PR Fundamentals for Startups - MaRS Best Practices

PR Fundamentals for Startups November 15, 2012

Presented by Hill+Knowlton: Mary Keating, Senior Vice President Monta Johnson, Vice President

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Today’s Agenda

•  What  is  PR?  •  Are  You  Ready?  •  PR  Toolkit  •  Telling  Your  Story  •  Case  Study  •  Q&A  

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What is PR?

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” “

If advertising is what you say about yourself,

public relations is what others say about you.

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Defining Public Relations What it is:

●  Management of relationships between your company and various publics: ●  Media ●  Government ●  Customers ●  Employees ●  Partners ●  Analysts

●  Our Focus: MEDIA

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Defining Media Relations What it can do:

●  Enhance understanding

●  Build reputation, credibility

●  Create interest, demand

What it is not:

●  NOT advertising

●  NOT free publicity

●  NOT a science

●  NOT just a press release

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Are you ready for PR? You Should: 1. Be ready to put a stake in the ground

2. Have the right materials

3.  Know what you want to convey

4.  Have something to interest media

5.  Have others who can endorse you

6.  Know what to expect

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   Telling Your Story

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1 2 3 4

Define Your Story

Research & Target

Contact & Follow-up

Build & Continue

Media Relations: The Steps

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Case Study: Launching “EatRight” ●  Device for measuring and tracking nutrition levels

●  “Under the radar”

●  Launching in six weeks

●  Why? ●  Attract staff ●  Funding ●  Start generating revenue

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Launching EatRight: Step One Define The Story

●  Ask yourself: ●  Problem being solved? ●  Differences from competition?

●  Who will buy it? ●  Why will they buy it? ●  How did you get here?

●  Back it up with proof

●  Write it down

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Launching EatRight: Step Two Research & Target

●  Know the media

●  Build a list of targets ●  Journalists ●  Bloggers ●  Industry Analysts ●  Evangelists

●  Decide on a hook for the launch

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Launching EatRight: Step Three Contact & Follow-up

●  Brief industry analysts early

●  Launch day: contact media and bloggers with your news

●  Share the news with your partners, customers, investors and other stakeholders, too

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Launching EatRight: Step Four Build & Continue ●  Don’t stop there! ●  Social media ●  Blog ●  Tradeshows and conferences ●  Write articles ●  Consider PR opportunities with partners ●  Maintain relationships with the media ●  Keep thinking about what makes news ●  New customer wins ●  Great hires ●  Financing ●  Awards ●  Surveys and data ●  Trends ●  Controversy

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Media Relations Tips

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Questions?

Mary Keating 416.413.4638 mary.keating@hkstrategies.ca Monta Johnson 416.413.4564 monta.johnson@hkstrategies.ca