pr for startups - n ravi shankar - aim high consulting - 5th july 2014
Post on 13-Sep-2014
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Having made the bold move of launching a start-up business, it is likely that you are faced with the challenge of spreading the word about your products or services to potential customers. Most start-ups look enviously at the big brands, wishing they could emulate their marketing activities. Of course, they are never able to do so due to an acute lack of funds to invest in marketing, especially in the early stages. The goal of media relations is to get positive coverage in the mass media without paying for it directly as by advertising. Media relations involves working with media for the purpose of informing your potential customers about how your offering will benefit them, and doing so in a credible positive and consistent manner. Typically, this means coordinating directly with the people who influence, generate and distribute news and features in the mass media. One of the most cost-effective ways to build buzz around your start-up is to get it covered by the media, either local or national. But how does one go about doing that on a shoe-string budget?TRANSCRIPT
COMMUNICATION CONSULTING • PUBLIC RELATIONS • ADVERTISING • INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
www.aimhighindia.com | www.tenetadvertising.com
Media for Start-ups – Cases and FAQs
N. Ravi Shankar CEO, Aim High Consulting
05-07-2014, NSRCEL@IIMB
Things are changing…
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs...
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs...
Why should you listen to me?
"The history of PR is… a history of a battle for what is reality and how people will see and understand reality." - Stuart Ewen
www.aimhighindia.com
FAQsfollowed-by
Cases.
What is a good time to start PR?
If you have a reasonable answer to this, then, it is a good time to start engaging with the media.
Why is PR better than
Advertising / Social Media?
PR Vs Ad / Social Media
• Credibility.• Third party endorsement.• Pull Vs Push.• Less cluttered.• Lower cost.
How long should the ‘campaign’ be?
Length of the ‘campaign’
• What ‘campaign’?• PR is about ‘advocacy’.• PR needs to be seen as a ‘business
function’.• If you have not created anything that
has ‘sustained PR value’, do not waste your money on PR.
How much will it cost?
That is what Advertising costs!
"If I was down to my last dollar, I'd spend it on public relations." - Bill Gates
PR is highly cost effective.
Should it be just online, or offline as well?My audience is online, you know!
Be where your TG is!
Horses for courses.
Media learns and buys from media!
Why does PR fail?
What you are saying is not new!
What you are saying is not believable!
What you are saying does not make any difference.
Why can’t we do it in-house?
Well, PR is not ‘rocket science’!
But then, it is not ‘child play’ either!
How do I measure PR success?
‘PR metrics’
• Output• Outcome
• Key messages • Media Value
Does PR help me in a crisis?
Will it help in ‘silencing’ the media?
NO!
PR is not about fixing! You cannot silence anyone with money or influence.
But, concerted and longstanding PR effort might earn you a chance for ‘fair-play’, during a crisis.
www.aimhighindia.com
There is good news for start-ups!
There are a lot of ‘start-up spaces.
Today’s start-ups lend themselves to PR
• Media eco-system getting built around start-ups
• Start-ups are ‘reformist’ in their DNA
• Start-ups are involved in nation building
Media opportunity grid - Startups
Media Opportunities for
Startups
Company / Entrepreneur
Profiling
Investment
Product modification /
extension
HR policies
Technology
Profiling Opportunities
Company / Entrepreneur
Profiling
Business Dailies – special startup pages in all major business
publications
Business magazines – Most business
magazines have special sections for startups
Mainlines – Mainline newspapers provide
good profiling spaces to startups
TV – Startup shows on leading business channels
www.aimhighindia.com
So, is it all rosy for a start-up who wants to do PR?
Challenges• Clutter. We start from scratch!• Cynicism about the offering
itself.• Staying differentiated – from
generic & specific competition.• Media may not be as
‘specialised’ as your business.• Geographically dispersed
heterogeneous masses.• Bad experiences might get
highlighted.
What does that mean?
• We cannot afford to be lazy• Disruptive business ideas will demand
‘disruptive communication’!
Spare the details…
• We need to learn to be brief – – Three short stories!
What do we need to do?
– Tell a story, if the media has to write about your client.
– But, get to the point quickly.– Relevant and Interesting – that is all that
is there. And, that is all you need to know.
Examples of some ‘short stories’
• Olacabs– Cabs at auto prices
• Skyline– A wall for the wall
• Flipkart– Cash on delivery
• BCIL– Bring back the sparrow
• EduSports – Indian children are becoming unfit
www.aimhighindia.com
All the best…
www.aimhighindia.com
ASK QUESTIONS…
