There's a pattern that we repeatedly notice at Presscloud: it's the stories about the person behind the company that yield the most. Time to analyze why.
The Pattern: Person Before Product
Take Floris Zevenbergen, who quit his job at 25 to start cultivating algae in Ghana. His press release landed in outlets like AD, Duurzaam Ondernemen, Change Inc., and VMT. Or Sybren Bies, who, at 25, grew from a student room full of cuttings to nearly 100,000 customers in 14 countries: his press release achieved an open rate of more than 82 percent and resulted in publications in De Volkskrant, AD, and De Gelderlander.
Also, Bob Stoffels and Tim Otterspoor, founders of NADA NADA, managed to secure several publications with their announcement and crowdfunding (reaching 200 percent of the goal thanks to 160 investors), including a live interview at De Ondernemer. And of course, our own founders, who once transformed a dorm room into an office while still students. That story—from a student room to 180 stores across Europe and the USA—is exactly the type of founder story this article discusses and continues to appear in the press, like Quote and recently in Dagblad van het Noorden.
Why This Works
This kind of stories immediately offers three things: you get to know the founder a bit as a person, you discover a new and exciting concept, and you root for the underdog's success. That last sentiment doesn't emerge from nowhere: in the EU, only 45 percent of companies make it past the first five years. Those who succeed, with a story rooted in something meaningful, deserve that applause in the newspaper.
Concrete details such as an age, a dorm room, or an awkward beginning make such a story tangible and shareable, and it works across multiple titles: the same founder story can interest both the local newspaper and a national daily as well as a trade magazine.
How to Build Your Own Story
Start with the figures that make your story credible: number of customers, investors, products sold. Add personal details, like age, place of residence, or a recognizable starting phase. And don't hide the awkwardness: an incorrectly estimated batch of underwear left in the US is ultimately more interesting than a polished success story.
At Presscloud, we help entrepreneurs extract that element from their story that piques journalists' interest. Start working with Presscloud and perhaps you'll soon see your own founder story featured in this blog.
