Ipsita Nayak On Perception Management For Young Organisations

November 23, 2017

“It is very important for a founder to be clear about the message they wish to broadcast,” states Ipsita Nayak.

Nayak is Chief Strategy Officer at 5F World, a platform for skills, startups and social ventures. She explains that publicizing a budding concern is all about speaking the right language and giving the right kind of information. “Founders must be very consistent with all they say,” she adds.

We pick her brain as she spells out perception management hacks for new businesses offering start-ups some savvy PR tips.

Major brand building mistakes you see new businesses make?

Most often, startups give out too many messages. It’s very important to speak clearly about the key value of your organization, your product and your proposition.

But startups often speak of too many things, all at once. As a result, the audience is left to decide what they take away. This makes it ambiguous, as opposed to disseminating a well thought out, single message.

What should entrepreneurs look for in the Public Relations talent they engage?

Well, startups essentially outsource Public Relations to agencies, so your partners ought to be able to give you a strategic advantage. They should be able to use their experience and customize it to your requirements.

Public Relations agencies and PR freelancers come with a wealth of experience having worked for several brands- some large, some small. They have also been through an assortment of experiences, be it the launch of a new product or new campaigns. There are agencies and freelancers who are willing to work with any business and there are some who work in specific niches. For example, if you own or work at a law firm, it would probably be best to find public relations for law firm specialists because they would have a great amount of knowledge about the industry, compare to an agent who focuses mainly on new product launches and doesn’t know much about the legal industry.

Hence, startups should essentially take advantage of the know-how that PR firms bring to the table, to capitalize on their brand image.

Your advice to startups for attracting media coverage?

First off, they must be very clear about what it is they want to declare about themselves. They must get what is typically called the ‘Key message‘ right.

Secondly, they must have interesting information about the product and the industry that they’re working in. There’s a lot of conversation happening on digital technology- so if you are in that area, it is very important to be able to answer various questions that are being raised by the industry. You must also be clear about how you and your product are helping solve a problem.

At what stage should a startup look to sponsor events? What kind of events should they sponsor and should they push products at the event.

Well this mainly depends on the sector of startups and what product they have. They must also mull over their pressing business needs, so that the sponsored event can help meet their immediate requirements.

While there is no right or wrong time, it all depends on what their end objective is and how they expect to attain it.