MAM
PR Strategies for Start-ups: Building Buzz on a Budget
Mumbai: Public relations plays a crucial role for any start-up. It’s like having someone else to vouch for your business instead of blowing its own trumpet. It helps build credibility, creates a value proposition, focuses on storytelling and attracts investors at a later stage. Usually start-ups have extremely limited resources and are often bootstrapped, with sliver budgets to scale and grow. This often seems like PR isn’t for start-ups. Well, PR stands as one of the most cost-effective elements in the business and founders can start with budgets of any size. The only thing to keep in mind is that it demands consistency – it takes time for brands to grow and create their voice in a cluttered market.
Here are top 5 PR strategies for Start-ups to maximise reach and further grow their brand.
1.Capitalise on excellent storytelling by crafting a compelling narrative
Humans have used storytelling for thousands of years to build connections with others and strengthen bonds within communities. PR is also about storytelling. When brands shed light on their motivation behind business ideas, or by reducing pain points of customers and solving their troubles through data based research, it creates a value proposition. In simpler terms, the USP of the brand is established, thereby differentiating them from their competitors or establishing a first mover advantage.
For instance, a prominent name in the fashion industry, that was primarily perceived as a mass production brand, wanted to transition to the perception of a design-led company. Through strategic PR initiatives like gathering significant traction among fashion influencers, celebrities, and prestigious fashion events, we achieved this shift by emphasising the brand’s commitment to innovative designs, quality craftsmanship, and exclusivity.
Leveraging key partnerships within our network with renowned fashion influencers and enabling the brand to reach fashion-forward consumers, we manifested couture exhibitions for our clients and innovative capsule collections with key KOLs to expand its reach to an exclusive and elite clientele. Through meticulous planning and through a design innovation led approach, we positioned them in key fashion shows alongside the best labels in the country. By aligning its messaging and positioning with the aspirations of its target audience, the brand has solidified its presence in the luxury fashion market and poised itself for continued growth and success.
2. Leverage owned, earned and shared media
First, set clear goals with founders on the PR message that the brand wants to communicate. It can be to launch the start-up, a product from the collection or an announcement of a new strategic location expansion. Then, one can leverage owned, earned and/or shared media. Owned media includes blogs, informative articles and building a robust social media presence helps start-ups gain the initial traction needed and SEO value to really stand out. Start-ups can also leverage earned media by media-training their CEOs and aligning that with the backgrounds and vision of the founders.
A key ingredient to all strategies is a compelling press kit that highlights the launch of the brand, its story with compelling visuals to take advantage of opportunities that are more personal than product-focused. Strategically collaborating with businesses that have similar target audiences and creating social media content and contests are also pivotal.
3. Invest accurately in a strategy
In the current digital age, influencer marketing plays a key role in creating and driving content for businesses in their key markets. Investing in influencers which accurately match your business views and have a high engagement rate will prove to be extremely beneficial for businesses on a budget. Be it a sexual wellness client who would like to build a niche for themselves in the market or a bootstrapped fashion client; creating unique messaging with influencers can push sales through specific and well targeted affiliate programs. This helps turn the eyeballs needed for short term boosts. This can be a pre-launch event, a digital buzz, to achieve campaign specific goals or funnel movers for geographic markets. Identifying and working with the right nano and macro level influencers can be mutually beneficial for both parties.
Further to influencer marketing is crafting clever content that is in tune with trends. This would ensure that brands are seen as entities that are well aware of industry trends and have an opinion on it. But most importantly, it’s advisable to establish a budget and the cost to benefit ratio when building out an influencer marketing strategy for brands with bootstrapped budgets.
4. Keep a proactive approach
It’s possible that a start-up may not have the budget to host an event or have a significant piece of news worthy of announcement to make frequently. This, however, doesn’t mean that PR needs to fall short. Publicists must keep a proactive approach towards it all, from constantly researching trends and connecting with the media, to creating relevant and compelling story ideas. Once a rapport is built, one must timely attend and facilitate inbound query requests to engage with budding brands. This should be a priority on the agenda for publicists.
5. Crisis Management
When working with start-ups there could be a bunch of knicks that they will need to iron out as they go along. In such times, be patient with your client. Having a robust crisis management strategy in place can help any negative press or blow outs on social media.
One size fits all cannot be the approach to PR. It’s imperative to devise plans especially curated for every business, as each one has its unique needs, aim, budget and market. In order to curtail budgets, PR can be flexibly moulded in any way as per the specific requirements of a brand. For instance, a renowned sneaker brand based in a south-east country, aimed to establish its presence in the competitive Indian market while operating on a limited budget, to test the waters in a new market before diving in. Through strategic planning and innovative thinking, we devised a unique gifting campaign targeting the exclusive sneaker community in India. The campaign involved sending exclusive merchandise as pre-invites to the launch of the exclusive store and website in India. We utilised the power of social media and digital marketing to amplify the reach of the gifting campaign, unveiling to reach a wider audience among the sneaker enthusiasts across the country. The gifting drive then served as a prelude to the website launch where we strategically tied up with influencers to unravel the UX and UI, along with the benefits of shopping online and finally launching the official store in India a month later with key media and industry KOLS.
In a nutshell, start-ups must have a PR strategy in place, regardless of the budget or the end goal. Through effective PR, new and freshly ideated strategies that fit the business’s short or long term goals are set in and targeted plans of action result in setting up a brand narrative for the targeted audience. As the strategic tool that enables effective communication, PR remains an indispensable asset for companies that when employed in the right manner can deliver immense growth.
The article is authored by Mint and Milk PR founder Komal Rukhana.
MAM
India’s experience economy grows as live events market hits Rs 17,000 crore
EY-Parthenon and BookMyShow report finds 78 per cent Indians prefer experiences over products
MUMBAI: India’s live entertainment scene is no longer just about music, comedy or festivals. It is increasingly becoming a powerful stage for brands seeking deeper connections with consumers.
A new report titled Beyond Attention, Into Immersion by EY-Parthenon and BookMyShow suggests that India’s experience economy is entering a strong growth phase, driven by consumers who are choosing memorable moments over material purchases.
According to the study, the country’s live events ecosystem, which includes concerts, comedy tours, festivals and immersive exhibitions, is estimated to reach around Rs 17,000 crore in 2025. The growth reflects a broader cultural shift in how Indians spend their time and money.
The report finds that 78 per cent of Indian consumers now prefer spending on experiences rather than physical products. From attending concerts and festivals to participating in interactive brand installations, audiences are increasingly seeking engagement, community and shareable moments.
This change in consumer behaviour is particularly evident among younger audiences who want to participate rather than simply watch. Instead of passively consuming entertainment, many now look for experiences that allow them to interact, express themselves and connect with like minded communities.
For marketers, this shift has turned experiential marketing into a strategic priority rather than a promotional add on. Brands are moving away from interruption driven advertising and towards immersive formats that allow consumers to discover, test and emotionally connect with products.
The report suggests that experiential marketing now plays a role across the entire consumer journey. It can spark brand discovery, strengthen storytelling, encourage product trials and ultimately influence purchase decisions and loyalty.
The impact is already visible. Post event surveys conducted among 7,450 attendees at major events including Lollapalooza India and concerts by Ed Sheeran and Guns N’ Roses highlight the effectiveness of these experiences.
Around 59 per cent of attendees recalled brands they interacted with during the events, while 55 per cent said those interactions increased their likelihood of purchasing from the brand. A further 63 per cent reported that brand activations actually enhanced their event experience rather than distracting from it. Nearly 29 per cent also said the interaction improved their perception of the brand.
Brands are also changing the way they approach events. Instead of simply putting logos on stages or banners, companies are building experiences into the fabric of the event itself.
Financial services brands, for example, are offering early ticket access, exclusive lounges and curated event experiences for cardholders. Fashion and beauty companies are using festivals to showcase products through pop ups, interactive installations and social media friendly spaces that encourage visitors to share their experiences online.
The scope of experiential marketing now stretches far beyond live entertainment. Retailers are designing experiential stores where customers can explore products in lifelike environments. Entertainment platforms are extending popular intellectual properties into immersive exhibitions and fan events. Technology is also playing a growing role through augmented reality and virtual try on tools that blend digital discovery with physical interaction.
Cultural festivals remain one of the most powerful platforms for such engagement in India. Celebrations such as Navratri and Holi bring together large communities, emotional participation and heightened consumer spending. For brands, these moments offer an opportunity to become part of the celebration rather than simply advertise around it.
Despite the momentum, the report notes that some companies still hesitate to adopt experiential marketing at scale. Budget constraints, limited expertise and uncertainty around measuring return on investment remain common concerns.
However, the growing body of data around consumer engagement and brand impact is gradually addressing these challenges. More marketers are expected to allocate a larger share of their budgets to experiential formats over the coming years.
Taken together, the findings point to a clear trend. As consumers seek meaning, memories and moments worth sharing, live experiences are emerging as one of the most powerful ways for brands to stay relevant in a crowded media landscape.
