Here is an interesting and extremely eye-opening fact. The Bureau of Labor Statistics approximates that roughly 20 percent of small businesses fail in their first year, while 50 percent fail in their fifth year. If you’re someone who likes to look on the positive side, then what you’ve just heard is that the survival rate of small businesses in their first year is 80 percent. And while that might sound a whole lot better, you still don ‘t want to fall into the remaining percentage.

As a startup company, it is essential to get your name out there as much as possible because let’s face it, you don’t want to become part of the stats I just mentioned. Increasing your visibility helps with things like securing venture capital interest, funding, and attracting future investors. All of these are needed to ensure success but making them happen is not as easy as it sounds, especially while trying to actually run the business itself.

Would you do your own taxes if you had no previous accounting experience? My guess is the answer is no, you’d leave that for your accountant to handle. So, as you’re working to get your business off the ground, keep in mind you’ll need a strong communications program to explain your company’s goals and value. Trying to write a profile on your business is not as easy as it might sound.

Now ask yourself, would you place this in the hands of someone who doesn’t have the skill or the bandwidth to accomplish this task, or would you bring in the right people who can get the job done? My guess is you’ll choose the latter. That’s when you know it’s time to look towards working with a PR team that can help move your company forward. PR is a key management tool that can help achieve a company’s goals and improve their image and reputation, all critical components to a successful business. PR executives have the ability to shape a company’s direction through strategic messaging and storytelling. In a nutshell, they can literally change the future of a company.

How do they do this? By building a state of trust and engagement with your target audience, a PR agency is able to shine a light on your company’s vision and ensure a favorable image. At the end of the day what it all comes down to is image, it is everything, and can literally make or break a company.

Every founder and CEO wants to be mentioned in a positive light in the media, especially in top-tier industry publications. Securing good press coverage has many benefits including attracting investor interest, growing an audience, increasing brand awareness, increasing website traffic, retaining top talent, and overall, scaling the business.  

A good PR agency has both the expertise and the connections when it comes to securing media placements. Whether it be in the form of major publications, TV, or podcasts, their years of experience working with the media and the various players grants them access to an inner sanctum that isn’t easily accessible to just anyone.

If you’re still asking yourself, does my start-up business need PR right now, here are a few additional ways public relations will boost your business:

Increases Credibility

As a business owner, the goal is to build a credible brand, one that consumers can trust. You’re providing a service, something of value, and to gain their loyalty, you must have real opinions and reviews from the outside world.

Helps with SEO

Effective PR has been proven to help boost a company’s online presence. Being featured on a variety of media platforms and websites strengthens a company's SEO (search engine optimization). Repeated mentions in multiple places signals to Google that the brand is trustworthy and in turn ranks higher in Google’s search engine.

Successful coverage obtained by your PR firm should always be housed on your website. When consumers contemplate buying your product or utilizing your service, they’re more likely to do so if they see you’ve been featured in publications or media that they know and trust.

Position Your Brand as a Leader

Adding PR to a business helps to establish companies as leaders within their respective industry. Working with a public relations team helps add value to content that’s created and separates the company from its competitors. By doing so, this allows a company to position themselves as an expert as they are able to demonstrate the knowledge and expertise needed to assume that title.

PR Has a Long Reach

When done correctly, having a PR strategy in place is an excellent way to communicate with a targeted audience. Public Relations executives have long-standing relationships with various people in the media and being able to tap into their sources allows for the building of a company’s foundation with the press. Being backed by trustworthy news sources helps establish the trust factor and boosts brand awareness.

An experienced PR team provides the guidance needed to avoid common missteps and can help guide their clients in any type of situation.  PR is more than just press releases, it’s about establishing relationships with the right people who can spread the word about a business or brand, and over time, help build the strong relationships needed in order to be successful.