5 communication essentials for startup success

4 min read

The success of many startups often lies in strategic communication, which not only makes the brand visible but also builds trust. In a highly competitive landscape, clear, targeted communication provides startups a key advantage, helping them stand out. Every step in building a strategy matters, from understanding investor perspectives to raising brand awareness.

Know your investors and their expectations

Communication must be clear, well-considered, and tailored to specific target audiences. For many startups, investors are a crucial audience, so it’s essential to put yourself in their shoes and understand what they need to know. What do they already know about your company? What should they know? Where are they likely to look for information, and how might they interpret what they find?

Answering these questions allows you to create a strategy that enhances visibility and supports fundraising efforts. Remember, one PR activity rarely reaches all desired audiences at once. Instead, focusing each action – whether a social media post or an article – on a core message for a specific audience is often more effective and impactful.

“Remember, one PR activity rarely reaches all desired audiences at once. Instead, focusing each action – whether a social media post or an article – on a core message for a specific audience is often more effective and impactful.”

Your strategy must be substantial and well thought-out, with messages centered on what truly matters. Core messages should be consistent, clear, and woven into communication efforts to support business goals. Chasing constant novelty doesn’t help build a coherent and understandable narrative about your business.

LinkedIn: the business world’s Google

LinkedIn is becoming an increasingly crucial channel and cannot be ignored. In Estonia, over 370,000 people use LinkedIn, and globally, it has more than 830 million users. It’s the “Google of the business world” where interested parties look for company information. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure your company’s profile is polished, relevant, and filled with meaningful posts. Key team members’ profiles should also be professional and clearly showcase their expertise, the value they bring, and the mission they support. This makes it easier for potential investors to understand the company’s strengths.

Build trust through media exposure

A strong way to attract potential investors and build trust is to feature in (industry) media. News portal coverage ranks high in search engines, helps maintain a top-of-mind position, and keeps you in investors’ awareness. Media exposure supports credibility.

“A strong way to attract potential investors and build trust is to feature in (industry) media.”

If the goal is to catch investors’ attention, consider which channels and media outlets in which countries to prioritise. For example, targeting US investors means aiming for visibility in US publications. If the next funding round is likely from Estonia, focus on the local market.

Owned channels reflect your efficiency

Don’t overlook your owned channels as part of your communication efforts. If your website or social media was last updated a year ago, filled with outdated information or photos of former employees, it signals inactivity and inflexibility. Regularly check your owned channels, update recent news, and ensure all information aligns with your communication strategy.

Building a reliable brand is a marathon, not a sprint

Never assume your target audience knows everything about you or fully understands your solution. Being immersed in your field can make it feel like everyone already knows what you do, but that’s rarely the case. Building brand awareness and staying memorable requires long-term strategic work. Often, a single appearance in a news portal’s feed isn’t enough to make a lasting impression. Good communication rests on thorough planning, persistence, and engaging with your audience in ways they understand.

Successful startup investment begins with thoughtful communication

5 min read

Securing investments often depends on a startup’s public presentation and visibility. According to Robert Martin, investment manager at SmartCap, and Gregor Sibold, senior consultant at META Alpha, strategic communication gives companies an advantage when raising funds.

The process of securing investments is lengthy and can start in various ways. However, once a startup catches an investor’s attention or initial contact is made, the real research begins, specifically with a background check of the company. According to Martin, the first step is often a simple Google search. “When I hear the name of a company I’m unfamiliar with, the first thing I do is Google it to get an idea of who’s on the team and what they do. This information can usually be found on their website or LinkedIn, or for Estonian companies, the business register,” he said.

The next step involves the investor assessing whether the company aligns with their investment strategy. “If it’s a deep-tech company, I check if there are any previous media or blog articles explaining what they do and where they aim to go,” said Martin, noting that he views media coverage with a slightly more critical eye, as it’s often aimed at a broader audience.

LinkedIn and the company’s website serve as its digital business cards

Martin emphasised that a company’s website is crucial for creating the first impression for a potential investor. “A poorly constructed website or one lacking information raises doubts,” he said, adding that a professional presence on social media is a strong signal to investors that the company knows what it’s doing. “When I see a company making a conscious effort to stay visible, I sense that it’s a strategically thinking team. In Estonia, personal branding, or self-promotion, is often overlooked, but it should be much more widespread,” he noted.

In addition to the website, Martin emphasised the importance of the company’s LinkedIn profile. “If a company is well-represented on LinkedIn, it shows they understand the importance of their image,” said the investment manager. He added that if the information on the profile is sparse or inaccurate, it raises the question of whether the company has something to hide.

Early-stage startups often have empty LinkedIn profiles. “The profile seems hastily put together – there’s a one-liner and the founder has listed that they’ve been working at the company since, say, 2023. The rest of the profile and news feed are empty,” he noted. According to Martin, this suggests that the company either hasn’t started actively using LinkedIn yet or doesn’t consider it important. “Such a case is neutral to me, but it certainly doesn’t send a positive signal,” he said.

Numerous instances show that poor-quality channels or PR often lead investors to move on to other companies to save time. Martin noted that this is common among startups that haven’t previously raised capital. “If the channels are poorly set up and the information is hard to find, that’s a red flag. Even if the business model is interesting. If an investor has to choose between two similar companies and one has all its channels presented professionally, it’s likely they’ll choose the latter,” he said.

*SmartCap investment manager Robert Martin.*

“If the channels are poorly set up and the information is hard to find, that’s a red flag. Even if the business model is interesting. If an investor has to choose between two similar companies and one has all its channels presented professionally, it’s likely they’ll choose the latter.”

Clear communication is key

According to Sibold, a startup’s representation in both traditional and social media plays a critical role in raising funds. “Put yourself in the investor’s shoes and think about what they know, don’t know, need to know, and where they will start looking for information about your company. You need to take a strategic approach,” he explained.

Sibold considers a startup’s active presence on LinkedIn to be crucial for catching the attention of investors, where there are approximately 370,000 users in Estonia, as well as nearly all foreign investors. “A strong narrative, clear messaging, and employee personal branding – these illustrate the company’s value proposition and show trustworthiness,” he said.

It’s equally important to maintain visibility in the media. “Regular media coverage signals to investors that the company is a thought leader and expert in its field. Media exposure opens doors for startups that might otherwise remain closed,” said Sibold. He added that companies should seize opportunities to comment on relevant current events and, where possible, create their own news. When investors are mapping out startups in a particular field, it’s vital for any founder that their company name and story come up first in a Google search. Media exposure increases the chances of this.

Successful communication always relies on a long-term strategy that must be reflected in all the company’s messages, Sibold noted. That’s why PR agencies focus daily on ensuring their clients’ messages stand out and provide value to the media. “Ultimately, all startup’s public activities should follow the same fundamental principle – clear and impactful communication from the beginning is the cornerstone of raising funds,” he said.

Strategic communication tips for startups:

Build a thoughtful and informative website
Maintain an active and comprehensive LinkedIn profile
Ensure regular media presence and visibility
Adopt a clear and consistent communication strategy across all public messages

Investors Insights on Startups Communication in 2024

3 min read

2023 has been a year of reset and adjustment. Some companies had to shut down, while others faced tough layoffs. However, there has also been a ton of opportunity.

The META Alpha team recently interviewed Siim Teller, Tim Vaino and Yrjo Ojasaar, who have experience supporting startups through their ups and downs. They shared their insights on what matters in 2023/2024, what type of media they follow, and what topics matter for them in communication efforts. As a New Year’s present, we have included 10 questions for founders that can help you align your communication efforts.

It Starts with Your Vision

When talking with investors, one thing became clear: what matters is the vision and mission the founders have to be able to sell. Many startups are too technical initially, and looking over their experience and origin story could build trust between their startups and investors.

According to Teller, the company’s narrative is crucial: “The story that a company tells is one the most important thing,” he emphasized. Teller’s insight suggests that startup primarily sell their vision story, particularly those in the pre-seed and seed stages. A charismatic leader and a compelling story can significantly impact positioning and attract attention.

Many startups face the common challenge of not being able to effectively communicate their product to their target audience through a compelling story. Since emotions drive customers and investors, it’s important to identify their pain points and concerns to craft a narrative that resonates with them. This is where seeking the help of an unbiased third party can be beneficial. They can provide a fresh perspective and ask the right questions that help the founders tell their true origin story in a captivating and engaging way.

General Media or Social Media?

During a discussion on scoring in the media, there were varying opinions. While most investors keep up with Sifted, TechCrunch, and TechEU, accessing local news behind paywalls has become more complex. As a result, LinkedIn has become the primary communication channel. However, it was also mentioned that a single news publication can increase the valuation and generate buzz. „Your valuation could be either 3 million or 5 million, and it might depend only on 1 well-timed coverage,“ according to Ojasaar.

It’s important to have a balanced mix of general and social media. While smaller updates can be shared on LinkedIn or Twitter, sharing anything newsworthy with a larger audience is wise.

Educate Your Audience

Investors are not experts in every field; therefore, it is up to the founder or team member to educate them on the market, explain why it is a promising opportunity, and demonstrate why it would benefit them to invest in it. Additionally, it is important to highlight the team’s unique expertise to differentiate from your competitors.

Some of the participants highlighted a startup called Woola as an excellent example. They educate their customers about the growing use of fossil fuels and the market while explaining in simple terms how their product works and introducing the people behind it.

Navigating the Crowded Marketplace

The startup industry is fiercely competitive, and according to investors, your story, team, revenue, and burn rate are the key factors determining your ability to secure investments.

In this environment, how can you stand out and grab investors’ attention when the investment demand is high? The answer is by networking and contacting investors directly to ask for a coffee meeting. Alternatively, you can leverage your warm leads by talking to startups that have already been or are currently in the investors’ portfolios and learning from their experiences. You should also focus on understanding what went wrong and whether there is a potential fit between your company and the investors.

It’s important to not only focus on established investors but also to engage with younger colleagues who are constantly on the lookout for interesting companies. Doing so can increase your chances of success in securing investments for your startup.

10 QUESTIONS FOR FOUNDERS

What is our company’s narrative, and how well-defined is our vision and mission?
Are we open to seeking the assistance of unbiased third parties to provide fresh perspectives on our storytelling and communication efforts?
What media channels are most relevant to our industry, and where are our potential investors most active?
Should we prioritize traditional media outlets like TechCrunch or focus on social media platforms like LinkedIn for communication?
How can we balance general and social media to maximize our reach and impact?
What key topics do investors need to understand about our market and opportunity?
Are we highlighting our team’s unique expertise to differentiate ourselves from competitors?
Are we learning from the experiences of startups in the investors’ portfolios to increase our chances of success?
Are we proactively reaching out to both established and younger investors to diversify our network?
How are we adapting our communication strategies to align with evolving trends in the startup ecosystem?

Meta Advisory launched a start-up business line

3 min read

META Advisory, Estonia’s leading public relations advisor, has created a new business team, Meta Alpha, focused on supporting the growth of start-up companies. The team is made up of experts in startup communications and marketing.

Over the years, META Advisory has advised Uber, Starship, Lightyear, Walt, Kwota, Äio, Bikeep, Snabb, Jobbatical, MeetFrank, Skeleton, Clevon, Eleport, Futugrid, GScan and many others. “We have already spent a decade supporting the growth of dozens of Estonian tech startups – from building messaging platforms to fundraising and communicating their expansion into foreign markets. The lessons learned are simple: start-ups communicate differently from profitable market leaders. A start-up that wants to grow fast also needs an advisor who can deliver rapid and measurable results, a willingness to experiment, make mistakes and try again from the ground up. But above all, flexibility – both in terms of the forms of collaboration and the changing objectives. Based on this experience, we designed a separate team with a higher risk appetite, with working time and capacity equal to that of our start-up clients, and with the ability to take into account the particularities of the start-up’s developmental stages,” said Ann Hiiemaa, partner of Meta Advisory and head of Meta Alpha.

Just as Meta Advisory was founded at the bottom of the great financial crisis in 2009, the time to build an advisory team with a tailored approach to start-ups is now, when tech finance is struggling and more needs to be done with less. It also means that META Alpha’s service portfolio is much broader than just media relations and local PR. The team includes the market’s strongest growth marketers, SEO specialists and business advisors.

“Our strength lies in our experience – our team members have built start-ups and consulted both leading Estonian start-ups and businesses just starting out. We’ve learned from our own successes and also from difficult decisions. We know what gets results and what just burns money and energy. We focus on where we can expect results and growth,” Hiiemaa concluded.

Prior to the creation of the new business line, Meta Alpha conducted a survey among startup leaders, which clearly showed that the main focus of the companies is raising money and launching new products or services. While more than half of start-up founders do their own marketing and communication, 30% of respondents use an in-house specialist and only 10% use an external agency.

According to Lily Mägi, Head of Client Relations at Meta Alpha, there are not enough strong people and resources with a marketing communications background in the early stages of start-up development. “One person cannot cover all the marketing needs of a company. META Alpha is a marketing communications team that works with the company on everything from positioning to growth marketing. Our job is to create order where a start-up company is still in disarray – we build up the functions that support the growth of the start-up’s core business,” added Mägi, who said the survey showed that it was important for one-third of respondents to reach the world’s leading media outlets that are important to their target groups. This is why Alpha is focusing on expanding its global PR strengths. “Meta Alpha is also part of Convoy, the world’s leading technology communications network. This enables us to quickly find strong partners in all the world’s major capitals and business centres,” said Mägi.

META Alpha is a business line of META Advisory, Estonia’s leading public relations advisor, created to support the development of start-ups in the Baltic region. The team includes Madis Trei, who focuses on growth marketing, SEO specialist Annika Helendi, copywriters Maria Magdalena Lamp and Vira Suarez, and product and service development consultant Anni Sinijärv. In addition, Meta Alpha’s startup portfolio includes international technology communications network Convoy and Rud Pedersen Group companies in Europe and other Meta Advisory partners worldwide.