Want to power your startup with PR but don’t know how to start?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Here at Otium, we have simplified it down to just 5 easy steps.
Otium Capital recently hosted our first-ever “Marketing Therapy Morning” workshop at our Paris office, focusing on the art of powering a brand through public relations.
The workshop was attended by Marine Rabreau formerly of Le Figaro and Kevin Deniau of BlaBlaCar, who were ready to share their knowledge and experience. We analyzed cases of when it was most beneficial to use PR and how to get started.
We also highlighted how important it is to understand that a journalist’s job will always be to inform and a startup’s role will be to communicate.
So what is the key to success? Finding the common points that make your announcement a story worth reading.
Here are 5 takeaways from our workshop and a Q&A with our guest stars.
#1 Understand why you are doing PR
Ask yourself the right questions
Before you start, have a clear goal and target audience in mind. Are you trying to build awareness or acquire new customers? Put yourself in the audience’s shoes. What are they reading? What’s their favorite show? Who do they trust?
Can’t afford the hottest agency in town? Do it yourself!
You’re most likely the best suited person to pitch your startup. Start by selecting a handful of journalists who have written about the topics that you cover. Google News is your best resource. Once you’ve identified them, now it’s time to connect on LinkedIn or Twitter. It’s always easier to be introduced by a common connection. Don’t forget to first check whether one of your friends can put you in touch.
If you can’t answer why you are doing PR, then just don’t do it
“No communication at all is better than communicating the wrong messages.” — Kévin
#2 Make friends, not contacts
Meeting face-to-face will always be the best form of communication
“Ninety-nine percent of the messages we (journalists) receive from brands don’t get opened. I appreciate when someone who’s trying to reach me takes the phone and offers to meet in person. It doesn’t have to be a fancy lunch — a 15-minute chat over coffee sounds great.” — Marine
Once you have a meeting, don’t ask for something right away!
Start meeting with the media before you have something to announce. Give yourself the time to build a relationship. Then, pitch your story.
Give something in return
Make yourself useful. Can you share industry insights? Make an introduction to someone you know? Like you do with your friends, nurture your relationship with journalists. Take news from time to time, share good reads and insights every time you can.
#3 Choose your timing
Be aware of what’s going on around you
Think of the most appropriate moment to make an announcement to get the most attention possible. For instance, you wouldn’t want to announce your recent funding during a presidential election period!
Not every new product feature is news
Only pitch what is relevant information. Don’t make people feel tired of you so avoid at all cost sending press releases every month.
#4 Pitch a story
Think like a journalist
Work on your pitch before you get on the phone. Find the editorial angle that will turn your news into a story. Be accurate, give facts and have one clear message.
“I have 25 seconds to sell a story to my chief editor. It would make my life much easier if the person on the phone could do the same.” — Marine
Sell the big picture
If you want to make your news announcement more powerful, think of the bigger picture. What is the macro trend behind your product? A change in consumers’ behaviors, for example? Share relevant data about the founder, the company and the market (don’t forget to name your competitors), high-quality pictures when possible and any other interesting facts.
#5 Think LONG TERM
It all comes down to reputation and repetition
You will be able to build a strong reputation if your message is consistent through time. No matter how big the company is, the founders and team members in every country should share one voice.
Be patient
Relationships with the media are built over time. There’s no magic formula. It’s common sense, dedication and time — a lot of time.
Bonus: Marine and Kévin share their insider tips
- Agency or no agency, what’s the best?
Kévin: It depends if you have someone inside the company (it could be the founder) to own the PR subject or not. An agency has already a network and can introduce you to the media you’re targeting faster. You should consider it as a partner to bounce ideas and find the right angles. They can also free you from the hassle of calling editors one by one. Yet, in any case they should be doing the job on their own. You’ll need to spend a lot of time with them and meeting the journalists yourself. Also, if you choose to work with an agency, make sure you can afford a good one! You don’t want to end up having an intern handling your account because you negotiated the lowest rate.
In France, BlaBlaCar chose not to use an agency. We do everything in-house. We organize 1–2 press events per year and constantly crunch data to find new angles for media.
- What’s the best time to contact a journalist?
Marine: There’s no specific rule. For financial press, I can tell you that Mondays and Fridays are a little more quiet. Monday morning, right before the editor’s conference (that’s usually at 10) is a great window. Plus, it’s the beginning of the week and we’re open to new stories. For print media, there’s usually an opening between 2–3pm and 4–5pm. After that, it’s rush hour and you wouldn’t want to try calling the editorial team.
- How do you measure the impact of PR?
Kévin: That’s a tough one. You cannot use the same marketing metrics for PR as it’s harder to track direct conversion. Yet, it’s easy to measure the site’s traffic after a TV interview, there’s always a peak for us. You can also keep track of your month to month interactions with media (the number of PR pushes and incoming inquiries) and monitor the number of total mentions, dedicated articles, and their reach (tools such as Talkwalker can help you calculate it). I also recommend to analyze what stories worked better and to always embrace feedback.
- Do journalists read other media outlets?
Marine: Absolutely! That’s the first thing we do in the morning. We need to know what our fellow editors are reporting. That’s why it’s so important to think of the impact that one piece on a big player like Le Monde or Le Figaro can have. Your goal when you start will be to get one full page that explains who you are, what you do and where you’re headed. Once you get that, you can be sure that other papers will follow.
- What is a press embargo and how does it work?
Marine: It’s an exclusive news release shared with media before its publishing date. Companies that use this tactic do it to give priority to one large media outlet and ensure a publication.
Kévin: It’s a strategy that we’ve used a few times at BlaBlaCar, and it works well. Make sure you don’t share the same information with several outlets as they’re usually competitors.
- What’s the best advice you can give a startup founder?
Kévin: I know you work long hours and have little time to stay connected to the world. But be aware of what’s happening around you and don’t hesitate to piggyback on major news. The media were interested in BlaBlaCar for the first time during a train strike in France. Carpooling was presented as the train’s alternative — a fresh, innovative angle.
Another tip is to always remember who your audience is. If you’re trying to reach carpoolers in Bordeaux, they’ll most likely be reading Sud Ouest and other local outlets. However, if you’re announcing a fundraising you should target national economic media such as Les Echos and BFM.
Marine: Don’t be afraid of face-to-face meetings. It pays off to be authentic!
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Feel free to share your views and experience or reach out to become our next guest speaker: hello@otiumcapital.com
