Publicizing a new business is an essential part of the customer acquisition process. Not only will it attract curious people to your site, but it will also serve to increase your company’s value over time. If you can promote yourself as a company of value, you can attract new investors, opportunities and high-caliber staff to your operations.
The value of digital PR for your brand will hinge on your ability to tap into the right fanbase and get people enthusiastic to find out more about you. So, here is how to get media attention for your startup.
Find social media influencers
Firstly, you will need to have all of your CRM, social media and sales data all in one place. From this, you will be able to easily identify your best customer segments and provide content geared towards them.
You will need to think “narrowcasting” rather than “broadcasting.” You need to identify who you are most looking to target to your content. Who is close to buying and what do they need most from your product?
Once you have identified your audience and needs, you will next need to compile these ideas together. Apply these concepts to your blog and broader content creation strategies. This will help you build social proof with your audience and the general media. Before approaching a selected list of suitable publications, you will first need to prove your worth as a reliable industry authority. Knowing your audience inside out helps you build your credentials.
Extra Note: You will also need to ensure that you are available for contact through all channels, for both journalists and audiences. For instance, have you ever made a promotional video on YouTube? If you are looking for worldwide media attention, as well as another marketing avenue for customers, consider adding this string to your bow.
Pinpointing and identifying influencers
With audience and keyword research, you will be able to search and identify the publications that would be worth your time and investment. Make sure you follow these big accounts on social media before you approach with your pitch.
You will need to know the site’s posting style and the full name of the editor. Examine their contribution guidelines and know what you’re setting out to do, as well as the goals you will measure to determine your success.
There are a number of methods you could employ to boost your overall digital PR output:
Influencer marketing
If you can find great niche accounts on Instagram and Snapchat et al. you can email the account holder directly and send a promotional pitch idea. The payment for an endorsement varies depending on how many followers they have. For this, you will need to trust their brand, as you will be handing over creative control over how they choose to promote you, just like a review. You must make sure that your influencer plays by the rules, the promotion must be disclosed within their post caption.
Native advertising
You will have seen these stories pop up on popular news sites. Native ads take the editorial style of a newspaper and insert a promotional link within the body copy. These again must be disclosed as an advertisement. However, Native Ad services like Taboola and Outbrain have proved highly useful to the right kinds of businesses. For example, ‘high-ticket’ financial services products, such as loans and insurance.
User-generated content
Competitions on social media and branded hashtags can help get people talking and attract some PR clout.
Set up on Instagram and ask for reader submissions and share the results far and wide. Compliment your social media output with stories on Instagram and Snapchat. You can also possibly set up a ‘channel takeover’ for 24 hours on a high profile account. Make sure you save your stories and submissions. Airbnb does a great job of attracting user input.
Social media monitoring
By following live social media conversations, you can keep track of your competitors and aim to do one better with your skills. Monitor your brand mentions and related topics from one central dashboard. And, don’t forget to interject with newsworthy content when you can. Innocent is a great example company using this method well. They provide irreverent, topic content to promote their drinks. Perfect for this social media platform audience.
Utilize your links as you go
You must ensure you maximize your high profile article placements to best reap the benefits as a new company. Promote these posts on your networks and ask your contacts to like and share the post widely. You can also set up social media campaigns that run alongside your articles, offering alternate angles on the same subject. Utilize automated marketing tools that can run from your online storefront. Apps that enable pop-up email to opt-ins from your homepage, shoppable Instagram and Facebook galleries, etc.
The real benefits of bringing media attention to your startup as the new kid on the block are the pull of building up your 1,000 dedicated fans. According to marketing guru, Seth Godin, this audience segment of 1,000 are the diehard loyal fans that stick with you for years.
Every time you launch a new product or promotion, these are the people you need to impress the most. Make sure you use all the tools at your disposal to identify their characteristics. Also, take note of the influencers they turn to and maximise their interest in your company. Start your efforts tailoring your PR as a startup to your ‘core 1,000’ today.
