5 PR tips for opening up international markets

Imagine the situation: you are on vacation in Italy, you order a cup of coffee and look forward to enjoying it, but all you get is only a tiny cup of espresso. What has happened here? An international understanding problem. And this is exactly what can happen when expanding into other markets and building international communications. Our expert Kristina shares 5 tips on how to make your startup’s communication work well outside of Germany.

1. Learn more about the market

If you want to enter new countries, your path - regardless of your ultimate PR goal - will always lead you through the presence of your startup in the relevant media. For this to work, you should internalize one rule: Different countries - different customs. PR works differently from market to market and from country to country. What is successful in one country may not appeal to your target media at all in another one. So before you start communication, try to gather as much information as possible about the country you want to expand into.

The Hofstede Insights platform, for example, can provide an initial overview of the communication style and key topics of the country in question. Here, countries and their population can be compared in terms of  humor, security thinking, and some other criteria. This information forms a basis for the direction your story could take to be successful. Another tip: Take a look at the coverage of other startups. In the U.S., for example, the classic "from-dishwasher-to-millionaire" story is still popular; in Germany, innovation and facts are more likely to hook consumers. 

2. Listen to local experts

Now you're sitting in front of your favorite search engine, googling everything about traditions, no-gos, and the perfect approach to your target media. Not a bad idea! But it can be even more purposeful to go into a direct exchange with local experts. These are, for example, freelancers or local agencies. Not without a reason, many large  companies work with a leading agency and various local agencies in the respective target markets. This is simply because the local experts have years of experience and valuable insights about  their market. 

Of course, it can also happen that these experts advise you against an idea or a topic that has worked so well in your home market! Even if it hurts a bit at first: Give due consideration to such comments. Of course, you can and should question every piece of advice. If an assessment is good and correct, your counterpart will be able to convince you with new insights and assessments - and you will learn something about the new market. 

In practice, there are amusing negative examples of embarrassing campaigns by big brands and corporations that could have been avoided by swapping with local contacts. "Pepsi brings you back to life" turned into  "Pepsi resurrects your ancestors" in China and Pampers wrongly assumed that in Japan they also knew the story of the stork bringing babies - Surprise: They didn't. 

3. Do not translate - localize! 

Run an original press release once through DeepL, have it read over again, and go live...STOP! You are about to make one of the most essential and yet so often practiced mistakes of international PR. PR simply works too differently to be successful with a universal press release in different markets. Instead of translating, you should localize. That means questioning the information, numbers, and structure of your press release - and even whether a press release is the right way to deliver your message to your target media. 

For example, you have some interesting figures and insights for the German market and you share them with the German media in a press release. This is a great topic for the German market, the relevance is assured. But if you share this press release 1:1 in France, for example, you will have no chance. So think carefully about how you can add value. Maybe you can use the figures for international comparison. The same applies to your startup story. While German startup media are certainly interested in a well-prepared story, you should think about what your hook can be for other markets to be present there as well. 

4. Get an overview of the media landscape

To get your message across to your target audience, you need to understand the media landscape in other markets at least as well as you do in your home market. Therefore, make sure you spend enough time on thorough research before your first outreach: What media outlets exist, and which topics do they cover? Oftentimes, media from other regions offer certain departments or formats that you don't know in your home market, but which are nevertheless super relevant to you. 

The next step, of course, is to approach the relevant contacts. Here, it's worth developing a feel for how local journalists tick. What are no-gos? What is the best way to approach them ? What works best: e-mail, social media, or the traditional phone call? Is it appropriate to add a touch of humor and personality to your approach, or should the focus be on information and a certain distance maintained? 

5. Don't be discouraged

Experience shows: Compared to "homegrown" startups and companies, you may fin it more difficult in terms of press when expanding into other markets. It is often the case, that you have not yet built up a reputation as an expert here and have not yet established proven contacts with journalists. The key to success: Keep at it. Even if a pitch is not successful right away, or a topic or interview is initially rejected, potential contacts have at least heard of you. From then on, it's a matter of building trust, seizing opportunities, and offering relevant content.