Six Key PR Tips To Help Announce Your Next Fundraise

Whether you’re a startup in its early stages or an established company, raising capital can be an important part of the process for growing your business.

Fundraising for many can be an intimidating task. Essentially, you’re asking experienced professionals to invest money into your product and believe in your business as wholeheartedly as you do. The interesting thing about fundraising is it’s not a one-and-done process. Rather, it involves multiple rounds, which is often categorized into various phases.

Once you get started, the preparation involves several steps, from defining your fundraising goals to eventually closing the deal, with various stages in between that will help you successfully complete the round.

As you approach the pre-closing or final stage of your fundraising process and are preparing to share the news with the public, there are a few key tips to help you across the finish line.

1. Establish A Clear And Concise Message

When putting out a press release, the goal is to communicate key information about the event or announcement in a way that grabs the public’s attention. You want to drive your key message home in a way that is quick and effective.

A great way to accomplish that is to prepare the core message and key takeaways ahead of time. Preparing what it is you want to convey helps to realign the focus on the most important aspects and keep the message streamlined. This ensures all parties are on the same page, reducing the risk of mixed messages and increasing the effectiveness of your announcement.

2. Gather Quotes And Metrics

Quotes from executives and investors along with key company milestones are an integral part of the press release. These components strengthen your fundraising announcement by providing credibility along with an opportunity to showcase the company’s achievements.

Strategically placing this information throughout the announcement helps to reinforce your core message and showcases the potential your business has to expand and succeed within your industry.

Additionally, including information as to how the funds will be used to move the next phase of growth forward provides transparency for potential investors.

3. Develop A Media Strategy

Developing a great funding announcement takes time and effort, but a strong pitch also needs an even stronger media strategy. Your news is silent if no one is listening. When developing a plan, focus on all relevant media, not just the Tier 1 outlets. The goal is to reach the right audience and effectively communicate your company’s vision and growth potential, while making the most impact.

Lean into the relationships with journalists and media outlets that will help maximize your announcement’s visibility. The key is to bring awareness to the news being shared and ensure it reaches the right audience.

4. Collaborate With Key Stakeholders

Collaborating and engaging with key partners and company stakeholders allows for the opportunity to tap into their vast network and audience, which in turn helps broaden your reach.

Some of the ways you can do this is by including their quotes in the press release. This helps add credibility and endorsement to the fundraise announcement. Use those same quotes in your pitch when conducting media outreach with journalists to help secure a story.

Take things a step further and turn those quotes from stakeholders into social posts. Informing your social network of the fundraise and the praise surrounding it will help boost engagement and credibility within your network.

5. Repurpose Content

Repurpose the content used in the press announcement across multiple channels, such as blogs, email newsletters and social media, to further amplify your fundraising news.

Leveraging different outlets extends your reach and increases the probability of getting your message in front of people who may not be in your immediate social circle.

Consider looking into online communities and groups within your industry that would be interested in learning about your product and the work being done behind the scenes in an effort to raise capital.

Additionally, spreading the word about your fundraise through various social channels will make your message more impactful and can potentially lead to interest from future investors and supporters more effectively.

6. Monitor The Coverage

Keep your eye on any and all coverage to gauge insights into the reach and effectiveness of your fundraising announcement. This includes analyzing the sentiment of the coverage. Is it being well received or does it need improvement? What’s the engagement across the social media channels in which you’ve promoted the news? Are people actively engaging with the content or would it be more effective to take a different approach?

Understanding the impact of your fundraising announcement begins with paying attention to what people are saying, or in certain situations, what they aren’t saying. Collecting feedback and identifying the areas that may need improvement allows for strategy adjustment in real time.

Consistent monitoring of your fundraising announcement, and all press-related efforts, is critical to achieving a successful public relations campaign. It helps maximize visibility while upholding a strong and sustainable reputation within your industry.

*** Article originally appeared on Forbes.com

Jenna Guarneri - JMG Public Relations