Opinion: 3 PR tips for your next funding announcement

Whether it's a start-up or a big corporation, managing communications in today’s day and age is not something for the faint of heart. That’s because in today’s attention-deficit age and a crowded startup landscape, it's rarely obvious what will or will not cut through the noise. And when it comes to the funding announcement for a global unicorn startup, the intensity is off the charts. So, while we compete with everyone for attention for our brand through pure-play communications, here are a few things that helped me.

1. Tactics over strategy

There, I have said it. We prioritised tactics over the all-important "strategy". Strategy inspires powerful debates and discussions and even more engaging presentations while tactics, essentially, is a list handed down for execution. However, at Livspace, we have created a unique approach. Once you have your fundamental information in place - who we are, what we want to say, how we want to say, whom do we want to tell - tactics are the absolutely amazing place to start. They don't require massive time investment, you can experiment and there is a shorter and simpler feedback chain.

Further, working with teams across India, Singapore and the Middle East, we had to be cognizant of ensuring timelines are met across different time zones. We had to manage endless conversations with teams and media across the globe and synchronise our days to ensure we didn't miss out on any critical task.

Managing the communications mandate for a dynamic global start-up such as Livspace means you have to be resourceful, scrappy and creative. When we set out to chart our communications plan for the unicorn funding round, we brainstormed together on what are our near-term goals, available resources (time, spokespeople, information) and how has media feedback been. We analysed what resonated well with whom and then built a strategy around what will work this time around.

2. Storytelling, storytelling, storytelling

Even though Livspace has cultivated a name for itself, the unicorn funding announcement was a moment in time to tell our story anew. As I said, we analysed what has worked well with the media. Based on the data, we crafted our narrative highlighting a few critical points.

● The status quo and why it needs to change
● Why is this important and what are we doing about it?
● Why are we the right ones?
● The changing consumers and emerging technology
● The success we have witnessed and what we plan to do next

Once we had the narrative in place, we moved to having conversations with our spokespeople who would be ultimately telling our story. Even the best narratives will not matter much, if you aren't able to bring the brand story alive and inspire people to do what you want them to do - report, invest, and share.

One of the most important aspects of storytelling is conflict. Considering various circumstances out of our control, we have a natural impulse to not address, ignore or downplay the conflict side of the story. Why would you want to proactively draw attention to these aspects?

But we have seen the advantages of addressing the conflict head-on. Not only does it open avenues of creating further awareness about your business, it helps you help the media and other stakeholders get the situation right, in the best possible context.

More importantly, it builds trust. I don't mean you should be reckless but advising your leaders to actively address the hurdles can be an incredibly inspiring strategy to build credibility and confidence.

3. Relationships

Everyone who is or has been a part of the communications industry has probably heard that it's all about relationships. To an extent, it is and not just with the media but with your team as well. The important thing is you are committed to conversing regularly, even just checking in sometimes, to build relationships. For the media, it is important to keep them updated on what is going on in the company, and in the industry without an expectation of a story. They are the reality check you need around what works for the readers and what not.

Another most important relationship is the one you have with your team - in-house or extended by virtue of your agency partners. I am incredibly lucky to work within and with a team that’s amazingly collaborative and most importantly, human. And most communications professionals would agree that it's super hard to prioritise conversations that are not "urgent" and "essential". There is nothing more gratifying than working with a dedicated set of people, which turns into a highly collaborative team, and then celebrating the results of your work together.

To sum it up - be it the media or your team, one cardinal rule in managing these relationships is to never lose sight of mutual respect and kindness for each other and of course communicate!

Always remember, while your team is building a sustainable business, you are telling their story by communicating their values and ideas - so be sure to land the message well, every time!

The writer is Nafeesa Tasneem, head - corporate communications, Livspace.

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