In today's world, the lines between PR, marketing, and social media are blurred. Social Media has given founders the chance to promote their organizations without having to spend a lot of money; yet, founders often overlook a lot of opportunity by not exploring some of the more traditional, or not-so-traditional, PR avenues. 7 PR Secrets All Founders Should Know is a book compiled and published in honour of the late Jane Yin Bolander, a PR professional and founder of specialist PR firm JSY PR & Marketing. It explores those traditional and not-so-traditional PR avenues so that founders can get the maximum exposure for their organizations. Jane used these secrets with lots and lots of startups, professional athletes, and non-profits during her working life. Some of these secrets revolve around how traditional PR techniques, like the press release, can be used to maximize exposure, while others deal with what is actually newsworthy.
In today's world, the lines between PR, marketing, and social media are blurred. Social Media has given founders the chance to promote their organizations without having to spend a lot of money; yet, founders often overlook a lot of opportunity by not exploring some of the more traditional, or not-so-traditional, PR avenues. PR is all about getting your organization the best possible exposure so that customers or donors know how you can help them solve a problem. Essentially, you need to get people to know who you are, like what you are doing, and trust you enough to fork over their hard-earned money for your products, services, or cause.
Author quotes
Most founders think that PR is something that a college intern can do by using Mailchimp to pitch to a list of reporters discovered on the Internet. It’s usually the last thing a startup or founder or non-profit thinks of while building an organization. Even some notable startup publications think that hiring a PR firm for a startup is a vapid mistake.
As a founder, you probably struggle to figure out when to do PR, what type of PR you need, and more importantly, how to go about getting your message out to the world. Don't worry. I wrote 7 PR Secrets Every Founder Should Know for the founder who wants to understand how PR can help an organization and how to make the right decisions about whom to hire and when to hire them.
Founders are unique in that they are trying to create a product or service or movement that has not existed before. This makes getting widespread attention a lot harder since traditional media channels may not fully understand how your organization is going to change the world.
About the Author
Jane Yin Bolander (March 2, 1981 - April 3, 2017) was the founder and CEO of JSY PR and Marketing, a firm that helped professional athletes, non-profits, and startups tell their story. She had over fifteen years of PR and Marketing experience and had been running JSY PR & Marketing for over twelve years. Her clients included celebrities such as Dontari Poe, Amare Stoudemire, Lance Briggs, Anna Rawson, and Amel Larrieux.
Why LoA loves it….
As entrepreneurs and business builders, we know how important it is to get our products and brands noticed by those customers we would like to attract. We understand the power of getting people talking about our businesses and brands and acting as informal brand ambassadors. Harnessing the power of great PR can help us to navigate our way through all that market noise, help us to stand out from the crowd, and ultimately give us a share of voice and visibility. But for so many women entrepreneurs, entering into the world of effective PR can be both challenging and more than a little scary. So having an expert to walk the journey with you and to get you and your business noticed is key. This wonderful little gem of a book is filled with practical advice and tips that any entrepreneur can practically apply in their businesses each day. It is a tribute to Jane Yin Bolander, a PR guru whose legacy in the industry remains to inspire us all today through her wise words and advice, even though she is no longer with us in person. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa