In this interview on Mixergy, I address “How to DO PR on a Tight Budget.” As promised, here are some Dos and Don’ts to keep in mind when you’re thinking about your PR strategy.

DO make a curated list of reporters for every piece of news you have. 

Keep spreadsheets with tabs that have a list of reporters for each piece of news you have. Try to include links to previous articles which would explain why they would be interested in your news. Every time you send or receive an email with the reporter, make a note in your spreadsheet so you don’t end up contacting them multiple times needlessly.

These lists can either be made by yourself (very tedious!), you can buy them, or you can outsource with specific instructions on how to complete the Press List. I’ve had success using Odesk to find people who will make lists worth hundreds/thousands of dollars for a fraction of the cost.

DON’T send out generic email blasts with your press release attached.

This is one way to go straight to reporters’ spam. Unfortunately, many, many companies send out generic blasts, so reporters are used to either just sending the mail straight to their trash, or doing a once over and then sending it to the trash. Instead of a blast with generic info, send out individualized emails for each reporter that include why they might be interested in this story. If you don’t have time to send out individual messages, put reporters into groups based on interest and send out personalized looking emails using Toutapp.

DO make messages as short and specific as possible, detailing why the reporter might be interested in your news.

This may seem like a no brainer, but I’ve heard too many complaints from reporter friends about super long emails that have information spread out incoherently throughout. Instead, limit your emails to three paragraphs with less than 3-5 sentences each. You can include your press release (if you have one) below your initial message. If the reporter is interested, they will read the press release and ask you for more info.

Here’s an example. We were mentioned in the NYTimes recently, because I emailed a reporter several times regarding an article he had written about the Durbin amendment. Here’s my initial email:

Hi Robb,

I was reading your article about the Durbin amendment and wanted to point out a great resource. This Durbin Amendment Calculator lets businesses calculate the effect the amendment will have on their business.

Making this calculator, we noticed that most small businesses will not get a positive effect from the Amendment due to  their payment processor pocketing the difference in debit interchange (unless they have interchange plus pricing).

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more info.

Thanks,

Stella

DON’T make it difficult for the reporter to write about your story.

See the reporter’s usual style, whether it be bullet points, a heavy emphasis on quotes, or testimonials from customers and make sure to include those in your message. The easier you will make it for the reporter to write about you, the more likely it will happen.

 

For those considering working with PR firms, here are some dos and don’ts regarding PR firms:

DO get recommendations from multiple sources and interview multiple PR firms

We’ve worked with three different PR firms over the course of 2.5 years. I can go into why that is in a different post, but initially, you want to talk to companies in your field who have had great experiences with their PR firms. Get references for each firm and actually check up on other peoples’ experiences. As you interview different firms, you’ll start to see similarities and inconsistencies when it comes to their proposals. For example, as a company, we are fairly proficient in social media. When PR firms tried to pitch us on “integrated social media solutions” and we pressed them to go into detail, we could clearly see much of it was total fluff.

DO keep your PR firm in check.

PR firms will make promises, and while you should give them leeway in the beginning, they should be kept accountable for their promises. As a deeply analytical company, we requested our most recent PR firm keep spreadsheets showing the number of links that were generated. They didn’t want to because it was outside of their comfort zone, but they had to do it to keep us happy. In general, don’t just settle for what they think is protocol. Another example is to make sure whoever is handling your account knows exactly what they are doing. Often, the people who will sell their experience and connections will pass off clients to more junior people. This doesn’t mean lesser quality work necessarily, but it does mean that you still have to make sure they deliver on what they sold.

DO have a point person who can manage communication with the PR firm and your startup.

I emailed with our PR firm sometimes 5-10 times a day. When they wanted to schedule an interview quickly with our CEO, I made it happen in a matter of minutes. The point person at the startup should know every angle that can be pitched, and should be available to respond to emails as quickly as possible. Often reporters turn to PR firms for a quick last source before a deadline, and the company that responds first will get the link. Be that company.

DON’T stop looking for opportunities just because you’ve hired a PR firm.

PR firms have lots of clients and often miss opportunities because they don’t have their finger on the pulse of your industry (unless they are specifically focused on one industry, most firms have clients in many different industries). We got more and better links from our own outreach when we had a PR firm than they could provide for us. This is a matter of priority…it’s clearly our biggest priority to be successful and have social proof as a startup than a large company would.

At the end of the day, PR firms can be great if you don’t have the time or resources to have a dedicated team member doing PR. However, they require a lot of hand holding and monitoring in order to really get the bang for your buck. Honestly, startups should focus on doing their own PR and making their own opportunities as much as they can. The PR firm should just be a supplement.

Once again, PR is not a science. These tips are just from experience, and other folks may have different strategies that work for them. Figure out what works best for your startup and remember, always be pitching!

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