How to set up an Organic Campaign for an Early Stage Startup

So you have important news to share and you want to spread it as effectively as possible. In this article, we will explore the key questions to ask yourself when planning your campaign, how to find the answers, and how to execute a successful campaign.

Let’s first discuss why I emphasise campaigns. It’s common to see early-stage startups instinctively opt for a press release when they have news. While this is one valid approach, it’s just one of many. Public Relations and Press Releases share the same abbreviation, but they are not synonymous ;)

I always recommend thinking in terms of coordinated 360-degree campaigns rather than isolated actions for each piece of news. This approach ensures a broad yet targeted reach, leveraging a diverse mix of channels to engage your audience in multiple ways. With a well-orchestrated campaign, you can even address and achieve multiple objectives simultaneously.

Define the News Value

Virtually any news from your company might interest someone, but it’s crucial to evaluate its significance. Consider how impactful the event is: Does it significantly affect your company, an industry, or a specific population group? Is it genuinely groundbreaking news? Also, check if your competition has recently announced something similar or more impactful. Be honest in your assessment: Is this front-page material for your country’s leading business newspaper, or is it a nice update best shared through your company’s channels?

Excursus: Communication Isn’t Always Necessary

This contradicts the first sentence of the previous paragraph (yes, I am aware), but communication does not always make sense. Beyond the significance of the topic, other factors might impede the decision to share. Here are a few examples:

• If your product targets a demographic that doesn’t understand venture capital, it may be more effective to focus on product-related communication rather than announcing a funding round.
• If your product isn’t ready for launch, communicating prematurely could lead to unmet expectations and disappointment.
• For startups in highly regulated industries with pending approvals or compliance issues, announcing major milestones prematurely could lead to legal complications or negative publicity. It’s better to wait until the regulatory environment is clear.

Therefore, it’s essential to assess whether communicating at this point is truly beneficial.

The Aim of the Communication

Get clear on what you want the campaign to accomplish. Do you want more leads, job applicants, investor attention? This will shape how the campaign looks and sounds, and where it shows up.

At the very beginning of your company’s journey, it’s typical to respond affirmatively to all the aforementioned objectives. Nonetheless, it’s vital to concentrate and be deliberate. This approach ensures the attainment of quantifiable outcomes and fosters insights for subsequent endeavours.

The Intended Audience

This is determined by the preceding step: Carefully define the specific target audience. This decision impacts the narrative structure, messaging, tone, channel selection, target media, and more. Strive for precision here. “Reporters” or “candidates” represent broad groups, and you aim to reach only a portion of them.

Let me give you an example. If a venture capital investor tells me, as a VC communicator, “Our target audience is startup founders,” it still remains quite general to my taste. This is because my outreach strategies for a SaaS founder in Copenhagen would differ from those for a skincare founder in Barcelona, despite both being startup founders.

The Key Messages

This is about determining the messages you want your target audience to retain after engaging with the news story or content. Here’s what to consider:

Clarity and Accessibility

Ensure that your messages are easily understood by both experts and laypeople. Communicate in a straightforward manner to attract more attention and effectively convey your ideas. Experts will still recognise the value of your innovation even with clear, simple communication.

Context

Highlight the significance of your news by placing your innovation within a broader context. Include the market you’re targeting or the problem you’re addressing. Providing context, such as illustrating efficiency improvements, enhances understanding and impact.

Utilise Figures

Numbers add relevance and credibility to your message. Whether it’s the size of a financing round, market scale, company growth, or product efficiency gains, numerical data aids comprehension. Ensure accuracy and truthfulness when incorporating figures to support your narrative.

Activities and Channels

In the early stages, the goal is to use resources efficiently and maximise existing assets. Focus on leveraging your own channels and those of your stakeholders.

Owned

Make the most of your own channels, and if relevant, those of your partners or investors. This includes your website, social media channels, email signatures, employee networks, and potentially a launch event at your office.

Earned

This encompasses traditional media, podcasts, blogs, newsletters, etc. Media outreach can be challenging for founders to handle alone, but with the right guidance and support, it’s achievable. Investors can be helpful here, as many have their own communicators or retain PR agencies.

Paid

You can also promote your campaign content. This might involve a LinkedIn ad leading to a case study, a print campaign in a trade publication, or an ad spot in a podcast.

A veeeeery brief excursus: What to Consider for Early Stage Media Relations

Don’t get me wrong: I’m thrilled about your exciting news and celebrate with you! However, we need to manage your expectations. Depending on the outlet, reporters often receive up to 700 pitches daily, and a feature in TechCrunch may not solve all your needs.

For instance, if you provide a manufacturing SaaS and just raised a pre-seed round of EUR 3 million, you want to reach potential customers. Decision-makers in manufacturing rarely turn to TechCrunch for new product information (though I’m open to being proven wrong!). Instead, focus on reaching your audience where they are. Build relationships with regional media, who are usually eager to spotlight local successes and can be invaluable for your initial media coverage.

The Timing

If your campaign involves securing an exclusive feature in a major publication, the timing will likely revolve around the negotiated publication date. Ideally, the announcement should happen by the time the commercial register entry becomes public. You may need to begin campaign preparations even while still negotiating. Once you are 70% certain that the financing round will close, you can start planning the campaign.

Campaign preparation typically takes 2–4 weeks, but it could be longer depending on the number of assets to create (press release, blog, landing page, downloadable PDF, shareable content like videos and graphics), the number of approval cycles needed, event preparation, and more.

The Timeline

Let’s walk through an organic campaign using the example of a funding announcement (yes, I kept it straightforward and general, but it’s effective and can be tailored to your needs).

4 Weeks Prior to Campaign Launch

• Kick-off meeting and briefing
• Develop the campaign plan
• Create first drafts of the content
• Request quotes from external service providers (and book or order if necessary)

3 Weeks Prior to Campaign Launch

• Approve the content
• Compile a media list
• Pitch the story to journalists
• Develop shareables and, if applicable, a landing page
• Prepare for the event, if applicable

2 Weeks Prior to Campaign Launch

• Prepare a Q&A for press interviews
• Conduct media training
• Hold press interviews

1 Week Prior to Campaign Launch

• Distribute the press release with an embargo period
• Brief team, partners, and investors on the campaign, including timing, content, and shareables

Day of the Campaign Launch

• 4 a.m.: regional featured story is getting published
• 6 a.m.: international featured story is getting published
• 9 a.m.: announce on own channels
• 9 a.m.: your partners, investors, etc. announce on their channels
• 6 p.m.: Host the campaign event

Post-Campaign

• Analyse and Measure Results: Review key metrics and data to assess the campaign’s performance. Identify what worked well and what areas need improvement.
• Engage with Your Audience: Continue interacting with your audience by responding to comments, answering questions, and maintaining the conversation on social media and other platforms.
• Plan Follow-Up Activities: Develop a strategy for follow-up content, events, or initiatives to maintain momentum and keep your audience engaged. This could include additional blog posts, webinars, or community events.

Who to Ask for Support

Co-founders and Team Members: Utilise the skills and expertise of your internal team for tasks like content creation, social media management, and media outreach.

Investors: They may provide access to their communication teams, PR agencies, or marketing resources.

Advisors and Mentors: Leverage the experience and connections of your advisors and mentors to refine your campaign strategy and open doors for media opportunities.

Public Relations Agencies: Even on a limited budget, a small engagement with a PR agency can help with media outreach and crafting press materials.

Freelancers and Contractors: Hire freelance writers, designers, and social media experts to help with specific aspects of the campaign on a project basis.

The Budget

Depends (I know, annoying, but it really does depend!). In most cases, a lot can be covered in-house. Additional costs can arise if, for instance, external service providers such as agencies, event technicians, etc. are brought in. If you decide to hire an agency, consider booking them for 6 months to effectively leverage the momentum of your announcement in the following months. In Europe, the retainer will range between EUR 5,000 and EUR 15,000, depending on the agency’s size and expertise. You can host an event at your office for around EUR 25 per person. Here you go — some price references :)

And just like that, you can effectively share your news with the world as an early-stage startup with limited resources. While this article could cover much more, we’ll save additional topics for future posts. In the meantime, this guide should prepare you well. I look forward to seeing your news make waves!