Why PR isn’t for every startup, according to an industry professional

For many startups, public relations seems like a great strategy for gaining quick exposure. After all, 70% of consumers prefer to get to know about a company via articles rather than through advertisements.

As a PR practitioner, though, I find that part of my work often involves telling startups why it may not be a great strategy for their brand just yet.

Photo credit: Pavlo Syvak

At the end of the day, there are many other important factors that a startup needs to consider first: its product, the problem it is solving, and the value it brings to people’s lives

If you are considering a marketing strategy for your startup, here are some reasons why public relations may not be the best fit for you just yet.

It may be too early

Startups often want to create excitement over a certain product or service that they’re building. But for those without much of a track record yet, having a blueprint is unlikely to get them much coverage.

I’ve spoken with many startups with this problem. When they’re still developing a product, they’re at the mercy of their product development teams. It’s also a stage when there is no clear indication of possible users or early traction for whatever it is they’re working on.

One startup I worked with, for instance, was in the process of launching a new enterprise solution. But when they hired me to raise the company’s profile, their product wasn’t ready yet.

At the end of the project, the company felt that it was difficult to justify the outcomes. The issue: Since their product took longer than anticipated to develop, they didn’t have a strong call to action.

If you are looking to generate some form of publicity for your brand, you need to be able to prove early traction and have at least a working prototype of a solution that is different from what is available in the market.

It’s great that you’re building a mobile application, for example, but almost every startup is doing the same. So ask yourself, how is my product different from my competitors’ solutions?

Another way to prove success is to show existing demand for your product, which can only be done by already having a substantial user base or endorsed partnerships with organizations that have committed to using your solution.

Being in a saturated industry

Some startups wonder why they don’t seem to get as many media features as other companies do when it comes to public relations.

I’m here to tell you that the media is likely to be interested in your startup if you have an extremely unique business model or product. As a point of reference, if you have more than five competitors in your industry, what you’re offering is probably not that unique.

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Measuring the success of public relations