The market and media want to hear from your company’s most authoritative voice. And if you’re an early-stage startup, the founder/CEO should be holding the megaphone. We can hear the corner office objections already:
- “I’m more behind-the-scenes.”
- “I’m too busy running a business.”
- “I don’t know what to say.”
Our responses?
- “Not anymore.”
- “This is part of the business.”
- “We can definitely help with that!”
We’ve worked with a lot of startup founders and CEOs who transformed into absolute dynamo thought leaders. Here’s how to get started.
Embrace the founder's story
Early on, the founder is the startup, and the startup is the founder. They embody the company's vision, passion and expertise, and their story can illustrate why the company matters. Uncover the unique background details that have made them who they are today and why they started the company.
The founder’s story often starts with a light bulb moment — a pain they personally experienced or the realization that “the way things have always been done” doesn’t stand the test of time. Shine a light on that moment. Get detailed about the feelings it elicited, the barriers it created and the impact it had on the business's bottom line.
The key is to make the founder’s story personal. They must be open — and sometimes vulnerable — to make people care. This allows you to connect the dots between the organization and the founder’s personal experience, the things that matter to them and the impact they aim to drive.
When executed well, the founder’s story excites the media, customers, partners and investors. This is an excellent way to grab attention before you have a roster of rock-star clients and eye-popping revenue. It allows you to sell the potential of what could be based on an extraordinary personal narrative.
Build a case for market relevance
For early-stage startups, the origin story is a foundational first step, but you can’t (and shouldn’t) tell it forever. Once you’ve set the stage for why the founder(s) and copay are worthy of attention, it’s time to build a case of why they’re qualified to solve their customers’ problems and establish the impact it will have on users.
Start with problems, not (your) solutions
Before we go any further, let’s be perfectly clear: B2B startups shouldn’t be solely focused on offerings and solutions (that’s why you have a product page). If you get the chance to talk about your stuff with a reporter or an influencer, go for it. In fact, a great founder’s story may lead to just such an opportunity.
But buyers are inundated with sales messaging proudly proclaiming why this solution provider does it better, faster and sexier. It's just biased noise until you’ve made a case for why the company matters.
First, set the stage by addressing problems your potential customers are facing that the market isn’t addressing, what causes those problems, the pain points they experience and the ripple effect these challenges create. No one’s going to trust your solution if you can’t exhibit a thorough understanding of the challenge.
Have clear, unique thoughts about new problems your users are dealing with or outdated means for evolving problems — think traditional security protections as hackers launch AI-powered attacks.
The goal is to show potential customers that you understand what makes their lives more difficult. You’re either “one of them” or their champion, here to validate their experience and provide a thoughtful solution instead of just a shiny new “fix-it” they need to buy.
Get the word out
Build out messaging, create content and pitch media opportunities that allow you to share your expertise on these challenges. Then, identify a group of internal subject matter experts who can discuss challenges inside and out. Even if you think your customers aren't aware of the challenges your solution solves, attach it to problems they ARE aware of. For example, AI security may not seem like a priority if they don't have an AI solution, but compliance may be, and ensuring PII isn't leaked into public LLMs is essential for maintaining compliance.
Seek third-party validation
As a startup, you may not be able to talk about hockey stick growth or revenue. That’s fine — those moments will come. Before they do, proving to the world that the company matters may require a co-sign.
Work with clients that you have a great relationship with, and see what joint opportunities they’d be interested in exploring, like media interviews, press releases, use cases and speaking engagements (more on that later). What better validation is there than someone who pays you and is willing to publicly extoll your virtues?
The same goes for your investors. They’re putting their hard-earned money behind you for a reason. Explore publicly facing opportunities with those who are funding the company. And it goes without saying that funding announcements should be a full-court press media blitz.
Be bold with commentary
Early in my PR career, an editor rejected a byline I pitched and dropped a massive truth bomb on my face when I asked where it fell short.
“I’m looking for something interesting, with new ideas or a contrarian point of view,” he wrote. “This has none of those things.”
Damn. Cleaning out my desk and selling sunglasses on a beach somewhere crossed my mind. Yeah, I was disappointed and angry, but here’s the thing: he was spot-on. The article sucked. We were playing it safe when we needed to show the world differentiation.
Startups don’t have the luxury of always playing it safe. You have to stand out, grab attention and maximize each opportunity. This doesn’t mean strutting through Times Square in a chicken costume belting out “Hot to Go” (share a video if you do, though). But what it does mean is that you’re going to take some big swings with what you say and how you say it.
Your messaging must be sharp, uniquely worded and against the grain when necessary. Ruffle feathers when it makes sense. For example, you want to comment on the latest data breach. Think differently about how you answer basic questions and find unusual questions to answer in your commentary.
What impact did the breach have beyond the loss of data? Why was the company vulnerable? What does this breach say about the affected company's values? Who’s to blame? What’s the psychological impact? Is there an unexplored point of view we’re not talking about? Go beyond, “Multi-factor authentication could have prevented this unfortunate breach.”
A single bang-up quote can have more impact and draw more attention than multiple standard responses. And the next time a reporter needs interesting insight, guess who they’re going to call?
One caveat, though: what you say must align with the company’s voice and values. You’re trying to establish authenticity, and public statements that don’t sound like the company undermine that goal, even if they’re in the form of a killer quote. This is where executive media training comes in handy. A seasoned media trainer can help you identify how to get attention without betraying your brand.
Build your network and engage
There are effective ways of building your brand and reputation beyond traditional media relations. This means getting in front of and engaging with your network in unique and meaningful ways.
Lean into LinkedIn
For B2B tech startups, LinkedIn is a cost-effective way to share controlled messaging and spark engagement. Write full articles, and comment on industry news and philanthropic issues you’re passionate about. Always let your personality shine through — that’s what will get people interested. It’s all about being on top of what’s happening in your industry and having a take that others hadn’t considered. Get people excited to hear what you have to say next.
And don’t fall into the trap of only talking about what’s happening in your corner of the industry. Comment on the latest phishing scandal if you do encryption, or talk about AI risk and opportunity if you work in an industry that’s being impacted by AI (which is basically all of them). It shows that you have a breadth of knowledge beyond your bottom line.
Hit the conference circuit
Speaking opportunities are a good way to build your profile within your industry, but you have to build a resume. We get a lot of clients who want to speak at huge conferences like Black Hat, RSA, etc. Those are always tough to break through early on, and while we encourage clients to take big swings, those swings have to come with backing (often of the sponsorship variety).
Build a volume of presentations at smaller events first to show you can engage an audience. Also, if you have a customer that’s willing to join you in a presentation, your chances of getting accepted will jump exponentially. You might even want to tap your network to propose a panel discussion at a show — those are often a much easier sell than a solo presentation.
Building a brand as an early-stage startup isn’t about having the biggest budget or the loudest voice. It's about leveraging your unique insights, expertise and perspective to add value to industry conversations. By telling a great founder’s story, having an opinion on customer problems, developing a unique point of view and working your network, a potential client may reach out, saying they saw you on a cable news network last night (trust us, it can happen).
Ready to take a swing or two? Hit us up! We do this stuff on the daily.
