How do I choose the right platform for my content?

Find out where your target customers 'hang out' by talking to them directly. Your objective is to be present on the platforms they use and to understand what types of content perform well there.

How much time should I spend brainstorming content ideas?

Spend significant time brainstorming to avoid derivative content. The Onion's method, where multiple writers submit many headlines that are then anonymously selected by a group, is an example of a robust brainstorming process.

When should a startup begin pitching to the press?

Ideally, wait until you have a sense that you are making something people want and have a launched product with some early users. Some exceptions exist for novel bio or hard science companies, but most media outlets don't cover very early-stage startups.

Should I hire a PR firm for my early-stage startup?

No, PR firms are typically too expensive for early-stage startups. Founders should handle their own PR to build direct relationships with reporters, treating it like business development.

What is the best way to pitch a story to a reporter?

Offer an exclusive to your top-choice publication. Seek warm introductions through your network rather than cold emailing, and make it easy for the reporter by drafting a concise introduction email.

What are the biggest mistakes to avoid when pitching press?

Avoid lying or fudging numbers, being pushy with follow-ups, suggesting headlines, or asking to see a draft of the article. Present yourself authentically and know your numbers, but avoid sounding like a memorized marketing robot.

How often should founders publish content before achieving product-market fit?

Creating good content takes time. If you can produce something valuable that generates significant value, publishing once a month can be sufficient. If you're creating shorter pieces, you might need to publish more frequently.

Key Moments

PR + Content for Growth by Kat Mañalac and Craig Cannon

Y Combinator

Science & Technology4 min read53 min video

Sep 19, 2018|57,311 views|1,107|33

YC Y Combinator Startup School Kat Manalac Craig Cannon

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Use PR and content marketing strategically for growth: build product first, then tell your story.

Key Insights

Prioritize building a great product ('something people want') before investing heavily in PR and content marketing.

Content marketing should be treated as a product; focus on creating valuable content that your target audience genuinely wants.

PR is not a scalable user acquisition strategy but can help with early adopters, investors, and SEO.

DIY PR by building relationships with reporters, offering exclusives, and making it easy for them to cover your story.

Both content and PR require significant time and effort; dedicate resources to brainstorming, creation, editing, and promotion.

Promote your content and any press coverage thoroughly across your own channels and networks.

FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES: PRODUCT BEFORE PROMOTION

Before diving into PR and content marketing, founders must ensure they are building a product or service that people genuinely want. This involves talking to users and validating that demand. Content and PR efforts will be wasted if the core offering is flawed. Early-stage founders should focus on writing code and conversing with users, as this feedback loop also informs content creation and PR pitches, making them more targeted and effective.

DEFINING CONTENT MARKETING AND PR STRATEGIES

Content marketing encompasses anything a company creates and distributes on its own channels, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, and social media, to attract a specific audience. PR, or press, involves pitching an independent third-party publication to gain exposure. founders must tell their startup's story clearly and succinctly, making it easy for others to repeat and spread. Content allows founders to shape this narrative themselves, while PR amplifies it to a larger audience.

STRATEGIC CONTENT CREATION: CONTENT AS PRODUCT

Treating content as a product means applying product development principles to its creation. Founders should identify where their target customers spend time online (e.g., Hacker News, Reddit, Instagram) and understand what types of content perform well on those platforms. The goal is to create content that resonates deeply with this specific audience, rather than just generating generic content. This requires deep brainstorming to move beyond obvious ideas and produce something unique.

EXECUTION AND PROMOTION OF CONTENT

Effective content creation demands dedicating real time and effort. Brainstorming should be thorough, and writing or production should be considered a significant undertaking. It's crucial to use people with domain expertise for content creation. Content must be precise and well-edited, as audience attention spans are short. Founders must also be prepared to discard subpar work. Promotion is equally vital; content needs to be shared repeatedly and creatively across various channels, even if it means repurposing for different platforms.

DO-IT-YOURSELF (DIY) PUBLIC RELATIONS APPROACH

Early-stage startups should generally handle their own PR rather than hiring expensive firms. Founders possess the deepest understanding of their company's story. PR should be treated like business development—a relationship-building activity. Allocate at least 30 minutes weekly to read industry news and identify relevant publications and reporters. Plan potential pitches around company milestones like funding rounds or new product features, creating a calendar to map out these opportunities.

CRAFTING COMPELLING PRESS PITCHES

When pitching to the press, define clear goals and target audiences. Prepare a one-sentence pitch that is jargon-free and clearly states what the company does and for whom. Expand this into a three-to-five-sentence pitch that explains the 'why'—how the company is better than existing solutions and any notable aspects of its story or market. Anticipate and draft answers to frequently asked questions reporters commonly ask early-stage startups, practicing succinctness without sounding overly rehearsed.

PITCHING TACTICS: EXCLUSIVES AND RELATIONSHIPS

Identify a strong news hook, such as a funding round or a relevant trend, and consider the timing to align with news cycles. Target specific reporters who cover your industry or stage. Offering an exclusive to a top-choice publication can increase the chances of coverage. Building relationships is key; prioritize warm introductions over cold emails. Make the introduction process easy for your potential connector by drafting a concise email for them to forward. Allow at least two weeks for the pitching and potential publication process.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND POST-PUBLICATION STRATEGY

When interacting with reporters, honesty is paramount; avoid lying or exaggerating capabilities. Be polite but persistent in follow-ups, understanding that reporters have deadlines. Do not dictate headlines or ask to see drafts before publication, as this can damage journalistic integrity. After a story is published, promote it extensively across all company channels, personal networks, and social media. Even if a pitch doesn't land, repurpose the story for your own content channels. Regularly evaluate whether the PR efforts achieved the intended goals.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Products

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●Organizations

●People Referenced

Content Marketing & PR Checklist for Early-Stage Founders

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Prioritize building something people want before focusing on marketing.

Choose content platforms where your customers actually spend time.

Dedicate significant time and the right people to content creation.

Be prepared to promote your content consistently and creatively.

Treat PR like business development: build relationships early.

Define clear goals and target audiences for your PR efforts.

Craft concise one-sentence and three-to-five-sentence pitches.

Prepare succinct answers to frequently asked reporter questions.

Offer exclusives to your top-choice publications.

Seek warm introductions to reporters whenever possible.

Allow at least two weeks for the PR process.

Promote any published articles on all your company's channels.

Analyze whether PR efforts helped achieve your set goals.

Avoid This

Rely on PR as a scalable user acquisition strategy.

Focus on brand perception over engagement or conversions early on.

Create derivative content that doesn't stand out.

Spend minimal time brainstorming content ideas.

Publish low-quality content frequently just to meet a schedule.

Outsource PR to firms too early; build those relationships yourself.

Pitch non-stories or pitch during major industry events.

Expect major publications like The New York Times to cover nascent companies.

Cold email reporters without trying for warm introductions first.

Provide reporters with emails longer than two short paragraphs.

Lie, fudge numbers, or claim capabilities you don't have.

Be pushy or follow up excessively with reporters.

Suggest headlines or demand to see a draft of the article.

Sound like a 'marketing robot' when speaking to reporters.

Be lazy after an article is published; promote it effectively.

Common Questions

Start content marketing after you have validated that you are building something people want and are confident that users are not churning. Many companies begin when they can't afford paid acquisition, treating content as a product.

Topics

Business & Entrepreneurship Startup Growth Public Relations Founder Strategy Content Marketing Early-stage Marketing Press Outreach Building An Audience

Mentioned in this video

Companies

Zapier

A company that does a lot of content marketing, with Wade Foster discussing their early strategy of creating content for Hacker News and the realization that it didn't perfectly align with their customer base.

Scentbird

A YC company that offers a perfume and makeup subscription box, known for its Instagram influencer marketing.

Front

A YC company that created a website Good Email Copy, showcasing effective email lines and templates.

New Balance

Mentioned in the context of a controversy where the alt-right endorsed them, forcing the company to issue a statement distancing themselves.

Orbi

A YC company building flying robots that help retail with inventory tracking and surveillance, used as an example for PR pitches.

Airbnb

A company mentioned as an example of using city guides for SEO and content marketing to attract users.

TripleByte

A company that helps hire engineers, with its former YC employee writing about hiring engineers, cited as an example of industry advice content.

Instagram

A social media platform mentioned as a place where customers might hang out and a channel where YC clips its podcasts.

Apple

Mentioned as a company whose reporters should not be pitched during WWDC.

The Box Company

A startup school company building smart, eco-friendly boxes for food delivery, used as an example for PR pitches.

Whirlwind

A Y Combinator company Kat Manalac helped with launches and pitches.

Y Combinator

The organization where Kat Manalac and Craig Cannon work, providing frameworks for marketing, content marketing, and press for early-stage founders.

Stripe

A company that is now making books, mentioned as an example of publishing for influencer status.

The Onion

A satirical news organization where Craig Cannon formerly worked, used as an example for headline selection and content creation processes.

Mixpanel

A web analytics service recommended over Google Analytics for early-stage companies to track user behavior on their site.

37signals

A company that makes books, mentioned as an example of publishing for influencer status.

Twitter

A platform recommended as a place to engage with journalists, as they often use it to post updates and respond to inquiries.

A social media platform mentioned as a place where customers might hang out, relevant for content marketing platform choice.

Intercom

A company providing a chat widget, with Desk Trainer writing about product and content marketing, serving as an example of industry advice content.

Amazon

Mentioned as a competitor in the retail space, which Orbi's flying robots aim to help brick-and-mortar stores compete against.

Software & Apps

Basecamp

A company that makes books, mentioned as an example of publishing for influencer status.

Facebook Pixel

A tool recommended for capturing website visitors who are logged into Facebook, enabling remarketing efforts.

Good Email Copy

A website created by Front that compiles favorite lines from various emails, tagged by situations like onboarding or company shutdown.

Product Hunt

A platform for discovering new products, mentioned as a community where engaging with users is undervalued for startups.

Herald

A tool (also referred to as Helper Reporter) where journalists post requests for help or information for their stories, which experts can respond to build relationships.

Hacker News

A news aggregator website used as an example platform for content distribution and audience engagement for startups.

Organizations

New York Times

A major publication mentioned as unlikely to cover a newly-born company, setting realistic expectations for pitch targets.

TechCrunch

A publication mentioned as an example of where startups might pitch their stories, discussing their high volume of pitches.

CNBC

A media outlet where Laura Kolodny works, who covers drones and flying industrial robots, making her a potential target for pitches from companies like Orbi.

Media

Wall Street Journal

A publication where Laura Kolodny previously worked, known for asking specific questions of early-stage startups.

This American Life

A podcast episode about The Onion's headline selection process, recommended for further learning.

People

Paul Graham

Mentioned for his essays which were popular on Hacker News and contributed to Y Combinator's early content marketing strategy.

Laura Kolodny

A reporter who previously worked at The Wall Street Journal and covers drones and industry robots for CNBC, cited as a contact for PR pitches.

Desk Trainer

Mentioned for writing about product and content marketing for Intercom.

Alex Jones

Mentioned as an example of an inflammatory figure whose association with a brand could lead to negative consequences if not managed.

Kat Manalac

Partner at Y Combinator who has helped hundreds of companies with their launches, pitches, and initial press interactions. She discusses PR strategy.

Wade Foster

Mentioned as the contact from Zapier who shared insights on their content marketing strategy.

Elon Musk

Mentioned in the context of competing for audience attention on the internet, with his appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast serving as an example.

Craig Cannon

Co-presenter at Y Combinator, responsible for creating content and podcasts, and shares insights on content marketing.

Joe Rogan

Host of the podcast where Elon Musk appeared, cited as an example of content competing for audience attention.

Products

drones

Topic covered by Laura Kolodny at CNBC, relevant for companies like Orbi that build flying robots.

Flying industrial robots