Media relations in early-stage startup development

Abstract

The current positioning of media relations within startup ecosystems causes early-stage companies to overlook the potential of media relations and how it can support typical early-stage activities. Most public relations professionals present a simplistic view of the utility ofmedia relations, focusing primarily on credibility and reputation as the two main benefits. Whilethese are important benefits, they are not aligned with the ways in which founders and their teams in early-stage startups evaluate resource allocation.

To address this gap, the thesis sought to identify the value that media relations can provide to early-stage companies by positioning it as a tool for knowledge acquisition and learning. The thesis was conducted as case study research with semi-structured qualitative interviews with participants with experience in working at an early-stage startup, whether as an employee, consultant, or journalist covering startups. Tools such as thematic analysis were widely used, to summarize the literature and present the foundational concepts used across the study.

The findings indicate that media relations is an effective tool for knowledge acquisition and learning, primarily because one of the key benefits that arose is the validation of growth assumptions. The study identified several areas in which early-stage startups can apply this validation and use media relations as a tool to gather insights about their companies, positioning, market, and customers to further their development.

The thesis concludes by presenting a conceptual model that synthesizes insights from literature and empirical data from interviewees. The model provides early-stage startups with a structured framework to understand how media relations can support startup development and growth.