Startups & PR: the debate continues
One of the most interesting things I learned from taking part in the FIR Live Panel show earlier this month was that someone who was not on the panel and did not call in can still dominate the conversation. Chip Griffin, of Media Bullseye was in the chat room peppering the discussion with his thoughts and ideas throughout the show. Later he wrote an excellent blog post to summarise his strong opinions about the issues we discussed which centred around whether or not a tech start up CEO could do the company’s PR instead of bringing in an expert.
Chip says the CEO of a start up should be an evangelist and that you can’t outsource evangelism. On these points I agree; no PR worth their salt would disagree. But not everyone is born with evangelical skills. Our job is to help them. We teach them how to do the job. We give the tools to be successful. We support them. I can’t remember ever having had a client ask me to take the lead in this area.
Chip says that not every CEO of a start up should have the job. Again, I agree. But in the real world, there are people that probably aren’t best suited in the role. Again our job is to help them grow into the job. We teach them the importance of relationship-building and help them to be better communicators. Usually these people are trying to do a good job. I think it’s better to help them achieve their goals than to say, “You’re crap at this. Don’t even try.”
Chip says that companies can get PR too early. I think that depends on your definition of public relations. If you confine it to mean media exposure, I agree. But getting expert help on all aspects of business communication is helpful at any stage of a company’s progression. I’ve helped pre-revenue companies prepare to meet potential investors, advised on recruitment strategies and insprired employee engagement.
Chip says that not all companies need PR agencies. Nothing could be truer. But most organisations could benefit from the advice of a professional communicator the same as they benefit from talking to a lawyer or an accountant. So your PR advice could come from independent advisor, an in house communications professional or even from having a conversation with pros in the PR blogosphere. Or a PR agency. It’s horses for courses.
Chip says a lot more in his post. I agree with most of it so their is no point rehashing it here. But be sure to check it out for yourself.
I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the panel discussion and watching the debate that ensued. Thanks to Chip Griffin and everyone else who took the time to listen and/or participate.
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Thanks for the mention. Much of the discussion does hinge on how one defines PR — but I’m not sure we’ll answer that one in an hour or even a week of discussion. For this discussion, I use the definition of PR that most entrepreneurs would use, which comes closer to what many of us would perhaps more accurately describe as media relations. That’s part of the challenge, though. One can’t convince a startup to engage external PR support without explaining better the suite of services being offered and the ROI of it.