I'm Sarah, Founder and CEO of Sevans PR. AMA! 🔥

@aaronoleary Hi Aaron and PH community. Quick note, that this REALLY is me, but had to use a different account due to an issue with Twitter two-factor auth sign in. Apologies. First of all, thank you so much for having me this week. I am ready to get started. The biggest mistake that startups use for “PR strategy,” is probably a longer response than you wanted, but here it goes: The strategy really isn’t a strategy at all — simply because founders aren’t public relations, or more importantly, strategic communications, experts. Public relations often sits “on top of” or “above” the marketing funnel, making it more nuanced. It’s not just media relations or getting a mention in TechCrunch, it’s a long-term investment. Our core methodologies at Sevans PR focus on all things that will contribute towards “brand considerations.” Think: earned and owned activities, like proactive and reactive media, thought leadership, awards, speaking, etc… These things start the foundational (and essential) steps for a brand to build: TRUST, AWARENESS, CREDIBILITY and AUTHORITY. To simplify it as much as possible — what keeps people coming back. This is what startups need to think about. Once we get people to our site/product/app/tool, etc… why will they keep coming back, how do we retain them as customers. We have a great “Strategic Communications Model” image I’m happy to share with anyone interested. Just email me at sarah@sevanspr.com to see it.

@leojbarnett Without having more context, here are my responses in a few scenarios: 1) If it’s a new app with zero users, invest in a PH launch 2) If it’s already launched, talk to a paid ad expert for the most effective mix (I run a PR agency, so we only deal with earned, owned and a bit of shared) 3) This budget means the app isn’t yet ready for PR as it’s a long-term commitment that requires a monthly budget

@brian_ficho We spend a lot of time consulting executives on this very thing. You’re not alone — many executives don’t have time or don’t love being so “public.” It’s important to take time to think about what can be dubbed your “personal brand,” and how you want to share a part of yourself with others. What WILL you talk about? What WON’T you talk about? (This is as important) Where do you want to share? How do you want to share? (Written, audio, video) Start with these four and some sort of cadence you can commit to — daily, weekly or monthly.

@sarah_evans1 great feedback. I wonder if there’s an opportunity for sort of light PR product that helps founders/execs built out a strategy that they can then execute

@product_at_producthunt Hi Michael. This is something I actually no longer use, but when I first started my company in the “early days” of social media it was essentially what I called myself before “influencer” was a thing. Our team created social content for brands at major events — which isn’t even something we offer any longer. You could say that now this has evolved into being advocates and champions for our Sevans PR clients.

@stefaniya_sparysheva LOVE this question. Email me for a copy of our “Strategic Communications Model” image to help visualize. I recommend the following: 1) Key Messaging Guide — think of this as your brand’s “source of truth” document that is used for ALL things (ensures consistent messaging and starts to bring everything together) 2) Monthly Storylines Activity — by vertical —> by audience —— identify 2-3 ideas that could resonate with media at least one-month prior (minus mainstream TV, which book out months in advance), and then work backwards to isolate which reporters might be likely to cover and begin conducting outreach. DO NOT spray and pray these messages to a large list, but take time to highly target and curate (this is where have a professional in the mix makes a huge difference)

@rodrigo_irarrazaval Product Hunt — join, participate and launch. If you’re talking about media relations specifically, this isn’t a hack as it takes time, but spend a significant amount of time looking for a journalist who would TRULY be interested in what you’re building or launching and reach out to build a relationship before every pitching them a story.

@wesley83 Hi my friend!!! So great to see your question pop up. YES — I will be there and we absolutely must meet up. Can’t wait!!!

@imrul_kayes Hi! MVP launches are a prime opportunity for startups to reel in publicity, new investors and customers and overall make noise around your product. It's important to plan ahead and ensure the PR professionals and marketers on your team are fully dialed in on every aspect of the launch - including the technicalities of the product itself. Before launch, ensure your social assets are up to date and that content has been planned for your company page and the team's personal accounts. On the PR side, An earned media relations approach plays a huge role in any launch. Media assets should be prepared a month in advance and you should begin reaching out to key media personnel a few weeks in advance. Can you offer a journalist a demo? Does it make sense to issue a press release? Are you interview ready and do you know how to answer tricky questions? It's important to take the time to prep and execute. If all of this is done well it can land you some incredible reach.

@parekh_tanmay Hi Tanmay. I actually run a mid-size agency, so we have a full team and it requires lots of infrastructure to keep things running effectively. Some day I’d like to package these together as a tool suite for other PR agencies (will have to use PH!). Slack Otter.AI ToDoIst Calendly Propel Notability google drive Sign Now Muck Rack

@indu_thangamuthu Right now, the best platform to build followers on quickly is TikTok. So if you’re looking for a numbers game, this is the place to build a strategy and focus. If your target customers aren’t there or it’s not converting, then re-think where you spend your time. It may mean smaller numbers, but more community and conversions over time.

@worldvishawn1 I could write a book about this question and so appreciate you asking it. While there are many challenges to owning and operating a PR agency, I’ll lead with a positive — I absolutely love this work and am extremely lucky that I get to do this everyday with a team I intensely admire and respect. My top 4 list of challenges, curated just for you: 1) Managing client expectations and deliverables to keep everyone happy 99% of the time 2) Business development and closing contracts (I think every founder can related to this) 3) Delivering consistent results across every account, every month and maintaining relationships with: team, customers and stakeholders 2) Being a servant-based leader (this is the way I choose to lead, and it becomes a challenge, when I’m focused on the other challenges)

@sonalidoval Hi Sonali. At Sevans PR we work with several SaaS clients (most are Series B or C stage) and it’s truly something our team loves working on. Launching a SaaS product is an entirely different strategy than the community-building stage (although building community is always important). While this is hyper-simplified, a strong launch strategy means: 1) Identifying audiences and verticals (audience e.g.: CMOs, buyers, etc…; verticals: think media beats) 2) Build out your marketing funnel (including PR / strategic comms) 3) What about this SaaS product resonates with each audience (for customers - what problem does it solve; for media - what is newsworthy, etc…) 4) Have a launch plan and that you or your team knows what is happening and when — this is everything Community-building should be omnichannel and I’m highly recommending that startups look at event-led growth to connect their community (and not become reliant only on social networks that are experiencing a transitional time).

@sarah_evans1 Thank you for your response Sarah. I really liked that you pointed out event-led growth, I believe that will create a lot of difference in community building.