I was recently invited to speak on 'How to hack PR for startups', by The Rodinhoods, which is a community of entrepreneurs and enterprising people from all walks of life. It was an interesting experience and here goes a few lessons i narrated through my presentation.
CAN YOU ACTUALLY 'HACK' PR?
Wikipedia defines hack as 'cut with rough or heavy blows' and that's exactly what PR will not do for you. PR isn't a Sunny Deol or a Daniel Craig. It's not an allopathic pill. This is actually a common misunderstanding that many startups face. They think the day they take PR help, be it from a person or an agency, that they'll be seen on the front pages of Times of India and The Economic Times.
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| PR isn't Sunny Deol or a Daniel Craig! |
THE ROLE OF MODERN DAY PR
PR is like a pretty box, which houses all your outreach to the media, in the effort to secure some earned media. But the role of modern day public relations has massively evolved, because we're living in an age of always-on conversations. A classic example is how the images of our honorable PM Narendra Modi, touched the stairs of the parliament, and that went viral moments after he did it. Newspapers too carried it anyways the next day. I am not suggesting that this action from him was PR-inspired, but it's an example to testify the always-on conversations age we're living in.
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| Modern day PR isn't just reaching out to media, it's a lot more! |
THE STARTUP PASSION
What's common to all startups is the passion that they posses for their product or service. It's sometimes not justified, but it's infectious for sure. This matters to the media outreach startups plan for themselves. People may question your offering, it's ingenuity, it's creativity and originality, but no can ever question the passion you'll get to the table.
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| Startups should be 'Dabangg in their approach; it's infectious! |
WHAT'S YOUR KEY MESSAGE
If there was one thing that startups need to start doing, with respect to PR, it's deciding what their key message is. Coke is about happiness. Nokia is about connecting people. Dell is about the power to do more. Everything they say or do, via PR, advertising, events or digital, is about their key message. What's yours?
TYPES OF MEDIA
When you're thinking PR, think of all what you can do in the earned, owned and paid media space. Earned is secured via pure-play PR. Paid is advertising. But owned has really grown to be a crucial component. Effectively using owned media is one of the intelligent tactics brands are using today. All of these supported by key opinion leader engagement should work wonders.
OTHER THINGS ADVISABLE FOR STARTUPS
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