JACOBSON COMMUNICATION
  • Home
  • Results
    • Nonprofit Case Studies
  • About
    • FAQs
  • Testimonials
  • Services
    • Startups
    • Health Tech Companies
    • Consumer Electronics Companies
    • Nonprofits
    • Starter Packages
  • Clients
  • Snow Tires for Startups
  • Contact
  • Blog

The Brand Maker Blog

Find Out if Your Startup is Ready for PR in 7 Questions

6/13/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Knowing when to start PR isn’t always easy, especially for startups. In my years of public relations and marketing experience, very few startups begin their PR efforts too early. Some startups wait to begin public relations until they’ve been selling products for over a year, and some wait until they feel like they have a story worth sharing. With so many outside voices insisting that a startup “must start now” on advertising, social media, SEO, rebranding, choosing an office space, hiring a team, winning awards, and giving cars as signing bonuses, it’s a lot. I get it. 
“Is my startup ready for PR now,” is the question I am often asked, and the answer has a lot to do with what the startup is already doing or about to do.

Here is the Jacobson Communication official quiz to help you figure out if your startup is on fire, if it’s actually ready for PR, or if you can wait until you actually have something of interest to share.

Is your startup currently selling/offering a product or service?
A: Yes. We’ve been selling it for years.
B: Yes. We just started selling it.
C: Not Yet. But we will be selling it in the coming months.
D: No. We will someday in the far off future.
E: No. We don’t believe in selling anything.

Is your startup paying someone to post to social media on a regular basis?
A: Yes. We have at least one person working full-time on social media.
B: Yes. We have someone part time post a few times a week.
C: Kind of. We have someone post to social who does other things.
D: No. We can’t afford that kind of thing.
E: What is social media?

Is your startup spending money on advertising?
A: Yes. We have a healthy advertising budget and we’ve hired advertising professionals to run it.
B: Yes. We pay for the occasional ad to drive sales.
C: We’re about to start doing that.
D: No. We won’t for at least another six months.
E: No. We don’t believe in advertising. A good product should sell itself.

Does your startup have a paid sales person or team?
A: Yes. Those folks work hard for us 24/7 and they move a lot of product.
B: Yes. We have one, and they are getting some good results.
C: Kind of. We have one who only gets paid commission.
D: No, and we won’t for at least six months.
E: No. We don’t believe in sales teams. A good product should sell itself.

Do people sign up for your startup’s regular newsletter and actually read it?
A: Yes. We have tens of thousands of people reading our monthly newsletter.
B: Yes. It’s a good group of people who enjoy what we write.
C: Not yet, but we’re about to start a monthly newsletter.
D: No. We won’t for at least six months.
E: No. We don’t believe in promoting ourselves go people who should remember us.

Have you ever hired a marketing consultant or firm to re-brand your startup?
A: Yes. We paid a lot for them and we love their work.
B: Yes. We hired a consultant who was very affordable.
C: Not yet but we’re about to.
D: No. We hadn’t even thought about that.
E: No. We don’t believe in marketing. People should love us by virtue of our individuality.

Do you have a dire need to stand out from the competition today? 
A: Yes. We’re pretty sure a big company is going to launch something similar to us next week.
B: Yes. Our product is similar to others, and it’s hard for consumers to realize we’re better.
C: Kind of. We’d like to stand out but it’s not our top priority.
D: No. We’re the only one like us.
E: No. We’re so unique that no one has a name for the category yet.

Scoring: For every letter you get, assign a number value. What Does Your Score Mean?
A: 5
B: 4
C: 3
D: 2
E: 1

The Highest of Scores
31 - 35 
You’re on fire. Stop taking this quiz and hire a PR person now. You’re missing an opportunity to stand out from the competition, which would let you charge more and/or get more customers. Better PR will help the sales team you’ve already hired move more product. It may even help you get acquired. If you want your startup to be the next big thing, your time is now. If money is too tight to hire someone for PR, consider reducing some of your spending in other departments to balance the budget. Seriously. PR will help you right now.

Your Time Is Now
30 - 25
If you’ve been on the fence about diving into PR, this is a good time. Bringing on PR now will help the money you’re already investing go further. You don’t have to hire the most expensive PR firm, but it is worth it to find a quality organization or individual that will work with you to get the customer PR results that will start driving visibility and sales soon.

You Could Go Either Way
24 - 19
Unless you scored a 5 on the questions about selling product, or demand, you can probably wait for PR. But set a reminder for yourself 3 months before your product/launch to start looking for a consultant or PR firm to help you build awareness. You’re going to need it.

You Should Wait
18 - 14
There are probably some better things you could do right now, like develop a go-to-market plan, a business plan, a target audience list, a product, etc. You’re not ready for PR just yet.

It's Time To Rethink Things
13 - 7
Are you running a business right now, or a dream? If you scored this low, you might want to rethink why you’re even in the startup space. If you’ve been in this situation for more than 6 months, this is clearly a passive hobby for you, which is fine if you’re not expecting to actually go big with this. If you have employees or family who expects you to actually make money, this is a good time to find another way to do that. Life as an entrepreneur probably isn’t for you.

Wondering what to do next?
If you need more advice about PR or marketing or helping your business stand out, let us know. Contact Jacobson Communication today.

Your first consultation is free! www.jacobsoncommunication.com

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Jennifer L. Jacobson is a communications strategist who helps brands advance in growing industries. Her clients have been on The View, The Today Show, in TIME Magazines’s best site of the year, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Popular Science, Scientific American, USA Today, and thousands more.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Archives

    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    January 2018

    Categories

    All
    Advice
    Events
    How To Choose A PR Firm
    What Makes PR Work
    Why PR Fails

    RSS Feed


Startup Resource Center

Picture

​​How to Build a VC Pitch Deck That Smells of Money

​You may be ready to pitch the venture community, but is your pitch deck? Take this checklist with you to make sure your pitch deck has what it takes to get investor’s attention and make you look like a professional. Read more.
Picture

​Is Your Startup Ready for PR? Find Out With This Quiz.

“Is my startup ready for PR?" The answer has a lot to do with what your startup is already doing.​ Find out if you're ready now, if you should wait, or if you should have started PR months ago with this simple quiz. Read more.
Picture

​3 Ways Big PR Firms Slow Down Startups

Do big global PR firms work for startups? The siren song of larger, global PR firms are tempting to many, but there are good reasons startups should avoid them. You can do better than a big firm. Here’s why. Read more.

CONTACT US
Jacobson Communication is a Pacific Northwest boutique public relations firm that helps startups, emerging brands, and nonprofits get the attention needed to drive positive brand engagement. From sales, to biz dev, to company enrichment, you'll be surprised what better communications can do for your brand.
Picture

​
​​
Copyright 2020 Jacobson Communication

  • Home
  • Results
    • Nonprofit Case Studies
  • About
    • FAQs
  • Testimonials
  • Services
    • Startups
    • Health Tech Companies
    • Consumer Electronics Companies
    • Nonprofits
    • Starter Packages
  • Clients
  • Snow Tires for Startups
  • Contact
  • Blog