How Media Relations Can Help Your Startup Get Funding and Put You in the Spotlight

PR is a long-term investment in the growth and reputation of your company. Smart PR directly affects credibility, visibility, SEO rankings, and funding as well. So if you want to raise investments a year from now, you should start building brand communications today. 

Competition is fierce for investor attention. While it's true that $30 billion of VC money has been invested in 2022, it's important to note that there is a lower number of deals overall across Europe. Investors are more selective and do plenty of research into a brand before funding, so a strong media presence helps form a favorable impression.

Here’s What A PR Team Can Do For Your Brand

A great PR team serves many functions. 

First, it helps build positioning and ensures you're telling the right story about your startup. Second, it allows your company to create meaningful conversations around your product, which can then be leveraged into creating content around your brand.

Boosting visibility in authoritative, meaningful ways (like expert publications and an informative social media presence) improves credibility and interest with investors and aids in developing a high-quality network for collaborations and partnerships.

PR also significantly reduces marketing spend and organically boosts Google rankings. By establishing a robust media presence, the audience becomes familiar with the brand and is less reliant on investments. This directly impacts metrics that lead to better valuations. So, PR can even increase your company's valuation.  

Finally, a PR team can assist with crisis prediction and management. Some crises are unavoidable, but the right team can spot when certain situations are likely to reach a crisis point well ahead of time, steering your company into safer waters and mitigating any potential reputation damage.

Media Relations Are A Key Factor In A Successful Communication Strategy 

PR makes it easier to get positive mentions in top media outlets that investors pay attention to. Interviews, features and thought leadership content are essential for building visibility, credibility and a strong brand. I've found it's important to talk about founders' mistakes and successes. People want to see how founders rebound after failure and transform their mistakes into learning opportunities. 

In addition, some in the PR world believe that sharing investment news is "not worth writing about," but I disagree. Publishing funding news in top media outlets has led to more than one of my clients being approached by investors from Sequoia and other in-demand funds. News about investments is a great all-around tool for a brand’s PR strategy.

Another opinion that goes against the grain is the value of publishing behind a paywall. Publishing in exclusive newsletters or subscriber-only outlets has a unique value: Subscriptions are only purchased by those with a genuine interest in reading the information, so there is a much higher chance of being noticed by the right people. Appearing in top newsletters also translates to trust and credibility, which are invaluable commodities for a brand.

PR Puts You In The Spotlight 

When speaking to the media, strive to give them the information readers are most interested in. Business and investor relations are all about people, so it's wise to talk often about the founders, upper management and team members.

In addition, numbers like financials and key business indicators as well as information about your business model are always well-received by journalists and investors.

Finally, tell the media all you can about your "big idea." What is your mission? Your vision?  Showing ambition, passion and drive is pivotal to an outstanding media strategy.

Remember, you must leverage everything you have at your disposal to attract investor attention. The more positive information you put into the external environment, the greater the chances of receiving incoming investor requests; this is how PR can help your business thrive.