With a successful closing of your fundraising round, the work doesn’t stop. The difficult part was done, but to reap all the benefits, **you have to go public with it and announce it well. ******As a founder, engaging in press relations about your investment round can be beneficial for several reasons:

1. Generate investor interest 👀 - The venture capital world is highly competitive, and investors often experience FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). By getting your investment round covered in the press, you can signal to potential investors validation by others, get in front of their eyes, and a well-executed PR release 😉.
2. Help attract potential employees, partners, or clients 🧲 - When your company is featured in the press, it increases visibility and credibility, making it more appealing to prospective employees. People are more likely to consider joining a company they have heard about positively in the media.
3. Enhance your company's SEO 🔍 (Search Engine Optimization) - Links from reputable news publications can increase your website's authority in the eyes of search engines, which is an essential component of a healthy SEO strategy.

Action steps

1. Draft blurb and select photos and other visual assets. The structure of the message and tactics for media communication are below. ⤵️
2. Relationship and contact with the first (exclusive) media.
3. Preparation of press release (English, local language).
4. The message should be released to the press within days of the finalization of the investment after all the parties have signed. Never before it is binding!

Preparation, tactics, and strategy

• The Format - prepare a blurb with quotes - works best for the reporters to allow creativity.
• Languages - local language, English.
  • Save time and translate to languages of interested media Use Deepl.
  • Check your (English) grammar and syntax Use Grammarly.
• Distribution
  1. Negotiate with reporters to publish and offer exclusivity or added value.
     1. Time ⏳ - they get to publish it first  1 hour or more, potentially a day or more.
     2. Content 🌁 - they get additional information that the others don’t.
     3. Barter 🔂 - offer something in exchange perhaps a feature again, or exclusivity moving forward…
     4. Combine them 🧱 - provide value to get your story through.
  2. Set time and order of publishing.
     • Try to play on more nodes based on the preference and clout of the media. E.g. a deeptech startup.
       • Exclusivity to Sifted - main and hardest to get.
       • Special piece with extra personal information of the CEO with Forbes.
       • More technical information to a vertical/industry/tech-specific media.
     • For the rest (fringe media) publish a Press brief and send it out with time to publish.
  3. Send just enough ahead of the time of publishing.
     • Around 12-24 hours ahead.
     • All outlets at one time.
     • Give clear instructions to each individually.

The brief (template)

1. Subject Line
   • A compelling subject line that grabs attention.
   • Craft a subject line that succinctly communicates the key news → the successful closure of a new investment round.
2. Introduction Paragraph
   • An Engaging Overview - Write a concise and exciting opening paragraph introducing the startup, the successful funding round, and a hint at the impact on its mission.
3. (Three) Key Messages
   • Articulate the core messages, focusing on growth, investor confidence, and the impact on the product or service. Keep each message brief and impactful.
4. Key Company information
   1. 1-liner of what your startup does.
   2. Short intro of the founder(s); personal linking to the company launch and what was the initial idea/personal connection to the problem you are solving?
      • Include a quote from a founder explaining why you started the startup & why you see it was a good idea.
      • A personal story about the problem you identified, how you came up with your solution, initial traction, and customer appreciation.
   3. What is the main problem your startup solves?
   4. How has the company grown since its launch (traction, growth rate, expansion in new countries, etc.)?
   5. Latest KPIs that can describe where you currently are (number of users, partners, growth).
   6. Which geography is your startup active in now, and how do you plan to scale geographically?
   7. What is your competitive advantage (USP)?
   8. What are the current trends in your industry & what is the future potential from your perspective? Where will the market be in 5 years that makes you the potential unicorn?
5. Why TechCrunch (or whoever this is addressed to)
   • Clearly explain why TechCrunch was chosen for the exclusive announcement. Highlight how its audience aligns with the startup's vision and goals.
6. Key Details Section
   1. Detailed Information on Funding Round - avoid valuation, at most hint the size.
   2. Funding amount - be specific and potentially combine it with other transactions that can be related if you haven’t published that in an earlier message.
   3. A brief breakdown of how the funds will be used (whole runway).
   4. Names of the investors (funds) participating in the round with website links. E.g:
      • Czech Founders VC - https://czechfounders.vc/
      • United Founders - https://www.unitedfounders.vc/.
   5. A quote about your company from each investor.
   6. Vision statement/description of each investor (short paragraph).