For young entrepreneurs, the first successes often come with many new challenges. After the development of a new idea, comes its implementation and commercialisation. For many, marketing is generally the first thing which springs to mind. That means advertising, whether in magazines, on billboards, websites, or even on TV. However, many forget that it is also PR which creates a good relationship with journalists and an awareness of the target market. Through authentic communication like interviews, the explaining of the company’s history and philosophy, as well as the presentation of the ideas and products in a different, perhaps even bizarre situation, a lot of awareness can be raised. It is with this that we would like to begin our blog post and provide a small guide for start-ups and new entrepreneurs.

Public Relations: the art and science of creating and maintaining a positive relationship with the public.

For many start-ups PR work begins and ends with being present only in founder publications and at industry events. That is a good start but it is not enough to be noticed by the most desirable target groups. Much more is needed for successful PR work.

Start-ups mostly offer great, new products and a business structure, which makes the scene insanely popular. However, a one sided communication, directed only at their own sector, doesn’t bring the desired success. For entrepreneurs who do not have a welded fan base, the awareness of the press is important to direct the ideas and solutions to the target audience. With a simple press release, still not much is achieved. It is the first chance to publish anything new, but really a big step away from truly building up relationships with the media industry.

Start small – achieve greatness
In order to build up good relations, means starting small. In the start-up sector it is often difficult to communicate exactly that, since the basic idea is to “reach for the stars”. But, in order to get your foot in the media industry door, initially it is important to speak to the most relevant journalists, and not to aim directly at the broad masses. It is the same with social media. In the beginning you start small to communicate ideas, establish contact, comment, link and share…

First get attention
Seek out focus groups, research which publications read this and ask yourself whether the topics which you would like to communicate are also relevant for the journalists. The experience and support of a PR manager make the first steps easier, as they are already in contact with the appropriate editors. If you hope to convince the editors by speaking at them frantically, you will most likely have failed after your first sentence.
Find out beforehand about the readership and make it clear why the topic belongs in a particular publication. Why the reader would be interested in it. Don’t stick rigidly to a particular product use – possibly the product could bring a totally different benefit to a vertical industry? Storytelling and storyshowing are two important buzz words here.

No means no
You have researched your target publications and have already sought out the senior editor-very good. Now you need to keep it brief! Don’t waste the time of the editor with far-fetched stories about your product or business and don’t report about things which are not yet ready. Share with them what is important for you in this conversation and why this is relevant to both the editor and their readership. If you manage that, you will have certainly received attention. If you are not able to prove what you wanted to, “No” means “No”- it does not help to call up the next day with a modified pitch…Stay in contact but always be aware of the topic area and focus points of the publication and readers. If you are unable to convince them, you still have not only a good contact but also an expert, whom you can ask critical and helpful questions.

Long term relationships bring added value
Even if you have already managed to be in an industry publication, have a press release picked up, or done an interview, this doesn’t mean that you’ve made it. It is clear that “viral videos” create a lot of attention but most people have forgotten the content or the message just as quickly. “The kitten in the video was cute but whose advertising campaign even was that?” Or it is so similar, mainly from us ourselves. Whoever wants to stay in memory cannot rely on a publication, whether in advertising or PR. Constant attention brings success. Not every potential client reads the particular publication, in which you were just published. Through storytelling you can make your products and solutions relevant for not only one target group.

Integrated Communication
At the end of the day it is important to focus your energy and build concrete relationships in the media world and not just one-time business deals. Forget the idea that PR only improves the sales figures and invest your time in real stories, which not only the journalist but also your readership find interesting. Don’t only communicate with buzzwords; cater for an integrated communication strategy.

https://www.hbi.de/en/2018/08/08/our-public-relation-tips/