Early-stage startups are often faced with the challenge of attracting investors without having a large-scale PR campaign. Startups need help in order to get their name out there and grow, but they don't have the resources to invest in a major PR campaign. However, that doesn't mean that early-stage startups can't generate any press coverage for themselves at all! In this article, we will discuss three ways to optimize your PR coverage so you can attract investors even when you're an early-stage startup.
1. Combining PPC Advertising With PR
Usually, early-stage startups work extremely hard to secure press coverage. And once they get a feature or mention about them, they are in a great deal of hope that everyone will notice, including prospects, clients, and Investors. The thing is that the news is dynamic and ever-changing, and unless a company is getting features constantly, the chances are that not everyone will get a chance to read about them.
One way to hack that is to make sure your PR coverage reaches your targeted audience. You do that by placing your PR link as an ad in one of the two B2B leading advertising platforms: LinkedIn & Facebook.
With LinkedIn ads, you are able to target specific job titles in specific companies. You can target senior executives, managers, directors, and C-level professionals who work in relevant companies that may benefit from using your startup's product or service.
This way, you have some control over who reads your press coverage. Also, this will drastically elevate the number of readers and increase the chances that they will spread your press coverage to other people in their company.
You can do something similar with Facebook ads, but you can't target job titles like on LinkedIn. However, you could set up a geotargeted campaign (e.g., ads displayed only for users who live or work in NYC) based on location, then adjust it by age range and interest (e.g., Tech). The benefits of this method are many, including raising brand awareness and providing thought leadership expertise in your industry.
2. Email Marketing and Newsletters
Another efficient way to generate more relevant readers for your PR coverage is by building an email list that includes people from your industry's ecosystem. Start building your list by adding email addresses to a simple sign-up form on the bottom of your website. You can generate even more emails and boost open rates if you add incentives for signing up, such as an ebook or webinar.
Once you have a sufficient list ready, you can use email marketing automation software to distribute your press coverage. You can also form a weekly newsletter; make sure you provide value to the people on your list, so they don't feel like you are spamming them.
In your newsletter, you can include a list of all the press you have received for your startup, along with a short description of who you are and what you do. You can also include some quotes from people in your industry or other influencers that like the story behind your business. Make sure to provide valuable material like Case studies, statistics, infographics, and videos.
3. Owned PR
This tactic is essential for every startup or company, no matter what stage they are at. Owned PR means creating your own media and not simply relying on traditional PR. Startups should focus more on owning their own press. This includes developing a strong Youtube channel, Podcast, website blog, and LinkedIn company and key leaders profile. The best way to do this is by putting yourself out there as a credible source by creating compelling content about your company's journey and your industry's ecosystem.
Company press releases are also an important part of owning PR. Startups need to engage their networks, including investors and partners when there is news about new hires or milestones reached. The best way to do this is by sending out company updates regularly while ensuring they have strong title tags and meta descriptions that include search engine optimized keywords for SEO purposes.
This increases traffic to the website, which can lead to more conversions such as downloads of free tools offered at startup websites or links back to popular articles published online through social sharing channels like Twitter, LinkedIn groups, and pages.
One of the most popular owned PR methods is building a podcast for your niche, where you can share solutions, advice and bring value to your targeted audience. This is a step in building a portfolio of devoted listeners that will be more likely to invest in your product or service.
Effective owned PR can also lead to an increase in earned PR as journalists begin to take notice of your brand's growth and become interested in featuring you or writing an article about the industry.
To Summarize
The more successful PR campaigns become, the more likely that they will attract investors who want to capitalize on early-stage startups with high-growth potential and engaging content. With that being said, Startups need not only focus on receiving funding but also increasing their own value as part of an overall strategy towards building long-term revenue generation. The tactics stated above can help early-stage founders optimize their press coverage, and in doing so, create leeway for more media features.