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Sydney Startup PR: A Guide to Managing Public Relations
Introduction to Sydney Start-up PR
Sydney has got to be one of the toughest markets to launch a start-up in. High costs of living and working mean that getting things done while surviving can be a challenge. This is true of public relations too. The market is extremely competitive, and start-ups really need to stand out from the crowd if they are going to land a story in some of Sydney’s preeminent media like Sydney Morning Herald or The Daily Telegraph.
Why your start-up isn’t getting the PR you deserve
Start-up PR is some of our favourite PR to do. This is because generally we are working with highly innovative people on new products, technologies, and ideas. We get to tell cool stories of people overcoming the odds to make something ground-breaking a reality. Often these bright people launch their business and expect an onslaught of media coverage but…. that’s the sound of crickets you hear. And that can be devastating for a founder that have an unshakeable belief in their idea.
The key reasons you may not be getting the company publicity you want are:
- You may not have yet established credibility. Journalists are approached by hundreds of budding Sydney start-ups promising the world, and they have nothing except your word to ensure that you’ll deliver. They don’t want to lead their readers astray so they will look for signs of credibility like major brand partners or significant investment (which needs to be in the millions to count).
- You may be approaching the wrong publication. Not everyone has a story that is fit for the mass market and would suit mainstream media like The Guardian or The Sydney Morning Herald. Some B2B technology is more suited to trade media publications rather than trying to generate public relations in Sydney consumer media. Often, I’d argue, that mainstream coverage does more for the founder’s ego than for the business if it operates in a niche setting.
- Your pitch might suck. Sydney journalists get hundreds, if not thousands, of emails per day. If your pitch isn’t articulated in a way that’s newsworthy, and it sounds like an advertorial, chances are no media will pick it up.
Effective PR Strategies for Sydney Start-ups
The good news is there’s a great number of PR strategies that are effective on a budget for start-ups. Some of my favourites are:
- Leveraging influencers. Leveraging influencers, both in the consumer and B2B space can help establish the credibility Sydney start-ups so badly need to get consumers to trust your brand. This helps you reach a wider audience and can also help you generate media coverage for your brand. Abbie Chatfield is the queen of influencer, start-up partnerships in Sydney. She’s partnered with an alcohol company to launch a new beer and with a variety of sexual health companies to launch their new products to great success.
- Leverage your partners and investors. If you’ve been fortunate enough to land some solid investment from a venture capitalist firm like Sydney based, Blackbird, it can make a big news story. It gives gravitas to the start-up and enables us to underpin the story with the vision for the business and the story of the founder or co-founders. We all love a rags to riches story, right?
- PR stunts. Without the guardrails of being in a large business, we have a lot more opportunity to make an impact with fun, controversial and experiential PR stunts. This went out of favour a few years ago but they are really making an epic comeback. Some of the best PR stunts piggyback on current events. One of my favourite stunt campaigns was by Ovira. The women’s health start-up sent a message of support to women of Sydney with a mobile billboard with the words “You will not silence our pain” in response to an ex-Knox Grammar student having his convictions erased for assaulting a woman. They then followed it up with quotes from the judge that showed empathy for the perpetrator and not the victim, in a public display of sexism. Unfortunately, while Ovira donated $15,000 to a related charity, they did not seek the consent of the victims in the case which left a sour taste considering all the victims had already been through. A great, well intentioned concept, with execution being unfortunately overlooked.
Building Brand Reputation for Start-Ups
The examples we have mentioned above clearly demonstrate the need to establish what you want your brand to stand for. As a start-up, you have a wonderful and unique position where there are no preconceptions about your brand. You get to set what it will stand for and build its reputation from the ground up.
So, what should you consider when it comes to brand reputation?
- Who are your customers and what do they care about? Investing in the values of your customers will help build a positive brand in their minds
- What are your personal values as a founder? These will permeate through your organisation and be the most authentic way that you can build your brand’s reputation.
- Do your actions match your words? In the Ovira example where its PR stunt in Sydney backfired, this is where the company went astray. They made a statement on behalf of women, and escalated the publicity of the case, without asking the victims for consent to do so. When consent is such an enormous part of the problem with violence against women, neglecting to get consent in its promotion, was a big mistake.
When to invest in PR?
This is probably one of the biggest questions Sydney start-ups ask, and often it’s later than you may think. Or at least, many believe they need to invest in an outside PR agency. It depends on the nature of your product or service.
- For product-based start-ups: I believe that you need to have easy access for the consumer. For many this means being easily accessible in a major retail environment in Sydney such as stocked in Woolworths or Chemist Warehouse.
- For service-based start-ups: You need to show some kind of traction in the form of a great, high profile brand client or revenue success. There needs to be a strong metric that may attract a journalist.
If you need advice, support or would like to spit ball some PR ideas for your Sydney start-up, don’t hesitate to contact us catherine@papayapr.com.au
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