Communications FAQ

Communications helps people understand a company clearly: what it does, why it matters, what makes it different, and where it’s going.

It connects business strategy with how customers, employees, investors, media, and partners understand the company. My job is to keep that story clear and consistent across everyday updates, product launches, executive communications, and difficult moments.

Good communications gives people the context they need to trust the company, support its direction, or choose its products. PR is part of that broader work, with a particular focus on public reputation, credibility, and media relations.

Marketing helps attract customers and create demand. PR helps build the company’s reputation, visibility, and credibility.

They overlap: marketing can build reputation, and PR can support demand. My shorthand is that marketing helps people choose the product or service; PR helps them understand and trust the company behind it.

I start with an important business goal, whether that’s a funding round, entering a new market, launching a product, attracting enterprise customers, or preparing for an IPO.

Then I work backwards: what should people already understand and believe about the company by the time we reach that goal? That tells me which story we need to build over time.

Ahead of an IPO, for example, I’d want people to see a credible company with evidence of growth, customer demand, experienced leadership, and a clear role in its category. You can’t build that perception with one announcement. I’d develop it gradually through media coverage, data, customer stories, executive commentary, product news, and partnerships.

The same applies to fundraising. I’d build the context early: why the market matters, what makes the company different, and what demonstrates traction. Then the funding announcement reinforces the story we’ve already been building.

A company narrative is the core story that explains the business clearly and consistently: who we are, what we do, why it matters, what makes us different, and where we’re going.

I build it from the business strategy, bringing the product, mission, growth, and technology together into one coherent story. Otherwise, different teams can give the market a fragmented picture of the company.

Then I adapt the emphasis for each audience. With investors, I’d focus on the market opportunity, growth, and why the company can win. With customers, I’d focus on the problem we solve and the value we create. With employees, it’s the mission and direction. With media, it’s why the story matters now and how it connects to a wider trend.

The emphasis changes, but the core story stays consistent and connected to the business strategy.

Strategy defines where the company is going. Narrative explains that journey in a way people can understand and remember.

I start with the business goals and what we want the company to become known for. I then build stories around a few consistent themes.

I’d support those themes through media stories, research, customer examples, executive commentary, thought leadership, product news, and events. The individual stories can change, but the underlying narrative should stay consistent.

For example, if we want to be known for understanding how AI is changing customer support, I’d explore that through research, case studies, product launches, and commentary on industry news. Over time, those stories help people associate the company with that topic.

For each announcement, I ask whether it can get coverage and whether it supports the reputation we’re trying to build.

A story gets you attention once. A narrative builds what you become known for.

I’d start with a clear focus. Early on, it’s often easier to become known for solving a specific problem for a specific audience than to try to appeal to everyone.

When the audience is too broad, the message can become generic. A narrower focus helps people understand why the company matters to them and what makes it different.

I’d build a strong position in that initial market, then expand when there’s evidence that the offering is relevant to a wider audience.

One mistake I see is introducing the solution before the audience understands the problem. Companies know their category so well that they assume customers already see why the problem matters.

If people don’t recognise the problem, they’re unlikely to care about the solution. Sometimes the first job is to help them understand it.

I’d show what’s going wrong, why it matters, and what it costs the customer in time, money, or missed opportunities. Then I’d explain how the product helps.

I’d start with the audience and the objective before choosing a channel.

Who are we trying to reach? What do we want them to understand, believe, or do? And where do they actually spend their attention?

Those answers help me choose channels the audience uses and trusts.

Even a strong message can fall flat if it reaches people through a channel they don’t use or trust.

I start with what the audience cares about, rather than what the company wants to say. Journalists are asking: why would my readers care?

A product launch, partnership, or funding round isn’t automatically a compelling story. I’d look for a relevant problem, trend, or change, then find a credible role for the company through data, expertise, customer insights, or a clear point of view.

For example, instead of simply pitching an AI cybersecurity launch, I’d explore how phishing is changing, with the company contributing research and practical examples.

The company should be part of the story, but it doesn’t always need to be the whole story.

I’d ask: what’s new, why does it matter now, and who outside the company cares? Then I’d look at what makes the announcement different and whether it connects to a broader trend.

If I can’t answer those questions, the announcement may still be useful for the company’s website, newsletter, or social channels, but it may not be a strong media story.

I choose the approach based on the strength of the news and how closely it fits a journalist’s coverage. I wouldn’t send the same press release to a huge media list by default.

For a major announcement, I’d often consider an exclusive. That means giving one journalist or publication the first opportunity to report the news before offering it to other media.

This gives us more time to develop the story together, with context, data, and access to founders or executives. I’d look for a journalist who covers the category and whose audience would care about the news.

I’d agree on the scope and timing before sharing materials. Once the exclusive is published, I’d approach other media with relevant follow-up angles and use the initial coverage to build momentum.

I wouldn’t use an exclusive for every announcement. It works best when the news is strong and there’s a clear journalist fit. For other stories, targeted outreach to several relevant outlets may make more sense.

I look at both quantitative and qualitative metrics.

Quantitatively, that might include coverage volume, reach, share of voice, backlinks, traffic, or engagement.

I also look at how the company is being described. Does coverage reflect our key messages and positioning? Are we appearing in publications that matter to our audience?

The numbers show the scale of the attention. Reviewing the coverage helps me assess whether it reached the right audience and communicated the intended message.