Public Relations (PR) for startup founders: How to effectively communicate with journalists, influencers, and potential customers :: with Alexandra Skillman

Nov 3, 2020

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In this episode, Alexandra Skillman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexskillman/) shares her extensive knowledge in the world of PR for an entrepreneurial audience. We discuss at length PR considerations for startup founders regarding go-to-market strategies, overall marketing plans, working with journalists, reaching out to influencers, and avoiding common mistakes.

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-17 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.

You can watch this episode via video here.

In this episode we cover the following:

2:02 - Alex intro, background, and journey into public relations

7:32 - More details about Alex’s time at the Walt Disney Company and working with Aaron Sorkin, Sean Connery, and others.

15:13 - Alex’s time in the Bay Area working in both entertainment and startups

23:16 - Leaving Electronic Arts and working for a global PR firm

27:07 - The story of Alex launching her own PR business

29:52 - How Alex started acquiring clients

34:23 - At what point in a founder’s journey should they consider hiring a PR firm / publicist?

41:10 - What is a Butter Twist and what are Stix golf clubs? https://www.bttrkitchen.com/ // http://stix.golf/

43:48 - More about the details about how a PR person can get products featured by journalists and influencers.

47:33 - What business models make sense for PR? How would B2B SaaS companies, for example, make use of PR?

49:38 - What should founders expect from an ongoing relationship with a PR firm/person, on a month-to-month and year-to-year basis? (e.g. “Newsjacking”)

53:40 - How should teams use a press release (or not) ?

56:30 - Information about embargos and the timing of press releases across media outlets.

1:01:40 - What advice does Alex have for founders considering hiring a PR person/firm.

1:07:30 - “PR isn’t dead” // Advice for founders who may think that PR isn’t effective.

1:14:23 - PR can be an important part of startup validation, since journalists and influencers have a unique perspective. (PR can also lead to important pivots).

1:16:02 - Where can people find Alex online? https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexskillman/ // https://twitter.com/typeamarketing