Funding rounds are a big deal. Beyond financial support, it’s a validation of your company’s overall vision and market opportunity. So, congratulations! Now let’s talk about how to maximize exposure for this key milestone.

Your funding round offers a great opportunity to earn some media coverage, jumpstarting your visibility and credibility with some startup PR. But standing out in a crowded media landscape can be challenging. Journalists get a constant barrage of pitches from startups just like yours. So what does it take to break through?

We’ve spent 20+ years helping companies at every stage of business announce funding. Whether you’re a startup in your first round, or an established company looking to secure media coverage for a later round, M&A news, or exit – here are our top tips to maximize this unique B2B PR opportunity.

Startup PR Planning

Before you send the first pitch or make a public announcement, it’s important to do a bit of homework. Start by gathering all of the details the media needs to know about your funding round. This includes:

  • Amount raised (and whether or not you plan to disclose it)
  • Lead investors and other participants
  • How you plan to use the funding
  • Your company’s growth metrics (if applicable)
  • Future plans and projections

Research the Media

Next, think about the media you’d like to pitch. The obvious targets are usually VC outlets covering funding and other startup news, like TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and others. But don’t underestimate trade and vertical targets as well. Think about where your core audience may be, and do some reading to find out who is covering similar topics in your industry.

Find the Hook

“XYZ Company is proud to announce they have secured…blah, blah, blah.” This might be fine for the press release you’re going to write, but when you reach out to the media to pitch them a story – it simply won’t do. Instead, look for a strong angle or unique hook to reel them in. It’s not about your company as much as it is about why you want the media to care. Is your company positioned to solve a significant problem, unveil a truly innovative solution, or make the world a better place? Put that front and center.

Journalists need a hook. Otherwise? You might find your pitch in the trash bin.

B2B PR Outreach

Contrary to what most people think, putting a press release to announce funding news on the newswire should be the last step in the startup PR process.

Once you’ve identified your targets and your story, you’ll want to pre-pitch your news by reaching out to top-tier contacts before the press release is distributed far and wide. If there’s one really important outlet on your list, you might even consider offering them an exclusive opportunity to break the news before anyone else. Just be careful – because you can only make that offer to one outlet. If they accept – you’ll need to strictly adhere to the exclusive, with no additional outreach or even newswire distribution till their story runs on the agreed upon date and team.

If you don’t want to be locked in or would rather tease the news in advance to a few outlets at once, make sure you’re not using any language to indicate exclusive access. Instead, it’s okay to ask them if they’re willing to hold or embargo the news until the date and time that the press release is scheduled to hit the newswire. 

Be PR Ready: Media Train Your Spokespeople

As you begin to receive feedback from the media you’ve targeted, you may have the opportunity to connect them with your leadership team or investors for a deeper story. Before that happens, make sure your folks are ready.

Develop key talking points and conduct some mock interviews. Be clear about what they can – and cannot – say. You may only get one shot to discuss your company’s vision and future plans, so ensure everyone is prepared.

The PR Announcement

You’ve done all the prep – and now you’re ready to make the story official. Putting your press release out via a wire service creates a digital record of your announcement, which will be syndicated to a variety of web sites in its exact form. Again, this is different from earned media stories you might secure by directly pitching press contacts to cover the news, but it’s a great supplement to reinforce brand messaging and increase searchability.

Of course, it doesn’t stop there. Follow up with your media list to let them know the news is live. Then, make sure to share your coverage across social media channels, on your website, with customers and partners, and more.

Simple, right? Sure – it’s more than just writing a press release and hitting send. But with a few extra steps, that piece of funding news can help fuel momentum, visibility, and credibility for your brand.

Partner With An Expert PR Agency For Startups

Want some expert support for your funding news? Resound Marketing can help get you the attention you deserve. Contact us today to get started: makesomenoise@resoundmarketing.com