PR do’s and dont’s for Startups

•Founded in 2009

•Since August 2012 back at The Next Web

•Started as an “Online Press release service”

•Now becoming a full-featured PR toolkit

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feature

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5 PR dont’s for startups

•Getting coverage for a product that is not yet

ready

•“We are in pre-alpha, but we want everybody

to sign up!”

•Journalists and potential users will want to try

your product

Don’t get coverage too early

•Quality > quantity

•Journalists receive spam all day long

•You’ll get a bad reputation with journalists

•Avoid distribution networks, it doesn’t work

that way

•“I’ve sent my press release to 5000 media

contacts in BCC”

Don’t spam journalists

• “I blogged about it, now they will write.”

•Word-of-mouth is hard to measure

•Take initiative to get coverage on your news

Don’t rely on word-of-mouth

•Most stories journalists receive isn’t really

news

•“We 'exist', hurray! Can you write a post?”

•Be sure what you wish to announce is news

(ask yourself what you would want to read

about other startups).

Don’t push a story that is not news

•Journalist want an interesting story for their

audience, not an ever-long pitch on how

awesome your product is.

•Always point out why the news is interesting

for the readers/journalists.

•Avoid exclamation marks behind each

sentence!!!

Don’t make it a commercial story

5 PR do’s for Startups

•PR = Personal Relations

•Give heads up about news

•Get to know them before you need them

•Do your homework

•Be a source

Do form relationships with journalists

•Don’t rule out the lazy journalists, if it’s written properly they’ll copy your paragraphs.

•It forces you to think about what is important for your and the journalists’ audience.

Do write as if it where actual an article

•Give favorite journalists early-access under Embargo

•Save your embargoes for journalists with a high chance to write about you.

•Be honest about it (who else got the embargo)

Do make journalists feel special

•There are more newsworthy stories to tell besides your launch, and acquisitions.

•You might’ve broken a cool record in sign ups, social shares, revenue or a new feature.

•Keep the buzz going, don’t fade to the background.

•Keep presskits, images, FAQs and other press related materials up-to-date!

Do invest time in PR constantly

•Build a great product that people love and care about!

•Journalists love to write about companies people like

Do show it when people love your service

Any questions?