7 Tips to Nail Your Funding Announcement
5min to put your startup on the map! 💥
Guess what, you are now 2023 readers following this newsletter! How about that for a coincidence? 🥳 🙏
Engineers tend to over-glorify their product. Trust me, I’m an engineer too.
The truth is that you need to SELL THE HELL out of your business to get off the ground. It’s non-stop SELLING.
And there’s one event when selling becomes far easier than the rest. Your PR Launch!
Like it or not, the Tech ecosystem likes it when there’s 🤑🤑 involved.
Smashing your Funding Announcement isn't just about grabbing headlines, it's about fueling your entire venture, from investor interest to customer curiosity.
Let's break down the killer strategy to make your PR Launch a success!
1. Why should you care about Funding Announcement anyways?
A good PR launch is your golden ticket to being the first name that investors and customers think of in Climate Tech.
Let’s face it, first thing investors do when they hear your startup name, they look you up.
And if they can’t find you, you aren’t legit.
A good PR launch plants your flag in the market and makes you appear credible and you’ll land on all those ‘startup landscape’ slides, which is where VCs doing ‘outbound dealflow’ hunt for opportunities in specific verticals.
2. The Ripple Effect of a Good Funding Announcement
Think of a well-executed PR launch as a pebble creating ricochets in a pond.
It's not just about buzz, it's a catalyst.
From investor outreach and talent acquisition to customer sign-ups and partnerships, a powerful PR launch accelerates everything.
3. Where to Channel Your Energy
Concentrate on platforms where your voice will be loudest, and your target personas hang out.
For 99% of Climate Hardware startups, that’s LinkedIn. Period. Don’t overthink it and keep it simple. Insta, TikTok, Youtube have insane growth, but require native content to scale. Too complex and too costly.
Plus, LinkedIn has tremendous baked-in growth for content that triggers emotions
We’re in Climate. And that’s our trump card. People are hungry for environmental solutions and they want to save Koalas 🐨. If your story stands out, you’ll get traction.
4. Budgeting Like a Frugal Founder
Now, let’s talk dollars and sense.
You don’t need to break the bank with a fancy PR agency.
Instead, invest in creating stellar content yourself and hire freelancers for the final polish.
Use my PR Release template 🔥 that’ll save you a bunch of time!
For a successful PR launch, a budget of $5-10K is a solid starting point.
5. The Anatomy of a Successful PR Launch
90% of the work happens beforehand though. Let’s break down the steps.
Oh and yes, PR Agencies will make you believe that you need to inform journalists months ahead. That’s BS. Most journalists will pick up the story a week prior and write something up in no time.
That said, to make their life easier and increase your chances of being picked up, provide:
A clear email with: Dollars Raised, Problem, Solution, Why makes it special, Notable Investor names
A strict Embargo Date (aka date of the announcement, and nobody is allowed to communicate beforehand)
Indicate that there’s no exclusivity
Provide a Media folder with: Press Release Draft, Product photos, Team & Co-founder photos
Collect all journalists decisions in a simple list (Media name, Email contact, Journalist LinkedIn Name). The day prior to Embargo Day, poke them gently to ensure they aren’t bailing last minute on you.
And voilà! What looks like a simple announcement on LinkedIn took weeks of hard work and TONS of outreach.
6. Rally Your Tribe
On D-Day, mobilize your network: your colleagues, supporters, friends, your Mom and your exes... Whoever hangs out on LinkedIn these days.
Encourage likes, comments, and shares. It's not just about reaching your audience, it's about getting them to amplify your message. Think of it as creating a digital echo chamber that triggers the algorithm.
Oh and have all your investors relay the news in their own channels (LinkedIn, Twitter, Newsletters). You worked on this together for months. It’s their success too 🏆
7. Ensure you’re ready to harvest the inbound
And when the spotlight hits, be ready.
Ensure your website can handle the traffic, your investor info is accessible, job listings are up, and customer inquiries can be smoothly managed.
If you’ve done a good job, it’s gonna feel like going from a Well to a Dam.
But it won’t last more than a week. It’s a noisy world out there.
Harvest while you can 🍀
Conclusion
Think beyond the making noise and getting the spotlight aspects.
A funding announcement is about setting the tone for your journey ahead.
It’s an investment in your startup’s future, laying the groundwork for fundraising, team-building, partnerships, and customer growth.
So, gear up, aim high, and let the universe conspire to make your climate-dreams a reality 🌍📣💚
Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
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