-Is your startup’s PR strategy just a vanity exercise? Most founders make the mistake of announcing fundraising rounds like it’s a badge of honor, hoping for instant traction and credibility. But here's the truth: if you're chasing headlines without a strategy, you're wasting money.

In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Jessy Wu, founder of Encour, dive deep into the art of strategic communications and why most startups approach PR all wrong. Jessie shares her journey from VC to PR mastermind, revealing why effective PR starts with a business objective not just getting featured in big-name publications.

In this episode, you will:

- Learn why most fundraising announcements fall flat and fail to deliver ROI.
- Understand the difference between vanity PR and strategic communications.
- Discover Jessy's proven framework for building authority and influence.
- Find out why PR campaigns should never be confined to a single channel.
- Learn how to turn a fundraising announcement into a strategic, multi-channel campaign.
- Understand why attribution is so difficult in PR and how to work around it.
- Explore the importance of aligning your PR efforts with clear business objectives.

00:00 On Today's Show
01:30 Guest Intro: Jessy Wu
02:23 The Birth of Encour and Commanding the Narrative
04:24 Strategic Communications vs. Traditional PR
07:39 Measuring ROI in Strategic Communications
09:01 The Power of Press and Social Proof
15:26 Fundraising Announcements: Beyond Vanity
22:11 Crafting Compelling Startup Stories
25:40 The Role of Modern Channels in Strategic Communications
26:55 Expanding Services: From Media to Podcasts and Books
29:31 Consulting Roleplay for The Startup Podcast
30:29 Understanding the Target Audience and Their Beliefs
34:51 Effective Channels and Influencer Strategies
39:03 Strategic Communications: Lessons and Mistakes
43:36 Final Thoughts

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Key links
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Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A
The Startup Podcast website: https://tsp.show

Learn more about Chris and Yaniv
Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/
Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/
Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/

Editor: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur
Content Strategist: Carolina Franco https://www.linkedin.com/in/francocarolina/
Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/

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