A PR Playbook for Startups that actually works!.pdf

Ads need to become creative by the day because
people don’t want to see them.

1. Let’s talk PR for
startups

2. Let’s get some
misconceptions out
of the way…

3. Most founders think
their solution is earth
shattering
“I know my product. I’ll just speak from the heart.”
“We just raised a round. Let’s send out a press release.”
“We hired a PR firm last month. Why aren’t we in ET yet?”

4. The truth
It's a slow burn with
compounding returns
Media training ensures
clarity, consistency, and
charisma
Figuring out relationships,
positioning, and timing

5. PR is nothing
but Marketing
“Why pay for PR? Can’t we just get featured in Forbes?”
“Let’s do PR after we raise money or launch.”
“PR is just fluff. We want real growth, not buzz.”

6. Pays for media
placements

Targets customers

Drives sales

Promotes brand
directly

Earns Media
Coverage

Builds relationships

Influences
perceptions

Gains third-party
credibility

Public Relations

Marketing

7. The Reality
Build visibility Attract talent Open doors to investors

8. There’s no such thing
as bad publicity
“At least they’re talking about us, right?”

9. The Philosophy
Startups is a real business. It needs reputation
capital, not just visibility. A bad quote,
misaligned message, or poorly timed feature can
undermine investor trust or confuse customers.

10. What good PR can
do
Eyes on the prize

Short term - mid term - long term

11. What Good PR can do
Long Term
?????? Thought leadership
position
?????? Brand trust
?????? Media credibility
?????? Mindshare
dominance—people
think of you first
Short term

?????? Campaign
coverage
?????? Traffic spikes
?????? Momentary noise
?????? Fodder for social
and earned platform
Mid-term
?????? Sales enablement
?????? Stronger brand
recall among your
audience
?????? Built employer
brand
?????? Great for SEO

12. A storytelling
approach that
successful brands
use
Start with Why!

13. Start with the “Why?’
MISSION
VALUES
VISION
Moving from a model that delivers
shareholder value to a model that
delivers shared value
PURPOSE
BELIEF
SYSTEM
CAUSE
CORPORATE MODEL VALUES MODEL

14. Business grows but also evolves…
BRAND
ACTIVITY
CORPORATE
ACTIVITY
CSR ACTIVITY
INTERNAL
ACTIVITY
ALIGNED
CORPORATE +
BRAND
ACTIVITY
CSR ACTIVITY
INTERNAL
ACTIVITY
ALIGNED
CORPORATE,
BRAND, CSR +
INTERNAL
ACTIVITY

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Companies with different
corporate and brand vision which
are disconnected from internal
activity, and CSR program
Companies with an aligned
corporate and brand vision with a
more aligned CSR program
Companies with an aligned corporate and
brand vision incorporating or being driven by
the CSR program with a defined purpose,
belief system and cause, communicated and
activated internally and externally
PURPOSE BELIEF
SYSTEM AND CAUSE

15. Industry examples
“We believe in challenging the
status quo. We believe in
thinking differently”
“Improve quality of
life of the communities
we serve”
“To invent the next industrial
era and build things that
power the world”
“Making sustainable living
commonplace”
“Promote and spread
happiness”
“To give people the power to
share and make the world
more open and connected”
“To organize the worldʼs
information and make it
universally accessible
and useful”
“We are agents of change”

16. Zen
And the Art of
Media Relations
Ads need to become creative by the day because
people don’t want to see them.

Only folks benefiting out of inflated CACs are the
Googles and Metas of the world

17. Drive credibility, visibility, and trust — not
just headlines


A journalist receives 20-50 calls on a regular day
What works:
1. Understand the Indian Media Landscape
2. Build Media Relationships, Not Just Contacts
3. Pitch Stories, Not Startups
4. Use Founders as the Face
5. Be Available, Always

18. Let’s move fast and get some results
out…
Get VCs to notice

19. Warm up the cold investor deck
Nailing the
narrative
Press Kit Thought
leadership
Associations and
events

20. Noise, traction & splash
Family offices in
Tier 2-3 cities
Build media
relationships like
you build VCs
pipelines
Align with policy
tailwinds
Own your search

21. Crises are
Opportunities

22. Most common crisis scenarios
Product/Tech failure
App crash / Data
Leak
Controversies
Tweets / Social
Accusations
Employee-led
Layoffs, labor
protests,
ex-employee post
Regulatory
Policy violation,
fines, ED/SEBI
action
Customer Experience
Delivery delay,
product defect
Financial Misconduct
Misuse of funds,
inflated metrics

23. Captain Cool’s Crisis Response Strategy
Key spokesperson list
(founder, PR lead, legal)
Draft holding statements
Internal escalation protocol
(who to inform, and when)
Legal/media advisory
contacts on speed dial
Access to press kits and
company factsheet
05
01
02 03
04

24. Stairway to Crisis Mitigation
Founder or CEO must speak.
Train them for:
Calm tone, confident delivery
Avoiding blame or
speculation
Staying on message
Lean on Credibility
If it’s legal/regulatory: a
combined spokesperson team
(PR + Legal)
Company blog (to control
tone)
Social media (Twitter,
LinkedIn)
Media briefing or exclusive
Direct email to customers or
investors

Control the
Narrative

Remember that public has short
memory but they won’t forget a
company that does wrong to
them
First 2 hours: Issue a holding
statement
First 6–12 hours: Brief
internal teams, update
stakeholders
Next 24–48 hours: Provide
detailed update with actions

Never say “no comment.” Say:
“We’re assessing the situation
and will share updates soon.”
Proactive Comms

25. Success and
Measurement

26. Metrics at matter
Share of Voice Return on Ad Spends
Closer to you business goals
PR Value
Advertising Value Equivalent
Return on Editorial Strategy

27. Tooling

28. Building your PR team
Stage Team Setup
Seed Founder + freelancer/agency + part-time content support
Series A In-house PR lead + content + agency for media outreach
Series B PR head + content + media manager + external analytics
Series C+ Full in-house PR/Comms team + global/local agencies

29. Ideal team structure
PR / Communications Head
Content &
Storytelling
Specialist
Spokesperson
Training & Events
Coordinator
Reputation
Monitoring
Media Relations
Manager
Analytics

30. Fin.