There’s Lots of Mega-Funding Right Now…How Do You Stand Out with Comms and PR?

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that tech startups are gathering financing steam, raising more money than ever before. In fact, investment in startups for the first half of 2021 hit $150 billion, eclipsing full-year funding every year before 2020. With such a spike in funding, today’s rising tech stars must do everything possible to remain visible and gain traction in a crowded marketplace.

But how does this actually translate into your communications plan?

An effective PR strategy can help tech startups cut through the noise and put forth clear and differentiated positioning for all key stakeholders. An infusion of new funding can provide startups with extra resources to allocate to communications, but they need to be smarter than ever before to stand out from the competition. Here are some thought on how to do this:

Be Creative.
Having a sound communications strategy in place is essential to aligning goals and expectations. At the same time, the best PR strategies are fluid, evolving based on how industry news and overall trends take shape. While company milestones and product announcements can be pre-planned, thought leadership and tailored pitches can help your organization become part of the larger conversation. Staying abreast of news and trends can help you provide the media with the relevance they’re seeking and fresh perspective in the absence of harder news andles.

Be Bold.
Reporters don’t want to only know who you are and what your company does. They want to know why you matter to the world. What is the problem you’re trying to solve? What are your target audience’s biggest pain points? What specific data do you have to add context and relevance to your story? What kind of results can you point to in order to back up your claims? Being able to clearly and concisely answer these questions is key to articulating your raison d’etre. Without it, reporters will be less likely to invest their time and effort into telling your story.

Be Clear.
The secret to effective messaging around your company’s story is simplicity. Many tech companies make the mistake of focusing on the technical details about why their product or service is better than the competition’s. They’re not focusing on the simple but meaningful benefits being offered to the target audience. It’s important to keep in mind that reporters are busy and are looking for high-level information. Using complicated, highly technical language or jargon may alienate the media you’re hoping to reach. Sharing a clear and easy-to-follow pitch with the key elements of your story, especially your WHY, will better resonate with the media.

Be Ready.
Of course, having a crystallized and compelling message track doesn’t matter if you don’t have company executives ready and able to deliver the story effectively. Making sure company spokespeople are comfortable and prepared to engage with the media is an important part of the execution. In addition, executives who can “own” a specific topic from a press and thought leadership perspective can further drive home the key arcs of the company story.

With increased tech funding comes increased opportunities to tell your story. But standing out in tech requires a deliberate approach to your communications plan. When you focus on the core elements–strategy, pain points, simple messages and media readiness–you will be much better positioned to generate the coverage you need to build awareness and excitement for your company.