Startup Wisdom is a new TNW series that offers practical lessons from experts who have helped building up great companies. This week, Leze HongThe founder of the strategic communications company Venture VOX gives her tips to clarify startups..
Startups do not fail because they lack a good product. They fail because nobody knows them or takes care of them. It’s brutal, but true. While many founders stick to the myth that “build it and come”, the reality that attention is oxygen is real.
I learned that through experience. As a tech communication expert, I defended the reputation of companies such as Google and Uber and helped hundreds of startups to build their brands in Europe and the USA from prepared to IPO. I am now working closely with founders to develop messages that really cut out the noise.
Again and again I have found that the most successful founders know exactly the unique value they bring. It is my mission to help you bring success to chance by having crystal clear messaging and transforming your brand into a force multiplier.
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It is an approach that I shared on the TNW Conference last month – and one that companies can ensure with funds, attract top talents and win customers. Based on these experiences, there are five principles here that every founder has to master to notice his startup.
1. Have crystal clear messages
If a founder cannot explain what he is doing in 20 seconds, he is in trouble. The best communicators in the world are not the most charismatic – they are those who organize information, so it is easy to understand.
The founder must articulate Problem that you solvePresent The solution you offerAnd The advantage for the customer In simple language. No jargon, no “the most modern disorder”. If your messages are too complicated or unfocused, people assume that their product is too.
Test your message for someone outside of your industry. If you don’t understand it, investors, customers, talents or media will not. Don’t try to be smart if you can be clear: think of short sentences and use words that people actually understand.
2. Use a structured approach to tell your story
Everyone loves a good story, but the founders are often on endless lists of functions by default. Instead, prepare three core stories that you can use repeatedly:
- Product history: Why this product solves a real, widespread problem.
- Founder history: Why they are the person who builds this.
- Corporate history: How your startup develops and where to go.
If you use clear structures to tell your history, you can combine emotionally and at the same time illustrate your traction and vision. Founders who master storytelling find it easier to increase, recruit and secure the press.
3. Make sure PR serves your goals
Too many start -ups follow the washbasin, no strategy. Your press release is not a golden ticket. It is a vehicle for a story.
Ask before working out, ask: How does the press help your goals? If your priority increases a round, Press can help investors build credibility. If you are expanding in a new market, the local cover can open doors. Identify your top goals and the audience you have to achieve and then create the communication that you specifically address.
Aim high, but they aim correctly.
4. Remember, PR is not always the answer
PR is a tool, not a CAT-all solution. Pressing is not the only channel that gets the word out. Founders often waste time with pitching stories that do not land if they can share them on LinkedIn or your company blog instead. Not every update deserves the attention of the press. If you didn’t take care of your announcement if it came from another startup, why should someone else?
Before pitching, rate whether your story is really up to date. Is it promptly, relevant, effective or unusual? If not, it is better to build credibility and audience directly instead of pursuing headlines that will never occur.
5. Talk to the media if you are ready
The reporting on the media can charge the credibility of your startup – I have seen these countless times. But it can also uncover them if they are not prepared. Before talking to journalists, make sure that you have a work product, a clear message and a convincing story. Explore who you talk to, prepare your most important points and practice to answer difficult questions.
And remember: follow -up. A clear, factual follow-up email helps journalists to do the details and build relationships for future reporting.
The end result
You cannot delegate storytelling to an agency and expect magic. The most successful founders understand that communication is a central part of building your company, not a subsequent thought.
Through clear messaging, structured storytelling, strategic PR and brand orientation, startups from overlook can change too unforgettable.
Your product deserves to be noticed. The question is: will you learn to tell your story well enough so that the world will take care of it?
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