If you’re the founder of a startup, you would be forgiven for thinking that PR isn’t quite for you. You are busier than you had ever imagined, the business is existing month-to-month, and on an environment where cash-flow is likely to be limited and your time even more so, is PR worth it?
When you need to justify every last penny spent on the business, will PR deliver new customers and revenues? Can it demonstrate ROI? Can you even afford PR with limited cash-flow? It’s hard to answer any of these questions with an unequivocal ‘yes.’ But there are many benefits to PR for startups, that can have a huge impact on the business.
Increased visibility
In simple terms, good PR means that people are much more likely to have heard of you. A sales call is that bit easier if the prospect already has an idea of who you are and what you do. When you are approaching investors, they are more likely to take a call or meeting if they have seen evidence of your progress in the media.
And what might that evidence be? It could a pre-seed funding announcement, a major technological breakthrough, a flagship customer, a partnership with a much bigger firm that opens up a whole new market. All these things (and more) are worthy of PR and can play an important role in improving a startup’s visibility and awareness.
Visibility leads to credibility which leads to trust in the business. What founder wouldn’t want that?
Improved SEO / GEO
How might people come across a startup? It might be through PR, it could be via word of mouth or it could be through LinkedIn. There is a fair chance though, that it will include some form of search. Everyone will be familiar with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), the discipline that helps place an organisation higher up search rankings with Google. Other search engines are also available.
While SEO is not PR, high-quality earned media plays an important supporting role, driving authoritative mentions, backlinks, and brand searches that search algorithms reward. As indeed it does with Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). If you’ve not heard of that, it’s working with ChatGPT and other GenAI platforms, looking to be one of the first businesses they recommend when people search.
Recent studies suggest a rapidly growing share of users now begin research with AI tools rather than traditional search engines. GenAI platforms privilege authoritative, well-contextualised sources, making consistent earned media coverage a key input into visibility. For startups without the budget to outspend competitors on paid search, this makes PR-led visibility even more valuable.
Forging the right reputation
What do you want your startup to be known for? What do you want people to think when they hear your name? What you want that reputation to be is entirely down to you. It could be as a company that prioritises sustainability, or one that is focused on, and committed to, employee wellbeing.
Reputation begins with PR and it remains the primary way in which you build and maintain that reputation. It’s something that can be achieved using social media too, but it really works when PR is driving it.
PR must (and will) support your business objectives
All the benefits outlined above are in some ways, incidental. PR for the sake of a few quick headlines is categorically not worth your time. It must have purpose and direction. Smart, strategic PR can help support a startup in many ways that will truly have an impact on the business.
And therein lies the real value, and point of PR. It drives your business goals. If your objective is to expand and grow by attracting VC investment, then PR can support that. If it is to grow revenues, then PR can support that too.
So, what’s the point of PR? It is emphatically not an afterthought for any startup. PR is a strategic management function that is intrinsic to achieving business goals and something that – when ready – founders should always find the time for.
About the author
With 20 years + PR experience, Paul Allen is MD of Rise PR, the tech pr agency that specialises in helping startups and scaleups tell their story.
If you’re the founder of a startup, you would be forgiven for thinking that PR isn’t quite for you. You are busier than you had ever imagined, the business is existing month-to-month, and on an environment where cash-flow is likely to be limited and your time even more so, is PR worth it?
When you need to justify every last penny spent on the business, will PR deliver new customers and revenues? Can it demonstrate ROI? Can you even afford PR with limited cash-flow? It’s hard to answer any of these questions with an unequivocal ‘yes.’ But there are many benefits to PR for startups, that can have a huge impact on the business.
