Your Essential Guide to Improving Media Relations as a Startup

With 4 simple tips from professional journalists, getting press coverage could just be a piece of cake.

Imagine you’re a journalist conducting an online overseas interview at 5am due to a time difference, and immediately receiving a Starbucks Gift Card as a courtesy from the startup being interviewed while you’re still terribly sleep — wouldn’t you be extraordinarily impressed by this act of kindness?

As an early stage startup, having solid media relations is essential. Talking to media and getting some PR coverage can help startups introduce new products or services to the general public, gain more exposure to potential customers and partners, and enhance their overall brand image.

However, approaching the media is never easy, and new-comers should not assume their innovative idea deserves full on spotlight. Nobody deserves anything. Without some sort of PR strategy and planning, press coverage can lead to misunderstandings or missed opportunities; what’s worse, you might not even get to do any interviews with a half-baked press kit.

This is why we invited 4 awesome journalists to share some useful practices when it comes to talking to press and getting some media coverage. From their stories and experiences working with startups, we’ve extrapolated 4 key takeaways for startups wanting to improve their relationships with media.

1. Maintaining personal relationships with journalists is vital!

Journalists are normal people too! Like any business relationship, it is important to first develop some rapport. Identify journalists that cover topics related to your startup and go out and meet them. Invite them to a cafe or bar, and try to connect with them on a personal level; once you’re on the top of their mind, when something comes up, they might even reach out to you actively. Samson Ellis from Bloomberg encourages startup founders to be creative:

“Do dinners. Do karaoke. Organize a hike. Do something fun. Stay on the journalists’ radar!”

Also, according to Hope Ngo, by doing something out of the box, you might have a bigger chance of leaving a great impression in the journalists’ minds. The Starbucks fantasy mentioned in the opening paragraph happens to be her own personal experience; even after several years, this act of kindness has left a lasting impact on Hope.

However, David Green from The News Lens reminds startups that “journalists are NOT your friend.” Their allegiance is to their audience and readership, so do not expect them to write a glowing positive reviews of your company just because you did something nice during the interview.

2. Think from the perspective of the media and its audience…NOT for your personal benefit.

A reporter’s job is not to tell your company’s story; rather, their responsibility and priority is to give their readers the full story, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. With this in mind, it is important that your PR team comes up with high-caliber stories that not only promotes your brand, but also presents all sides of the story.

Come up with a narrative and think through all the possible directions and angles the journalist could possibly approach — combat potential negative headlines by presenting all the facts and incorporating other voices into the narrative, such as customers, competitors, partners, or industry experts.

3. How to actually get some media coverage as a startup?

Edward from the Financial Times suggests that startups should think more about how their narratives can fit into a larger overall trend. Journalists are much more likely to write about your startup if it is a part of something that is trending.On a similar note, David Green echoed this sentiment by recommending startups to not only consider the trends but also take a closer look at the LARGER picture (or ecosystem).

Is there some sort of bigger story at play? How does your startup fit into that narrative?

Last but not least, humanize your story and narrative. Overall, people enjoy reading and learning about other people — the adversities they face and how they overcome them. You should tell your story through interesting characters and present your company through its people.

4. What should you NEVER do when interacting with reporters?

Make it clear for the reporter on what can and cannot be printed. As a startup, it is your duty to understand what is both on and off the record. Life is not a time machine, you cannot go back and change something you said in an interview, so it’s best to be prepared and know what you want to speak about beforehand.

If there is bad news, don’t hide from the journalist. Be ready for a journalist to call you up and ask the difficult questions. Have a statement ready that sets your company’s principles and what you’re trying to achieve.

As a final takeaway, Hope suggests that before you go into any media interview or develop any PR strategies, you need to first identify WHY do you want media coverage and think about the reasons behind wanting coverage. To quote the famous rapper Eminem, “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”

Originally posted on August 30th, 2018 by Brian Chen. Edited on August 26th, 2019 by Billy Kuo.