higher it is ranked.

The other benefit of digital media is how an article can positively impact your SEO. Inbound links are rated highly by Google.

If your business is an app or a new website or SaaS then digital media is obviously a perfect fit for you! That’s not to say that traditional, hard-copy media won’t be a benefit too (and to be honest, most of the traditional media also post the stories onto their websites) but don’t discount the power of digital media for your start-up.

Getting noticed by potential investors through PR

It is not unusual for start-ups to want media coverage to help them secure an investor or to give investors confidence in the business. If that is your goal then you will really need to target the business media exclusively.

Many of the business journalists will want financial information about your business in order to do a profile. For instance, BRW rarely wants to do a profile piece on a business without knowing the financials. If you are too small to be able to do this, then wait to approach those media when you have the financials to hand.

You can pitch a story to the business media anytime though; it doesn’t have to be a profile of your business. Why not offer a response for or against an article that has already appeared, or offer some tips relevant to the industry you are targeting? Perhaps you could offer some comments on an industry trend or discuss an issue that is relevant to your start-up as well as a specific industry sector.

Investors read the business pages of most newspapers as well as business magazines. If you can get a story into these media then you have a high likelihood of being noticed. If you don’t succeed the first time, keep trying!

NEXT WEEK: Are case studies useful for PR purposes? International coverage.

Jules Brooke, founder and owner, Handle Your Own PR

handleyourownpr.com.au