Big Investment Money Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Big Headlines

The energy industry has seen a massive shift in interest toward green startups – companies devoted to renewable energy and emissions reduction. This boom in climate tech has private equity and venture capital firms investing heavily in promising startups developing renewable energy and emissions reduction technologies. According to BloombergNEF, a clean energy research group, climate tech startups raised $53.7 billion in 2021.

With this serious investment money comes serious investor expectations and startups don’t want to disappoint. Hiring a PR firm to handle the communication around a Series A or B is the first step in building brand awareness and gaining media coverage in a variety of publications. However, it’s important to have realistic expectations on results.

A Feature in a Top Tier Publication isn’t Happening

At least, not right now. While a $20 or $40 million dollar investment is a huge deal for a startup, it’s not a huge deal for a top tier newspaper. That’s just never going to be the focus for an article. Period. End of Story. So, who will cover the news? Local business news will more than likely pick it up (i.e., Houston-Headquartered Energy Tech Company Raises $X Million). In addition, energy trade publications will be interested. And while these magazines have lower readership numbers, the audience is super targeted. Everyone reading an energy trade journal are involved and interested in the energy industry.

Is coverage in a Major Publication Possible?

Yes. But have patience. The goal of public relations is building relationships with key audiences, including the media. PR firms stay on top of trending headlines. Perhaps your company has developed a revolutionary way to measure emissions and a reporter has been covering the ESG beat. A huge win for a startup company would be for a PR practitioner to connect their client with this journalist and be a potential source for a story down the road. While your company wouldn’t be the focus of the story, having your CEO quoted as a subject matter expert on the topic would be a massive success for any organization.

Startups need to realize that building a brand and relationships with the media takes time. That initial press release announcing a huge investment isn’t going to be a front page headline. Energy trade publications and local business news will be interested and cover the news, but the top tiers won’t – at least not initially. But working with a PR agency and introducing your C-suite to journalists covering the industry can build relationships that can be mutually beneficial down the road.

Are you looking for a PR firm to help with the communication around a Series A or B? Reach out to Kristen Quinn at kristen@paigepr.com to get the conversation started on how we can help your company get to the headlines.