How to handle PR for your startup. Start here. What questions you may start from. How to set up your goals. How to add Public Relations to your online marketing strategy. Dos and Don'ts for your online PR campaigns. How to engage journalists. Tips & Tricks. And more. This presentation was set up for a private event, so some ideas may not be very clear without clarification. Follow up at any time tweeting @prdotco - any feedback is welcome!

1. Online PR for Startups

2. Online PR toolkit

3. 1. What is PR?
2. What are your goals?
3. Myths to debunk
4. Some Don’ts
5. Some Dos
6. Tips + Examples

4. “PR is a waste of time.”
UBER GM, Chris Nakutis

6. PR is doing household chores

7. 1. What is PR?
2. What are your goals?
3. Myths to debunk
4. Some Don’ts
5. Some Dos
6. Tips + Examples

8. “You should start marketing
the day you start building your
product.”
Hubspot co-founder, Darmesh Shah

9. “Journalists are not
salespeople.”
Hubspot director of PR, Katie Burke

10. “Companies dive into driving awareness for their product
before they figure out who they are
or what they stand for.”
Eventbrite co-founder, Julia Hartz

11. Your Goals
• Brand awareness
• Authority / Credibility
• Reach your audience
• Traffic
• ...$$$

12. 1. What is PR?
2. What are your goals?
3. Myths to debunk
4. Some Don’ts
5. Some Dos
6. Tips + Examples

13. Myth #1
PR is dead

14. Myth #2
The press release is dead

15. Myth #3
Email is dead

16. Myth #4
You don’t need help

17. 1. What is PR?
2. What are your goals?
3. Myths to debunk
4. Some Don’ts
5. Some Dos
6. Tips + Examples

18. Don’t #1
Don’t show you don’t care
“Copy and pasting my name in a different font... Ok, so you
can’t even type my name into your email template.”
Former TNW editor, Harrison Weber

19. Don’t #2
Don’t email people in CC/BCC
“My email and many others in CC... :(“
TNW Editor, Anna Heim

20. Don’t #3
Don’t email attachments
“Do you open attachments from people you don’t know?”
Outreach specialist, Adrienne Erin

21. Don’t #4
Don’t spam your contacts
“Friending me on Facebook right after they pitch me.”
Former TNW editor, Drew Olanoff

22. Don’t #5
Don’t mix social and business
“Referencing my tweets in email pitches. ‘I hope your back is
better’.”
Former TNW editor, Drew Olanoff

23. Don’t #6
Don’t pitch too early.
Or too late.
Don’t ask to pitch.

24. Don’t #7
Don’t push non-news
“Pitches that want to put me in touch with their CEO before I
know what they even do. As if I’d be like ‘OMG A CEO WANTS TO
TALK TO ME?’”
Former TNW editor, Brad McCarty

25. Don’t #8
Don’t use jargon / buzzwords
“Littering a pitch with superlatives such as market-leading and
award-winning. Grates on me.”
TNW editor, Paul Sawers

26. Don’t #9
Don’t say you’re special.
Show it.

27. Don’t #10
Don’t be SUPER EXCITED!!!

28. Don’t #11
Don’t write for SEO only

29. Don’t #12
Don’t invest in PR only when
you need it
“PR is a marathon, not a sprint.”
PR pro, Frank Strong

30. 1. What is PR?
2. What are your goals?
3. Myths to debunk
4. Some Don’ts
5. Some Dos
6. Tips + Examples

31. Do #1
B shrt

32. Do #2
Work on your headline
“Your subject line should contain the hook, so the reporter
immediately knows why it merits attention. It’s kind of like
composing a tweet.”
Former VentureBeat editor, Bekah Grant

33. Do #3
Suggest an angle
Why should their readers care about this?

34. Do #4
Choose wording wisely
“Don’t rule out the lazy journalists, if it’s written properly they’ll
copy your paragraphs.”
TNW co-founder, Patrick de Laive

35. Do #5
Make it easy to follow up
Provide links to your pressroom / presskit / company info.
Don’t ask but offer to jump in a call.

36. Do #6
Show social proof
“Bring up anything that backs up your story and makes you
stand out.”
Tech journalist, Robert Scoble

37. Do #7
Handle embargoes with care
It could make sense, but some may break it. Some just hate it.

38. Do #8
Gather ideas
Start from what you have: look at your data, pick colleagues’
brain, interview someone, take a stand... criticize someone?!

39. Do #9
Add value (you’re an expert)

40. Do #10
Alwayys proofreed, k? Geee

41. 1. What is PR?
2. What are your goals?
3. Myths to debunk
4. Some Don’ts
5. Some Dos
6. Tips + Examples

42. Find journalists

43. Find any email address
bit.ly/name2email + Rapportive

44. Or just mention them in a tweet

45. Send fewer emails

46. Find your tone of voice

47. Make media available

48. Make your story newsworthy
• Timing
• Significance
• Proximity
• Prominence
• Human interest

49. ...and for startups?
• Launch
• Funding
• Acquisition
• Huge release
• Insights from your data
• Your response to a current event
• Other milestone

50. “Great products do 1 of 3 things: get you laid (Sex), get you
paid (Money), get you made (Power).
How does your solution tap into the emotional, powerful,
evolutionary needs that we as humans have?”
500 Startups co-founder, Dave McClure

51. “Build companies that solve
serious problems. If nothing
else, you’ll have a much easier
time getting coverage.”
Former VentureBeat editor, Bekah Grant

52. Questions?
PS. Try out pr.co!