1. Is my startup or brand ready for PR?
Your brand IS ready for PR if:
- You have a working product that's currently available to the public or your target market.
- Your brand has a significant announcement to make.
- Your brand has a narrative it wants to promote to drive positive public action.
Your brand is probably NOT ready for PR if:
- Your new product is more than 6 months away from going live.
- You aren't able to tell press how your product actually works (reporters need to know these things).
- Your announcement is something most reporters would consider trivial like a website overhaul. Unless you're a huge brand like Apple or Uber, no one cares.
2. Should my company hire a boutique firm like yours, or a large expensive global firm?
• Global PR Firm: You should look into hiring a large expensive global PR firm if your brand has a significant marketing budget and dozens of weekly inbound press requests from major media companies. If you're a global brand with hundreds of full-time employees, a global PR firm should work well for you.
• Boutique PR Firm: A boutique PR firm (like Jacobson Communication) works best for emerging brands who may have some media coverage, but need more to get their business to the next level, either in sales, investment, brand partnerships, or the like.
Boutique firms can also work well for big companies with a new product or partnership aimed at a very specific market.
3. What qualities does Jacobson Communication look for in potential clients?
- Vision: I choose to work with entrepreneures who have a positive vision of the world they want to create.
- Dedicated Team: While an entrepreneur's enthusiasm is a necessity, a good leader knows how to hire a good team. I look for good leaders who have developed dedicated teams to carry a brand forward.
- Honesty: My job requires me to be as transparent as possible with press, and I pride myself on working with clients who have good products and services that are helping people.
- Novelty: I like to work with brands that either have a new product or service, or that have found a new way to solve significant problems.
4. What are some common misconceptions startups believe?
• Myth: You Only Need One Big Story!
"Once I'm on TechCrunch, that's all I have to do. Then investors will start calling me and my life will be made," is a very common misconception. Startup PR is about more than any one story; it's about momentum, and the ability to get story after story that sets the narrative of your brand as a strong market player. While one well-placed story can do a lot of good for a startup, it's never the only marker of success.
• Myth: Do What Mega-Famous Successful Brands Do!
"If I just do what (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Uber, Other cool company) did, I'll be successful," is another common belief startups have. The truth is, each mega-brand that exists today started in a very different ecosystem than your brand, due to many things like time, location, personal networks, socioeconomic factors, etc. Sure, read what worked for others and learn about how to be successful, but copying anyone else's playbook makes no sense when so much of the game you're playing today is different.
Further Reading: 7 Common PR Myths Startups Believe.
Your brand IS ready for PR if:
- You have a working product that's currently available to the public or your target market.
- Your brand has a significant announcement to make.
- Your brand has a narrative it wants to promote to drive positive public action.
Your brand is probably NOT ready for PR if:
- Your new product is more than 6 months away from going live.
- You aren't able to tell press how your product actually works (reporters need to know these things).
- Your announcement is something most reporters would consider trivial like a website overhaul. Unless you're a huge brand like Apple or Uber, no one cares.
2. Should my company hire a boutique firm like yours, or a large expensive global firm?
• Global PR Firm: You should look into hiring a large expensive global PR firm if your brand has a significant marketing budget and dozens of weekly inbound press requests from major media companies. If you're a global brand with hundreds of full-time employees, a global PR firm should work well for you.
• Boutique PR Firm: A boutique PR firm (like Jacobson Communication) works best for emerging brands who may have some media coverage, but need more to get their business to the next level, either in sales, investment, brand partnerships, or the like.
Boutique firms can also work well for big companies with a new product or partnership aimed at a very specific market.
3. What qualities does Jacobson Communication look for in potential clients?
- Vision: I choose to work with entrepreneures who have a positive vision of the world they want to create.
- Dedicated Team: While an entrepreneur's enthusiasm is a necessity, a good leader knows how to hire a good team. I look for good leaders who have developed dedicated teams to carry a brand forward.
- Honesty: My job requires me to be as transparent as possible with press, and I pride myself on working with clients who have good products and services that are helping people.
- Novelty: I like to work with brands that either have a new product or service, or that have found a new way to solve significant problems.
4. What are some common misconceptions startups believe?
• Myth: You Only Need One Big Story!
"Once I'm on TechCrunch, that's all I have to do. Then investors will start calling me and my life will be made," is a very common misconception. Startup PR is about more than any one story; it's about momentum, and the ability to get story after story that sets the narrative of your brand as a strong market player. While one well-placed story can do a lot of good for a startup, it's never the only marker of success.
• Myth: Do What Mega-Famous Successful Brands Do!
"If I just do what (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Uber, Other cool company) did, I'll be successful," is another common belief startups have. The truth is, each mega-brand that exists today started in a very different ecosystem than your brand, due to many things like time, location, personal networks, socioeconomic factors, etc. Sure, read what worked for others and learn about how to be successful, but copying anyone else's playbook makes no sense when so much of the game you're playing today is different.
Further Reading: 7 Common PR Myths Startups Believe.
