10 founder-friendly PR tips everyone should do to prevent starting from zero

I’m always in awe working with founders of tech startups. They possess the kind of knowledge and ability to create I always hoped for. The old adage, “those who can’t do, teach,” is absolutely true in my case. Except instead of teaching “how to do tech,” I teach “how to tell stories about tech,” as a conduit between tech companies and their stakeholders.

During my weekly Founder Friendly Office Hours, I chat with early stage founders who get to ask everything they want to know about PR strategy. I like it because it challenges my brain, keeps me fresh and is a great way to meet new people championing the latest innovations.

It’s an inconvenient truth that public relations budgets are often out of reach for early stage companies. Startups often engage with PR when they have the first “big” announcement like a funding round and then it’s a massive sprint. If the founders or the company have no media footprint, a PR team’s first job is to lay the groundwork. While I internally call these validation and credibility points, a digital footprint before a “first” big moment makes the job a little easier.

If you’re a founder, or plan to be one soon, here are 10 tips (i.e. you really need to do them now) you can implement on a limited budget to start towards larger public relations plans in the future:

1. Build your corporate footprint on validation sites

Media will research you before covering your executives or company. As a startup, it’s important to have up-to-date (and regularly updated) information in places like Crunchbase, Pitchbook, G2 and other third-party validation sites.

2. Get active on social media (the ones where your target stakeholders are)

Not all social media is equal. Instead of spending time where it’s most fun, go to where your stakeholders are. If you’re about to fundraise, ensure Linkedin is up to date and active.

3. Press releases are not dead, integrate them

Two important points here. The first, media still regard press releases as a central, source of truth document (and there are actually times they are required as part of an embargo or story). Second? Rounding out key messages by sharing timely and relevant releases via the wire, can help your online visibility and search.

4. Don’t just think about earned media

Thought leadership is an extremely viable source of authority building. Think about bylines in places where customers might read -- or simply use it to get placements that will be visible when someone searches for you.

5. Partner with other businesses

Partnering with other businesses and co-announce an activation to reach a larger audience and get your name out there. For example, partner with another company to offer a deal or discount, or co-host a Linkedin Live event to cross promote to social audiences.

6. Attend industry events

Attending industry events is a great way to meet potential customers and partners, as well as journalists who might be interested in your story. You can also network with other startups and learn from their experiences.

7. Find founder-friendly PR packages

While everything above costs your time, this is an instance where you have to pony up and spend some money. Allocating a budget towards this can help to build your thought leadership portfolio and online presence - thus increasing your chances of more media when your company is ready.

8. Find the communities

If you’re creating consumer-friendly tech, Product Hunt may be a great place to build a community and eventually launch. There are also thousands of invite-only Slack channels and Discord servers dedicated to niche topics.

9. Make your media wish list now

This isn’t just the publications you’d like to be in, but the journalists, podcast hosts and others you eventually want to cover your company. It’s all about relationships. If you can connect with them now, even if it’s just re-sharing their content on social media or emailing them positive feedback on a recent story, it’s a great first interaction.

10. Track your competitors

Set up Google Alerts for all of your direct and indirect competitors and their executive team. Any time they get a media mention, drop it in a spreadsheet or other repository. When you’re ready for more aggressive media relations, the research is already done to support PR strategy.