Presentation made to UC Irvine Applied Innovation center for startup entrepreneurs on July 1, 2016

1. PR For Startups - Do You Need It,
How Do You Get It,
How To Make The Most of It
Sue Duris - Co-Founder/President,
M4 Communications
Lunch and Learn at the Cove
July 1, 2016

2. Agenda
 About Me
 What is this PR thing all about, anyway?
 Does your Startup Need PR?
 How Do you Get PR?
 How Can you Make the Most of PR?
 Resources
 Conclusion/Final Q&A

3. About Me ● Twitter: @SusynEliseDuris
● LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/sueduris
● Website: www.m4comm.com
● Co-Founder/President, M4
Communications - a marketing
strategy firm that helps startups
build and extend their brands
● Former: RGP, MCI WorldCom,
Adelphia

5. What’s this PR thing all about, anyway?
“Public relations is a strategic communication
process that builds mutually beneficial
relationships between organizations and their
publics. “
Public Relations is NOT publicity, or the
act of “getting ink”.
but...

6. What’s this PR thing all about, anyway?
Public Relations Advertising
Earned Media Paid Media
Third-party validation → credibility Self-promotion
Non-invasive editorial placement Disruptive advertising placement
Limited/No control of content - media in
control
Control over content
Builds relationships Promotes
Focuses on long-term business
objectives
Focuses on short-term sales
objectives
No coverage guarantee Coverage guarantee
Limited Shelf Life Longer shelf life
Organically-grown Mass market

7. Does Your Startup Need PR?
Two options
 In-House
 Agency
 Crowded marketplace and you need “help” in appropriately
positioning your organization
 Possible disrupter and you need to get ahead fast
 High-Profile CEO who has history of dealing with the press
“PR is not about hits, it’s about developing your voice and
building traction for your brand“

8. In-House
 Your Message is Everything
Who are you?
What problem are you solving? How are you solving it?
Is this an unmet need?/Why should people care?
 Run a SWOT analysis
Where are the gaps/opportunities?
 What are people’s perceptions of you?
 Are there any disconnects between SWOT and people’s
perceptions?
 How do you reconcile the two?

9. In-House
 Develop Your Marketing and messaging plans to align
with your long-range business and short-term sales
objectives
 Determine your distribution channels
 Which media, bloggers and influencers do you best
align with?
 Start developing relationships
 Be realistic with your KPI’s and analytics
 Bottom line, focus on meeting your customer’s
needs through creating a team that can deliver a
stellar customer experience

10. Agency
 Research agencies that have experience with your vertical
 Is agency size important to you?
 Ensure there are no competitive conflicts in the agency’s roster
 Do your due diligence
What is the agency’s reputation?
Is the agency up to the task to take you to the next level?
What do existing/previous clients say?
If the agency sounds too good to be true, it probably is
 Beware of empty promises
 Does the agency “get” you?

11. Agency
 Get your top three agency choices to “pitch” you.
It should give you a preview of how these agencies
would position you.
 Make sure the agreement is clear about expectations,
analytics, review, fees, etc.
Don’t rush into marriage. Let the courtship run its course
to see whether a win-win relationship exists.

12. How Do You Get PR? Seven Keys to Great PR
1. PR is active, not passive
2. PR is about knowing your audience and
communicating authentic stories that resonate
with and excite them, and cause them to act
○ Empathy
○ Curiosity
3. PR is about cultivating meaningful relationships

13. How Do You Get PR? Seven Keys to Great PR
4. PR is about frequency, clarity and consistency
of message
○ Align your strategy and customer’s
expectations to your PR/marketing goals
○ Be “on message” at all times
○ Connect all of your communications
together
5. Each touchpoint is a chance for you to build
your brand
○ Let your passion shine through - OWN IT!

14. How Do You Get PR? Seven Keys to Great PR
6. Be clear on PR’s purpose
○ Part of marketing mix
○ Great for initial
awareness/credibility/strengthening your
message
7. Use your employees and customers as brand
ambassadors

15. How Can You Make the Most of PR?
● Be honest with and clear on your PR expectations
● Develop a clear and concise plan with SMART goals and metrics
○ Include a Crisis Communications element
● Help journalists “help you”
○ Always be “on message” - clear, concise and consistent
○ Have an easily accessible press kit, contact info, and other content
on your organization
○ Respond promptly
○ Don’t spam journalists
● Conduct research on who the journalists, bloggers and influencers in
your space are
● Develop and strengthen relationships (listen, engage, help, promote)
● Know your audience/customers and treat them well
● PR is a group effort - get employees and customers in the act!

16. Resources
● Mentions
○ Google Alerts
○ Talkwalker Alerts
○ Socialmention.com
● Blogs, News, Communities
○ SpinSucks
○ PR Daily
○ Onstartups.com
○ startupdigest.com
○ Techcrunch.com
○ venturebeat.com
○ Founderdating.com
○ https://www.groovehq.com/blog/startup-blogs
○ www.openviewpartners.com (VC’s are a great resource)
○ www.odwyerpr.com

17. Resources
● Journalists
○ Muckrack.com
○ HARO (helpareporter.com)
○ Cision.com
● Management
○ Google Analytics
○ Hoot Suite
● Self-Publishing
○ LinkedIn
○ Medium
○ Quora
✓ Don’t forget to accumulate a “swipe file”

18. Key Takeaways
 Always be connecting – Relationships are key
 Remember the 3 C’s of Communications - Clarity, Conciseness
and Consistency
 Always be “on message” and “on brand”

19. Final Q&A
Thank you...