PR + Content for Growth by Kat Mañalac and Craig Cannon

TL;DR

Learn about the importance of content marketing and PR for early stage startups, including tips on creating compelling content, pitching to press, and building relationships with journalists.

Transcript

now we have cat and with Craig later to talk about PR for content PR and content for growth thanks thank you Jeff hi everyone I'm cat mini Alec I'm a partner at Y Combinator and during my time at YC I've helped hundreds of companies with their launches with their pitches with their initial interactions with press I'm and I'm gonna be joined by Crai... Read More

Key Insights

• 🔍 It's important to define the terms "content" and "PR" in order to understand their roles in marketing and growth.
• 📝 Content includes anything created and distributed by a company on their own channels to attract an audience, such as blog posts, podcasts, and videos.
• 📊 PR refers to pitching a startup to an external third-party publication, like news blogs, to reach a wider audience.
• 📚 Startups must effectively tell their story to investors, press, users, and employees throughout the lifetime of the company.
• 🚀 The combination of creating good content and pitching it to press can be powerful, but it requires hard work and decision-making.
• 👥 Before focusing on marketing and content, it's crucial to ensure you're creating something people want by talking to users.
• 💡 Press is not a scalable user acquisition strategy and should not be the sole focus of a company's growth tactics. Content marketing is a more effective way to connect with users.
• ⚙️ When it comes to content marketing, it's important to think of content as a product and measure its impact.
• 🗞️ When pitching to press, it's crucial to pick the right moment, define goals and audiences, and draft a clear and compelling story with key messages and frequently asked questions.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between content marketing and PR?

Content marketing involves creating and distributing content on your own channels, while PR focuses on pitching your story to external publications.

Q: When should startups start thinking about content marketing and PR?

Startups should focus on creating a product people want and talking to users before dedicating time and effort to content marketing and PR.

Q: Is it necessary to hire a PR firm in the early stages of a startup?

It is generally not recommended to hire a PR firm in the early stages of a startup due to the high costs involved. It is more effective to build relationships with journalists and pitch your story yourself.

Q: How should startups approach creating content if they don't have product-market fit yet?

Startups can focus on creating content that adds value to their target audience, even if it's not directly related to their product. This can help build brand awareness and establish expertise in the industry.

Q: How often should startups publish content?

It is recommended to create high-quality content on a regular basis, but the frequency may vary depending on the resources and capacity of the startup. Consistency is more important than quantity.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Before focusing on content marketing and PR, it is crucial for startups to ensure that they have a product that people want and to talk to their users to gather insights for creating better content.

• Content marketing involves creating and distributing content on your own channels to attract a specific audience, while PR focuses on pitching your story to external publications.

• To effectively pitch to press, it is important to define your goals and audience, draft a strong one-sentence and three to five sentence pitch, and prepare answers to frequently asked questions.

• When reaching out to reporters, warm introductions are key, and offering an exclusive to one publication increases the chances of getting coverage.

• After a piece is published, it is important to promote it on your own channels and evaluate whether it helped achieve your goals.