The Comprehensive PR Guide for Founders

(With a focus on European, French and German tech & financial medias)

Scroll to the end for free PR template by Ventech.

Dear Founders,

PR can be a powerful tool for building brand awareness, reputation management, and attracting customers/investors, and as a startup Founder, you most likely want to have your startup’s name spotlighted in prominent publications like Financial Times, TechCrunch, Sifted, Tech.eu, Maddyness, Business Insider, Les Echos, Gründerszene, Deutsche Startups and others.

You may want to leverage the power of PR when it comes to new financing rounds’ announcement, new product/service/technology launching that revolutionize the market, founding team’s amazing track records and achievements, etc. You name it.

Indeed, this is a wonderful and valid aspiration. However, the journey to achieving this recognition and ensuring it benefits your business at the right time with the right methods, and ideally with a reasonable cost, requires careful preparation. With dedication and the right approach, you can certainly reach this goal.

Let's gear you up with the fundamentals for an effective PR.

1. Start with the WHY - Should I announce it? Is it newsworthy?

Let’s be honest. Not all fundraising needs to be announced.

Start with 4 questions:

• What’s exciting about the announcement? Why should people care?
• Will this announcement help me attract potential clients?
• Will this announcement help me raise my startup’s profile/reputation or my profile as a founder?
• Will it bring a counter-effect to my future larger rounds of raising and scaling?

Sometimes, the funding amount is too small to attract your potential clients’ attention and help your scaling trajectory. It’s a harsh fact: neither tech media nor financial media want to cover small funding rounds of below €2M now, even rounds below €4M’s pitching has become harder and harder, since there’s a lot of fundraising happening every day, and it’s simply hard to make an impact and attract attention. Of course, nothing is still media covering small rounds, but less and less.

If your startup is also preparing to sign a milestone partnership, come out with a new product, an IP, or is waiting for some star profiles to join the team, it’s often a better idea to combine the small round’s fundraising and another milestone into one PR to generate more impact.

Once you confirm the utility of the announcement, the following steps are the best practices to follow. 🙂

2. Understanding the Basics of PR and Your Target Audiences

Public Relations is the strategic communication process aimed at building and maintaining a positive image and reputation for your company among its target audiences.

2.1 Prepare your Foundation

Showcase the Best of You and Leave A Positive Impression: Before aiming for the limelight, ensure your website's design and messaging, as well as your social media presence, are of top-notch quality. Avoid launching sites or blogs that seem rushed. Remember, a significant feature can drive many visitors to your online platforms, and their continued engagement largely depends on their first impression.

Your narratives and value propositions should be well stated and aligned across channels. It has direct communication-led-growth effect for B2C companies, and is also the case for 2B startups since a professional demonstration of who you are and what you propose, can attract / gain trust way easier from your potential investors and clients, than a messy appearance.

2.1.1 What’s your positioning statement?

And here, we direct you straight to the superb playbook from our colleagues at First Minute:

For (target customer) Who (statement of need or opportunity), (Product name) is a (product category) That (statement of key benefit). Unlike (competing alternative) (Product name)(statement of primary differentiation).

2.1.2 Make sure that you are speaking to the right crowd:

Identify early on your target audiences, who could be your potential customers, investors, partners, service providers and new talents for recruitment, etc. Tailor your PR efforts that resonate with them.

Why is this important? Firstly, because you don't target the same media outlets for your audience and/or the same journalists within a single media outlet. Secondly, you have to keep your target audience in mind when developing your story and thinking about different story angles.

For example, you are a startup in the industrial decarbonization sector: when you have entrepreneurial news (e.g., fundraising), you will pitch Les Echos' startup section. If you have news related to your industry, you will pitch the "energy - environment" section of this newspaper.

2.2 Make Your Story Sound.

• Distinguish your startup in the complex and ever-changing landscape in which you are evolving, through analytical work that allows for formalizing your vision, ambition, promise, values, and style.
• This positioning should also reflect the analysis of the evolution of your industry and the challenges for the years to come.
• Involve key figures of the company (growth, employees, offices, users, …).
• Congratulations, you've just completed your startup's position paper!

2.3 Look beyond just the product

• In PR, we hardly ever talk about the product. Why? Because the journalists covering products, features, and so on are highly specialized and, as a result, quite scarce.
• Your story should be more encompassing than just your product. Explore other elements such as your team, founder's history, overarching objectives, the problems you're addressing, and concerns of your customers. These narratives often resonate more with journalists and a wider audience.

2.4 Don’t forget to do the SEO when your brand’s name overlaps with existing ones

• For content that makes a lasting impact, an initial SEO assessment is vital. This lets you measure your SEO effectiveness against competitors, providing a base for a robust SEO strategy. This foundation is enhanced when you obtain quality backlinks from media mentions.
• Reviewing key search terms, the profile of backlinks, and referrers for your top competitors allows businesses to design content that is SEO-focused. Over time, this improves search engine placement, increasing visibility to potential clients and the media.

2.5 Craft a plan for the year to come

• Announcement effects set the tone in a given market.
• Moreover, they shape an organization's reputation.
• Therefore, it's necessary to set up a calendar of announcements (partnerships, metrics, features, clients, hires, …) that fits the narrative.
• And create multiple media lists based on the angles to pitch. For example, when you need to talk about the entrepreneurial story, in France, DACH, and the Nordics, the key media outlets are:
• France: Les Echos, La Tribune, Le Figaro, Maddyness, Frenchweb, Capital, BFM Business, VentureBeat, The FrenchTech Journal, Tech 45’, Generation DIY,
• The Dach region: Startup Insider, Business Insider - Gründerszene, Business Punk, brand eins, Capital, Handelsblatt, WiWi Gründer…
• Techcrunch, Sifted, Tech.eu, Pitchbook, etc.

Oh, and yes. Before you hit that PR button, are you ready for the inbound it will generate? Business leads, spontaneous (or not) job applications, investor inquiries, even competitors checking in, etc. It would be a shame to seem unprepared. You never get a second chance to make a first impression...

3. Step into the public eye

And no, we don’t mean becoming a publicly-traded company. We mean making yourself known to your community, customers, journalists, influencers, and more.

3.1 For every announcement, here are the questions you need to ask yourself.

• What is the nature of the announcement? Is it newsworthy?
• Who is the audience? Who is interested in this particular news?
• What strategies will you employ to amplify it (PR, social media, events, etc.)?
• Do you have the resources in place (internally, externally)?
• When will you disclose? Do you have enough time to prepare it well ?

3.2 Understand your media targets

• Tech-focused Media: Position yourself as industry pioneers, enhancing credibility among potential investors, employees, and partners.
• Industry-specific Media: Here, delve deeper into your product and how it brings change, attracting new customers and partners.
• Mainstream Media: Especially for B2C startups, this boosts brand recognition and connects with a varied audience. Ask yourself: who is your consumer and what is their daily struggle? How does your product impact their life?

3.3 Choose the right media outlets

• Before aiming too high, pinpoint outlets that cater to your target audience. Industry-specific magazines are often a good starting point.
• Seek out publications specific to different industries – be it climate, HR, advertising, or retail… Also, consider newer media outlets and blogs centered on startups and technology.

3.4 Relationships are at the Heart of PR

• Construct a 'personal' narrative (which is neither the sales pitch nor the positioning) to which journalists can anchor to write about the company and differentiate it from peers it will inevitably be compared to.
• If you don't have groundbreaking news to share, think about offering insightful articles that provide value instead of just self-promotion.
• Become experts/references for journalists who can interview you as soon as they have substantial topics to produce.

3.5 When reaching out to a journalist via email or a press release

• First, it's important to define a strategy. Are you speaking to the journalist under embargo or in exclusivity? Under embargo means you provide the same information to several journalists before the official announcement date. In exclusivity means you give news/information to a single media outlet. Be clear about this with the journalist or journalists you are reaching,
• It's essential to put yourself in their shoes and make their job easier by helping them envision their future article,
• Show them: the momentum, the context, the startup's current news (related to the context), the startup's background (so it's the right one to meet), and the key figures.
• And of course, never forget to ask your investors and, more broadly, members of your board if they know the journalists you spot. And if they can make an intro. Precious time saved...

3.6 When you are speaking with a journalist (during an interview or in a cocktail….)

While there is no official enforcement, it's prudent to assume that your words may be published and attributed to you. So here's the lingo to keep in mind when talking to journos to avoid an uncomfortable situation :

• On the Record: Everything you say can be reported and attributed to you. Assume all statements are on the record.
• Off the Record: Information is not for publication or recording.
• Not for Attribution: Your words can be quoted but not attributed directly to you (e.g., "a source close to the matter said...").

4. Position yourself as a thought leader

At this stage, leading media outlets should start recognizing you. It’s time to step into deeper, more meaningful conversations.

4.1 Build relationships with journalists at events

• Don’t limit yourself to email exchanges. Seek out opportunities to connect in person at industry events.
• Many conferences welcome speaker or workshop applications. Review your strongest content themes, identify where your expertise shines, and pitch accordingly.

4.2 Host your own events to strengthen media ties

• Consider organizing your events. They could be either workshops, panels, product demo day, or hackathons. Self-owned events bring value to your community while drawing new customers or partners. Think about inviting journalists when it doesn’t come to confidential info reveal, and provide them with exclusive opportunities for interviews or behind-the-scenes insights.

4.3 Founders, maximize your LinkedIn presence

A CEO’s LinkedIn profile can be one of the most powerful PR tools to raise brand visibility.

• An active, consistent presence that highlights your company’s venture, milestones, your industrial insights, and technological breakthroughs can attract media attention.
• Aim to publish at least once a week in a clear, recognizable tone of voice. Define an editorial line (entrepreneurial, market-focused, etc.), while prioritizing insights and opinions. Your post should include:
• A compelling opening sentence that captures attention
• Well-argued point of view (this is crucial)
• A clear call to action that invites engagement
• Try to use simple phrases and comprehensive words.
• It’s not about quantity, but a consistent frequency.
• Don’t be discouraged when there is not enough engagement. Keep posting and be consistent.

In conclusion, these steps form the foundation for your PR endeavors. Implementing them requires persistence, investment in time and resources, especially as a budding startup.

Need more tailored PR guidance from Ventech’s team? Let’s get in touch. Always here to assist!

**

Contact:

Yakun WANG, Head of Marketing & Communications at Ventech

yakun.wang@ventechvc.com

+33 - 6 16 44 14 87

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