These seven tips founders should keep in mind when doing PR work

The right external image can be crucial for the success of a start-up, especially in crisis situations. Startbase spoke to five experts and wrote down their best tips.

It was a LinkedIn entry that initially stood out among all the usual self-congratulations: Lena Jüngst, co-founder of the aroma bottle start-up Air up, commented on a critical Spiegel article. The journalists had scrutinized and doubted the sustainability promises of the fragrance provider. In her LinkedIn entry, the co-founder first thanked the journalists for "the time and effort in the research." They would constantly strive to become more sustainable and transparent.

So far, so constructive. Many users of the career network praised the founder's openness. But there was also headwind, especially because of a sentence at the end of the statement. There, namely, Jüngst writes that her company is against "personal and destructive criticism." At the same time, according to Der Spiegel, the founder did not attend an interview. Air up also initially did not want to answer written inquiries.

How start-ups can behave more skillfully in similar situations - and what they should pay attention to in public relations, Startbase has learned in conversation with communications experts. These are the most important tips.

1. don't promise the moon from heaven

Hardly anything is more embarrassing than to promise something grandiloquently and to row back later. Carina Goldschmid, head of the consulting firm Startup Communication, therefore advises not to lay it on too thick when communicating. Claims like "the next Amazon" often backfire when things don't go as well as hoped.

Too vague formulations, such as "a turnover in the high six-figure range" are also not smart tactics. "Many founders underestimate the possibilities of journalists to find out business figures on their own," says Goldschmid. It is better to communicate figures transparently and thus not leave the narrative to the press.

2 Communicate transparently

Start-ups should not appear to be trying to hide anything. Bad business figures or a deal that fell through? It is advisable to communicate openly, advises Pola Moitroux, crisis communications expert at communications consultancy Finsbury Glover Hering. "Germany is more skeptical about disruptive business models compared to other countries, so startups have more of a duty to explain in order to build trust," she says.

If a startup is sent critical questions by a media outlet, she says it is therefore advisable not only to answer the questionnaire, but also to offer the journalist an introductory conversation - i.e., a conversation that is not necessarily to be quoted from. "This gives the founder the opportunity to speak more openly with journalists and explain contexts," says the crisis communications expert. This is particularly worthwhile, she adds, if not everything can be communicated in the official written responses due to restrictions.

"It comes across as more confident to admit mistakes and announce solutions."

Tijen Onaran, CEO Global Digital Women

According to entrepreneur Tijen Onaran, the strategy startups should definitely not follow when dealing with critical press questions is the salami tactic. What the head of the consulting firm Global Digital Women means by this is: when asked, give out the truth bit by bit. "It looks more confident to admit mistakes and announce solutions."

3. stay calm in the face of negative coverage

PR expert Marcus Prosch thinks it's perfectly fine not to let critical reporting go uncommented in the room, even in social media. It is the job of journalists to question, he says. "However, the founders should leave it at a concise, factual clarification on LinkedIn, Facebook and Co. and not keep adding to it publicly." That leads to nothing, he said. "Instead, seek direct contact and dialogue with the author and discuss your point of view," he advises founders. Lectures or even threats are an "absolute no-go." After all, he says, journalists are not the cause of startups' problems, but only report on them.

Pola Moitroux of Finsbury Glover Hering also advises journalists to be able to withstand criticism. "Critical and free reporting is a high social good. Start-ups should also react calmly and not immediately threaten a lawyer if there is not only applause for their own company," says the crisis expert. What may seem enforceable under media law can quickly backfire and, in the worst case, result in a shitstorm.

It is much more important, she says, to talk to employees, customers and investors about the negative reporting. "Especially for the closest circle, it is hard to bear when the company is publicly criticized," Moitroux says. "Employees may even be approached by friends and neighbors about it." Founders should therefore openly discuss the criticisms with them.

4. Build up a good journalistic network.

Even with journalists who have previously been critical of their own company, founders should maintain contact, advises crisis communications expert Pola Moitroux. "Basically, it is always more professional to show a willingness to engage in dialogue. Hardened fronts also do not lead to benevolent reporting," she says.

Also regardless of crisis situations: It always makes more sense to seek direct contact with the press instead of just responding to inquiries. That's what several communications experts say. Marcus Prosch, for example. "Even without a specific reason, founders should contact journalists," he says. Of course, journalists should not be approached at random, but those who regularly report on the relevant topics. This would keep the founders in mind and the probability that, for example, a new product would be written about would be higher than with a cold call.

5. Setting the right topics

Too many press releases run the risk of ending up in the spam folder at some point. That's why communications experts advise startups to set targeted topics. According to communications strategist Marcus Prosch, it's helpful for founders to put themselves in the journalists' shoes and ask themselves three questions: "Why should the topic be written about? What exactly is the unique selling proposition? And what makes this story so unique?" If the start-up had then developed its own story, it should specifically contact a journalist who is an expert on this topic. "However, some topics can also be spread well," he says. One example, he says, is funding rounds.

Another trick, according to PR consultant Julia Schössler: offer topics exclusively to a journalist. "This is then a win-win situation for both sides," says the founder of the PR agency Schoesslers.

6. build up one's own persona as a brand

What distinguishes start-ups from large corporations: There is no board of directors at the top, which is replaced at regular intervals, but often still the founders themselves. This makes startups interesting for the media, as entrepreneur Tijen Onaran knows.

Building a personal brand right from the start.

Tijen Onaran, CEO Global Digital Women.

"Female founders are often interesting, unconventional personalities," she says. Investors would usually invest in a startup not only because of the exciting product, but also because of the people behind it. "That's why you should build a personal brand right from the start." Suitable for this, she says, is social media. "There, founders should not engage in pure sales communication, but appear as a close person with their own story."

Carina Goldschmid, head of "Startup Communication," also gives this tip. "Startups should not only communicate about their product - especially if there are still some competitors doing something similar." Instead, they should elaborate on their motivation and explain why they started. "In doing so, it's important to elaborate on the social relevance of the startup."

7. Don't hire amateurs for public relations.

Would founders, unless they were qualified to do so, handle their company's IT themselves? Rather not, suspects PR consultant Julia Schössler. In the same way, they should not take public relations lightly, she warns.

"Founders should already take PR expenses into account in their business plan," she says. Because if you don't spend money on public and internal communications, you're saving money at the wrong end. At the latest from a certain size, start-ups should hire a communications expert or commission an agency with PR work. This pays off at the latest with the first critical reporting. Unlike the founders themselves, professional PR employees have more distance from the company and can react more carefully.