PR FOR STARTUPS: 5 TIPS FOR NEW TECH COMPANIES

December 17, 2024

We love working with startups! They are a ton of fun.

 

Unlike established companies, which can sometimes fall prey to routine and risk aversion, startups come in hungry, bold, and driven. They see change as a good thing and want to make the biggest impact possible. That’s exciting to be around and often makes for good storytelling.

 

But navigating public perception is often a tricky thing. For everyone that loves an underdog story, there’s another who craves the “safety” of a trusted brand. Locating those triggers — many of which have clear patterns — is really the beginning of a successful PR strategy. From there, you can create plans that dismantle hesitations, clearing the way for messages that strike deep and grow over time.

 

Sometimes this means creating the perception that a company is 10x bigger than they are. This worked for our client Kaydara (acquired by Autodesk), as it not only helped them credibly breakthrough with their FilmBox toolset, but sell the industry on the FBX file format, which is still an industry standard today.

 

Startups don’t always have to play defense, though. The best of them are trying to right wrongs and open up new possibilities for people. That can be alluring when justified and is a potent tool when combined with PR. Just look at Allegorithmic (now Adobe Substance 3D), another client who had what every tech PR firm dreams of: legitimately innovative products and a culture that made customers feel seen.

 

They made our job easier than most, but remember, attributes like this still need a push to find their full potential. And we mean consistent amplification, so these traits feel top of mind whenever the company or space is mentioned. We cultivated this feeling over the next 10 years, developing a “love brand” that swept from industry to industry (games, VFX, automotive, architecture) on the back of big projects, novel product drops, evangelist lessons, and much more.

 

So what can you learn from our 25 years repping tech startups? A lot! But for now, let’s start with five things that any tech startup can put into practice, no matter what they do.

 

FIGURE OUT WHAT MAKES YOU SPECIAL

 

That sounds easy, but it’s hard for most firms. The reason? They are either too close to the product or they want it to be something more lofty than it is. That’s not to say you can’t bring people to a grand vision over time (because you can), but not every product merits the big sell right away. Most people — including press — are usually thinking in terms of concrete problem solving. Product X solves for Problem Y. So you often get the most juice when you connect a unique attribute to a pain everyone wants to go away.

 

The best part of this process is it makes companies think long and hard about how things like context, timing, user preferences, social conditioning, and all those other interlocking factors affect how a value proposition is perceived. The hard part is either assembling the right information, or being honest enough to accept what makes you stand out today.

 

LOCK IN YOUR MESSAGING

 

Once you know what makes you special, it’s time to build a foundation you can go back to time and time again. Whether it’s for a speaking engagement, marketing copy, or even your elevator pitch, finding the best way to say something is the gift that will keep on giving. But there are a few caveats here.

 

The first is you have to make your messaging accessible. One of the hardest things about working with technical products is how easy it is to veer into complexity. Most people want something simple. So the work is in breaking these concepts down into short phrases and analogies, so your ideas can be absorbed quickly — with little to no effort. Complexity is often for specific audiences and is rarely where a conversation should begin, especially when a company is in the awareness stage.

 

Evocative phrases and stories will act as a base for most of your public interactions. And they will evolve over time as you use them in the field. Remember, things should always be adapted as the context shifts. What works for one audience might not for another. The goal is to quickly help people see how you’re going to better their lives. That’s what most people care about. So anything you can do to make this more apparent is going to lead to greater success. The same goes for tailoring your messages. A lot of companies get in trouble by trying to be everything to everyone. So figure out who you are really targeting and go from there.

FIND YOUR EVANGELISTS

 

You have your stories, your soundbites, but still, you might be the wrong messenger. Nowadays, most people don’t trust companies to shoot straight, which makes third-party validators some of the most powerful tools you’ve got.

 

Finding trustworthy people in your markets that can help spread the word in engaging ways is a cheat code for breaking through and building momentum. Sometimes this can be an influencer type, but it can also just be industry vets that see value in the vision. This strategy can be particularly effective for software companies who sign up users or trusted industry leaders to speak at events, user groups, or on YouTube.

 

The keys are twofold. One, the person has to be seen as credible by the community. If they clearly know what they are talking about and can communicate that in a way that speaks to your targets, you’re halfway there. Remember, people are typically thinking about what’s in it for them, so if your evangelist can’t tap into that, they don’t belong on the team.

 

The second thing is the person has to be likable. Extra points if they are charismatic. We all know this, but it bears repeating: we are more likely to engage with those we either like or admire. That’s the type of person you want to put out there. We’ve helped plenty of companies build up their speakers’ skills through mock presentations and training, so it’s not like every successful company comes out of the gate with superstar talent. This can be cultivated. That said, raw talent tends to present itself in the beginning, much like how you can walk around rooms and quickly pick up on who is enjoyable to be around or effective at getting their point across. You’ll know it when you see it.

 

Once you have this network, figure out what types of content are going to be the most beneficial and then design a plan that makes sure they drop in a consistent way. Most people don’t have elephant brains, so you have to keep reminding them you’re there. But if your content is helpful, and the speakers are good, you’ll start to be top of mind more often than not.

 

CREATE A LOVE BRAND

 

People have grown hungry for companies that put them first. So be that company. Build a customer-centric culture into your DNA and use it as a filter going forward. A lot of good comes from it, and over time — if you do enough notable, kind, delightful things — you’ll open up the door to a cherished brand that people not only love, but want to rave about. And word of mouth still means something.

 

You can encourage that swell by exciting people, bringing them into experiences other companies don’t, going above and beyond, or even helping them connect with others. The last point is particularly valid, since loneliness is on the rise. By building community around your product, you offer an outlet and connection point for some that might not have it, and that’s never a bad thing.

 

A side benefit of being good is you can talk about it and potentially inspire others. The trick is really about presenting it in the right way — your PR team will know how to do this. It should just never feel opportunistic. People don’t want to be seen as pawns on the board. They want to feel respected and part of a greater whole. And when this goes right, it goes really right. We find that some of the most compelling love brands are almost treated like “movements” by users. But that only happens if the brand is truly living out shared ideals in the most authentic way possible. There’s no long-lasting way to pull the wool over people’s eyes, so don’t try it. Be a love brand if that’s you and stay away from it if it’s not.

 

It might be the best possible standing for a company, but you have to earn it — every day.

 

BE CONSISTENT

 

Consistency comes in two forms.

 

  1. Can customers count on you?
  2. Are you showing value again and again?

 

You need both to do well nowadays. The challenge of the 24-hour news cycle is that people have been conditioned to keep searching for the next shiny thing, making most accomplishments feel fleeting. This can be vexing for startups that spend months (or years) building up to a big reveal or having to change their timelines due to funding gaps. So how can you be consistent when you don’t always have news to share?

 

A lot of times, your bridge is thought leadership. Making a case for what you do, or finding interesting ways to comment on existing and/or future trends, can help drum up attention when there’s nothing to show yet. There just has to be some meat on the bone. A lot of companies that say they want to be thought leaders don’t actually have anything to say, or revert to safe ideas that don’t risk anything. That’s a gap you can take advantage of. Just like the 24-hour cycle limits the shelf life of most stories, it also encourages us to feed the beast. And if you feed it with some interesting morsels, you are more likely to get shared and asked back, which keeps you in the mix and your campaigns moving forward.

 

And over time, that snowball will grow.

 

If you find you need help with this journey, or have questions about anything we covered here, get in touch. We’d love to talk with you!