Your great idea is well underway. Immersed in the startup phase, you have conceived the product and attracted an audience — you may even already have intrigued reporters and media outlets. The pressure is starting to mount: how can you break into coverage in the influential tech trades that will build awareness of your company and its offerings? While the cost of hiring PR pros is far less than running ads, you may have been getting by on handling your own PR and community management as a startup or small company. That said, you may be looking for more consistent coverage and polished, effective messaging.  How can you leverage the attention you’ve already gotten for greater sales numbers and investor interest this quarter? Maybe your startup is ready for public relations assistance.

Or…is it?

The temptation to say yes to PR can be strong when your ultimate goal is to push your brand message to consumers and potential investors, but a business needs to have a clear understanding of its overall business objectives and knowledge of whether the company’s launch efforts are premature for PR. A company can, and should, do some of their own outreach prior to finding PR help. Companies should only seek a PR agency when they are ready and financially able to afford media attention for the right reasons.

Here are some indicators that your startup or company is ready for PR–and key red flags that suggest a PR partnership should wait:

Courtesy: Flickr, via CreativeCommons

1. Your primary PR goal is brand awareness–not direct sales

While it’s true that PR companies boost brand awareness–and brand awareness does generate future sales–PR is not a sales tool, per se. A PR company’s first function is to help create a cohesive brand identity for clients. They do this by pushing out newsworthy messages while reinforcing brand message in the process.

PR companies can measure the success of their media campaigns by calculating media impressions and size of the audience reached via events, social media, etc. But while increased awareness often results in more traction for your brand’s digital footprint and more buzz about company news,  it is often difficult to clearly measure revenue increases that result from PR. Many startups depend on sales out of the gate, and while PR is an excellent and cost-effective segment of a marketing program, other sales tactics need to more directly take aim at increasing company revenue.

Budgeting is crucial for startups and as a result, many forms of outreach–like community management–can be handled in-house, at least for a time. PR starts to become a wise move when a business is out of the development stage and is financially ready to step up its marketing efforts in order to gain credibility, visibility and brand awareness.

Even Mr. Robot hackers can be thought leaders! Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

2. You are ready to become a thought leader in your industry

PR agencies secure prominent media placements for their clients, at events and through various forms of news coverage including prestigious business outlets. Many CEOs or founders benefit from stepping into the spotlight to become known as an “industry expert.” The question becomes: do they have the time and budget to devote to attending talks, speaking on panels or podcasts and conducting media interviews? Thought leader status is vital, but it’s also something a CEO needs to be ready for. Maintaining a higher industry profile takes time away from product development duties and becomes part of his or her job description.

Courtesy: CitizenLab.co

3. You have a marketable product or service

Wait–don’t all companies start with a product? Well, yes and no.

Most startups have a business model or have developed a product when they begin funding rounds, or when seeking PR. But there is a difference between having a product and having a media marketable product.

The startup market, unfortunately, is saturated by similar products with practically identical brand propositions. Earning media attention requires showing reporters how you are different than similar companies they have already written about, which may be better known than your company. By identifying and amplifying your startup’s unique advantages over its competition, startup publicity can help you overcome the ‘me-too’ complaint that tech journalists level on pitches that sound too familiar.

Ultimately, public relations services go a long way to promoting brand awareness and ensuring business success–and PR agencies can significantly bolster your company’s profile in the marketplace using communications strategy and PR tactics.  But firms just “starting up” would benefit from buckling down and focussing on building a great product before they undertake a PR retainer. Once a startup company is well immersed in their respective industry and have the momentum to start planning for a healthy long-term future, they are ready to bring on PR partners to help them reach their short-and-long term marketing goals.