An overview of some of the things that you can do to promote your business - how to find and engage with journalists, potential clients and investors alike. If you'd like me to talk through the presentation or if you'd like me to present to you or your business - don't hesitate to get in touch.

1. eamonn.carey@mhpc.com
@eamonncarey
How to promote your business and
find partners, clients and investors
@eamonncarey

2. My first love

7. Before we start…
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8. What everyone wants
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What people get…

10. It’s not all bad though…
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11. Things to think about
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Make notes…

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Read

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Talk!!

15. Listen
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Lose your shame…

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21. Finding and engaging
with stakeholders
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Why is this important?
The personal touch ma=ers. Regardless of how big or small your company is.

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A simple process

24. How to listen
• Listen
• find the right journalists -­‐ the ones that are wriIng about your industry,
sector, funding stage, locaIon and more -­‐ and keep an eye out for ones that
present opportuniIes to engage based on something they’ve wri=en
• find the right B2B clients -­‐ who’s speaking at conferences, who’s using
startup tools, who’s being quoted in case studies in industry publicaIons,
who’s the right person to talk to within an organisaIon, who’s open to
receiving pitches
• find the right investors by researching who’s invesIng in your sector and at
your funding level, who’s interested in the countries you operate in, who
runs office hours, who speaks at conferences, who’s well regarded etc etc…
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25. Finding people - journalists
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26. Finding people - influencers
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27. Finding people - investors
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28. Finding people - sales leads
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29. What to learn
• Learn
• what are your target journalists wriIng about? What’s their Twi=er/
Instagram handle? Have they talked about how they prefer to be contacted?
What Ime zone are they in (you’d be surprised how important this is)? Have
they wri=en anything relevant to you or your business recently?
• who’s who within your target client company? Who runs the department
you want to talk to? Who seem to be the key decision makers? Who are the
people regularly quoted in trade media or who regularly speaks at
conferences? Are they premium members on LinkedIn? Do they use
Twi=er?
• which investors engage on social media? Who offers office hours or makes
themselves available? Who’s talking to people in your part of the world?
Who are you connected to through friends on LinkedIn? Who follows your
friends on Twi=er etc etc…
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30. When you engage - be personal.
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31. Engaging with people - quick tips
• Fla=er people’s egos -­‐ reply to tweets, retweets, like and more -­‐
it’s a quick and easy way to get on people’s radar
• Be personal when you’re sending your first email
• Hi x, loved your arIcle on adblocking last week. We’re working on
something similar at company Y. Would love to get your input on it’
• Hi Y, thanks for upvoIng company Y on Product Hunt, Would love to share
more info if you have five minutes…’
• Hi Z, Really enjoyed the campaign you ran with Kiip. I’d love to show Y -­‐ I
think your audience would love it…’
• DO NOT USE MAIL MERGE AND TEMPLATED MAILS
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32. Keep it simple. Really simple.
• I always aim for less than 150 words in a pitch mail
• If it’s a totally cold mail -­‐ I aim for 100 words or less
• Include links -­‐ don’t use a=achments
• Link to your media kit, videos about the product, case studies
and other relevant stuff
• Have a clear ask or next step -­‐ set up a call, follow up email, meet
in person etc etc…
• Don’t put mulIple asks into early emails
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33. Have a clear ask
• We’re launching on the 12th of December, I’d love to give you the
exclusive
• I’d love to buy you a coffe. I’m going to be in Dubai on the 5th of
January, maybe you’d have 15 minutes to meet in person then?
• Do you have five or ten minutes to chat on the phone later this
week -­‐ I’ll be quick and hopefully give you some insight into
exactly what we’re doing.
• Can you introduce me to the relevant person in your organisaIon
who deals with x
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34. Don’t be annoying…
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35. Spellcheck
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36. Be short, personal and to the point
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37. Pitching to journalists
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http://mbites.com/2015/07/01/the-press-release-is-dead/
https://www.blonde20.com/howtopitchme/

38. Engaging with clients/partners
• Everything we’ve just discussed sIll applies
• Be professional, but have a personal touch
• Perfect your pitch so that you can ask for five minutes on the
phone and get something useful out of it
• Clients and partners will always want something out of the
relaIonship, so think about how you can:
• Make them look be=er
• Make them more money
• Make their life or job easier
• Give them more free Ime by automaIng something
• Make their staff happier
• Make their customers happier
• Make their bosses happier
• Get them an end of year bonus
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Scratch itches

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Think about your unfair advantage

41. Remove friction
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42. How to remove friction
• Make it easy for people to say like you/say yes to you
• Short emails
• Short meeIngs
• Quick calls
• Link to useful informaIon
• Make it easy for people to say yes to you
• Short meeIngs
• Quick calls
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43. Ask this question…
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44. Engaging with investors
• DO NOT USE MAIL MERGE AND TEMPLATED MAILS
• Don’t talk about your valuaIon straight away -­‐ talk about the
company and what you’re raising first
• As with all emails -­‐ keep it short and to the point -­‐ Ime is a pre=y
precious commodity and the best investors will see dozens of
pitches per day, and maybe hundreds on a bad day
• When conversaIons get serious, ask about son circling -­‐ geong
that first commitment is key
• If they pass, don’t be afraid to ask for intros to others in their
network (only do this if you’ve built a li=le bit of rapport)
• Don’t be a dick -­‐ the investor community is a small one and they
gossip…
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45. Be a person and not a pitch
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46. Flattery -> funding
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Identify and remove blockages

48. Soft circle
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You have soft-circled capital when investors have expressed a conditional interest in
investing in your company, pending a certain number of conditions be met - typically
reaching a target amount or finding a lead investor who will set the terms/price for
the round - Jeff Clavier, SoftTech VC

49. Final thoughts…
• Make it easy for me to understand who you are, what you’re
doing and what you want me to do for you
• With journalists and media -­‐ think tacIcally about where you
need to be -­‐ trade press, tech blogs or mainstream media -­‐ and
target accordingly -­‐ it’s not a one size fits all approach
• With business partners and sales -­‐ be personal, parIcularly in the
early stages. Figure out how you can make their life easier/
be=er/more profitable and they will love you.
• With investors -­‐ don’t assume that everyone who has money will
spend it -­‐ you want smart money that (at least parIally)
understands your product and the market you’re in. Remember,
investors are for life….
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50. AMA
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@eamonncarey