Introduction
If you’re a startup, you know that every penny counts. You also know that traditional marketing and advertising can be extremely costly, and often out of reach for small businesses. But what many startups don’t realize is that there is a very cost-effective alternative to traditional marketing and advertising – public relations.
PR is an essential tool for any business, but it’s especially important for startups. That’s because PR can help you generate buzz and awareness for your brand, build credibility, and establish thought leadership – all without breaking the bank.
In this blog post, we’ll show you how to do your own PR for startups on a shoestring budget. We’ll cover why startups need PR, how to get started with DIY PR, and how to measure the success of your campaign. So let’s get started!
Why startups need PR.
The benefits of PR for startups
PR can be a powerful tool for startups, helping them to raise awareness, build credibility, and attract customers and investors. There are many benefits of PR for startups, including:
• Raising awareness: A well-executed PR campaign can help to raise awareness of your startup and what it does. This can reach potential customers who may not have heard of you before, and generate buzz and interest in your product or service.
• Building credibility: Getting media coverage can help to build credibility for your startup. If respected publications are writing about you, it can lend you an air of authority and help you to stand out from the competition.
• Attracting customers and investors: Good publicity can help to attract customers and investors to your startup. Customers may be more likely to try out your product if they’ve seen positive media coverage, while investors may be more interested in backing a company that has generated good press.
How to get started with DIY PR.
Research your audience and define your goals
Before you start your DIY PR campaign, it’s important to take some time to research your target audience and figure out what your goals are. This will help you create targeted content that is more likely to resonate with your audience and achieve your desired results.
Some questions you may want to ask yourself include:
-Who is my target audience?
-What are their needs and wants?
-What are my goals for this PR campaign?
-What type of content will appeal to my target audience?
-How can I best reach my target audience?
Write a killer press release
Once you’ve defined your target audience and goals, it’s time to start writing your press release. A great press release should be newsworthy, well written, and free of errors. It should also include all the necessary information that journalists need in order to write a story about your startup.
Here are a few tips for writing a killer press release:
– Make sure it’s newsworthy: Write about something that is actually newsworthy, such as a new product launch or partnership announcement. Don’t try to make something sound more exciting than it is – journalists can see right through that.
– Keep it short and sweet: Journalists are busy people and they don’t have time to read a long, verbose press release. Get to the point quickly and use simple language that can be easily understood.
– Make it visually appealing: Include images, infographics, or videos with your press release to make it more visually appealing. This will make it more likely to catch a journalist’s attention.
– Include all the necessary information: Be sure to include all the essential information that journalists need in order to write a story about your startup, such as who you are, what you do, why it’s newsworthy, etc.
– Proofread carefully: Nothing will damage your credibility more than spelling or grammar errors in your press release. Be sure to proofread carefully before sending it out into the world.
Create a pitch that sells
Now that you’ve written your press release, it’s time to start pitching it to journalists. But before you start sending out mass emails, take some time to create a pitch that will actually sell your story.
Your pitch should be tailored to each individual journalist, and it should include all the key information about your story in an attention-grabbing way. It’s also important to make sure you’re pitching to the right journalist – don’t waste your time pitching a business story to a lifestyle reporter, for example.
Here are a few tips for creating a great pitch:
– Keep it short and sweet: Just like with your press release, you want to keep your pitch short and sweet. Get to the point quickly and don’t try to cram too much information into one email.
– Personalize it: Take the time to personalize each pitch by tailoring it specifically for the journalist you’re emailing. This shows that you’ve done your research and makes them more likely to pay attention to your story.
– Hook them with an interesting subject line: The subject line of your email is crucial – if it doesn’t grab their attention, they’re likely to delete it without even reading further. Make sure your subject line is interesting and makes them want to learn more about your story.
– Include all the key information: Be sure to include all the essential information about your story in your pitch, such as who you are, what you do, why it’s newsworthy, etc. Journalists appreciate when all the key information is easy to find in one place.
– Follow up: If you don’t hear back from a journalist after pitching them, don’t be afraid to follow up once or twice. Just be careful not to become too pesky – nobody likes a nag!
How to measure the success of your DIY PR campaign.
The importance of analytics
In order to measure the success of your campaign, it is important to first understand what your goals are. Once you know what you want to achieve, you can begin to track relevant metrics that will give you insights into whether or not your campaign is successful. There are a number of different ways to measure the success of a PR campaign, but some of the most common metrics include media coverage, social media engagement, and website traffic.
Which metrics to track
There are a number of different metrics that you can track in order to gauge the success of your campaign. The most important thing is to focus on the metrics that are most relevant to your goals. For example, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, then you may want to focus on measures such as media impressions or social media reach. If your goal is to generate leads or sales, then you may want to focus on measures such as website traffic or conversion rate.
Setting up Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to track a variety of different website metrics. In order to set up Google Analytics, you will need to create a free account and then add a piece of code to your website. Once Google Analytics is set up, you will be able to see detailed reports on things like website traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rate.
Conclusion
If you’re a startup on a shoestring budget, doing your own PR is a great way to get the word out about your business. By researching your audience, writing a killer press release, and building relationships with journalists, you can DIY your PR campaign and save big bucks. To measure the success of your campaign, track key metrics such as media mentions, website traffic, and social media engagement. With a little effort and some creative thinking, you can successfully promote your startup on a tight budget.
