Here are 2 major PR announcements in one month in 2024 – new board members and the closing of Series A investment for Bisly.
Bisly is a smart building automation company based in Estonia, with additional offices in Germany and the UK.
During my short tenure as head of their marketing team, I managed two major PR stories in one month, along with my other responsibilities.
One story involved two high-profile additions to the board, while the other announced the closing of the Series A investment round.
Planning Process
Whether you’re a startup or a more established company, a solid PR framework is essential to securing good coverage and maximising the impact of your news.
A well-defined PR strategy will also allow you to evaluate what works internally and externally with the benefit of hindsight, helping you to improve future campaigns.
Step 1: Prioritise the news.
At Bisly, we actually had three key announcements to share: the new board members, the closing of the investment round, and the change in management.
I joined the team at the end of March and was tasked with planning the timing to maximise reach and coverage, ensuring we caught the attention of journalists and our audience before the summer holidays.
But the question remained—what should we announce first, and when?
As a team, we decided to start with the board news, distributing it primarily in Estonia, where Bisly has its headquarters and a market-leading position. This would draw attention to the company and set the stage for the bigger news related to our growth.
The decision to change the management team had been made some time ago, and the announcement of the investment round provided the perfect opportunity to share it. This would also signal the direction the company would take during its rapid growth phase.
Since it was late spring, we wanted to release the news before everyone left for their holiday destinations. This is where detailed planning and a well-organized calendar became crucial…
Step 2: Setting the dates & Calendar
As a team, we agreed on 6 June 2024 for the board announcement. I assigned a freelance PR expert to handle relations with the Estonian media and also brought in a translator. There was no need to work with a PR agency, both for strategic and financial reasons.
Managing a budget can be challenging in a startup, so prioritising tasks and managing resources effectively is essential.
The approach for the investment round was different. Our goal was to secure coverage across the EU. We partnered with Black Unicorn, the PR firm that had handled Bisly’s seed round announcement in the past.
Our discussions with them began in mid-May, giving them enough time to prepare the press release and reach out to journalists in their network.
We decided to leave a two-week gap between the board announcement and the investment round news, with the latter scheduled for the third week of June.
Step 3: Preparing the Content
New Board Members Announcement:
After gathering all the relevant information from the management team, I prepared the blog announcement in English, drafted it as a press release, and had it translated by an Estonian content writer.
Planning is key. I created a detailed plan, outlining each task, the responsible person, and the delivery dates, with some buffer time built in, of course.
Points to Consider:
- I requested quotes from the two new board members to capture their perspectives and explain what motivated them to join Bisly’s board. This highlighted the company’s strengths and potential.
- To ensure alignment, I shared the draft with these members as well. After all, the news was about both the company and them.
Series A Announcement:
As a former advertising creative, I understand how a well-crafted brief can expedite the process and improve the quality of the work.
That’s why, before our briefing session with Black Unicorn in Tallinn, I made sure to include all the relevant information in the brief, such as:
- What Bisly does, how it does it, and why
- Our values
- The news we want to share
- The priority: Series A first, management change later
- Information about our investors
- Quotes from our investors
- The key highlights
- What we want to avoid
During the briefing session, we, along with the management team, answered their questions. After a series of emails over three weeks, we finalised the press release.
I shared the draft with both the internal team and the investors to ensure everyone was aligned.
Black Unicorn was very clear and transparent throughout the process, keeping us updated on the journalists they contacted, which led to realistic yet exciting expectations on our part.
Step 4: Announcement
New board members announcement:
On 6 June, I posted the blog article on the Bisly website and made this major announcement across the company’s social media channels.
Insight:
When you’re at a startup, everything feels like big news.
But when you really have big news to share, you need to make it even bigger.
Before the announcement, motivate the team on Slack—not just with a “Hey, let’s share the news” alert, but with actionable tips. Here’s what I generally recommend:
⭐️ Share the post from our company account and add a short comment as early as possible; LinkedIn favours early engagement.
⏳ Have some time? Great! The algorithm also appreciates caption text in reposts, even if it’s short. Here are some suggestions:
💡 Great news from our team!
💡 Exciting news to share! 💪
👉 Short on time? Just hit repost!
🥴 No time at all? Like, clap, love the post. Add a comment to boost visibility and help more people see the post and hear the great news!
On the same day, I shared the links to our blog post and social media posts, along with the press release in both English and Estonian, with the Estonian media.
And then, we let the magic happen…
Series A announcement:
This was a bit trickier.
We assumed that a major tech media would be the first to break the news. After waiting a bit and delaying the release for a few days, we learnt again that journalists can react very late or change their minds (surprise surprise). This is why in PR you need to have a backup plan, including alternative media and a revised timeline.
To avoid losing more time and missing our target audience as they went on holiday in early July, our agency pivoted and reached out to other media outlets to break the news.
We also took advantage of a great opportunity for a morning radio interview with Bisly’s CEO, which helped reinforce the news in Estonia that day.
On 19 June, the news was picked up by several tech media outlets, including EU-Startups, Tech.eu, and Proptech Buzz . We also saw increased visibility on LinkedIn thanks to tags and mentions.
This approach ensured that both the board news and the Series A announcement received the attention they deserved without overlapping or overshadowing each other.
Step 5: Followup
For both announcements, I handled the circulation of news within Estonian media outlets that use English. When I noticed that a media outlet hadn’t covered the news and hadn’t responded to my initial email, I sent a polite reminder.
The follow-up emails were brief, informative, and included all relevant documents.
For the EU coverage of the Series A news, Black Unicorn followed up with their journalists and applied their PR expertise.
Step 6: Reporting
Here comes the most exciting part.
After leading two major PR campaigns within a month of joining the company, managing one with a partner and adhering to a rigid timeline, you’ve achieved your goals and the news is out. So, what comes next? Is this the end?
For me, reporting is what truly consolidates all the effort put into a project.
For the board announcement, I conducted follow-up tracking and reporting two weeks after the announcement. Google Analytics, LinkedIn, and Meta Insights were invaluable tools during this process.
For the Series A announcement, Black Unicorn provided a detailed report two weeks after the announcement, including media coverage and the media equivalent of the coverage.
Tools used: Google Analytics, LinkedIn Analytics, Meta Insights, Canva, ChatGPT, DeepL, Claudia.AI
Results
Board Members Announcement:
- 40% increase in website traffic
- Coverage in 10+ media outlets in Estonia
Series A Announcement:
- Coverage in 30+ media outlets across Europe
- 60% increase in website traffic
- First coverage in 2 German media outlets
- 40+ mentions on social media
- €28,000 Advertising Value Estimate (AVE)
Learnings
In startup life, every piece of news feels significant. However, when you have truly major news to share, you need to make it even more impactful.
Resource Mapping:
- First, identify the resources you need. Can you handle it yourself? Can your team manage it with your supervision? Do you even have a team?
PR Agency Consideration:
- If your marketing resources are limited, and everyone in the startup—from the management team to the free tea and coffee in the kitchen—is aiming for significant coverage, consider engaging a PR agency. When expectations are high, so should your approach to managing PR.
High-Quality Briefs:
- To ensure a high-quality press release and process, prepare a detailed brief for the agency. This is crucial when working with external partners, whether for PR or paid ads.
Alignment and Flexibility:
- PR involves nuances. Align key messages internally before sharing them with the agency.
- Timelines can shift in PR. Journalists might not keep promises, and unexpected news can arise. Always have a backup plan.
Realistic Expectations:
- PR requires time. Don’t expect to email a journalist on Tuesday and see your news published by Thursday.
- In Europe, some popular startup media outlets do not cover investment rounds below €10M. Avoid wasting time on these outlets if your round is below this threshold.
Reporting:
- Sharing is caring, but reporting is about respect—for the work, your team, and external stakeholders (such as new board members and investors).
- Share draft press releases and relevant documents with key individuals involved in the process.
Metrics and Analysis:
- Reporting solidifies your efforts. Set relevant metrics (such as the number of media outlets reached, AVE, social media mentions, and sentiment), analyse the results, and make them visible internally.
- While “likes” and “hearts” on social media can be considered vanity metrics, traffic is often viewed similarly in B2B marketing. Given the longer acquisition cycle in the smart building automation industry, it remains to be seen whether the significant traffic increase from both PR campaigns will translate into meaningful results for Bisly.
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