Want your venture fund to stand out in the media…and attract new LPs?
(Of course you do, b/c everyone knows fundraising is a B).
Here are a few ways VCs can leverage the media to get the edge on fundraising:
1. Prioritize Thought-Leadership Content 12 Months Out of the Year
Please don’t confuse thought-leadership with blogs.
Traditional media interviews are important — but building a backlog of ongoing thought-leadership content in reputable outlets (not on your website) is critical to displaying to future investors on how you think, how you invest, your values, and your overall “method behind the madness.”
When our venture clients have LPs directly reaching out, it’s because they have displayed a consistent stream of thought-leadership content built on unique ideas and shared values. They aren’t trying to cram a few articles in during fundraising season, nor are they calling SEO fodder “thought-leadership.” Thought-leadership should demonstrate unique-to-you insights, personal and firm focused values, and highlight who your ideal founder is and why.
Thought-leadership articles should also be highly opinionated. Opinions (and strong ones) are what attracts the right funders and founders to your firm.
2. Talk Publicly and Regularly About Your Portco’s Success
Their success is your success, and yet, too many VCs are just OK with keeping those milestones and numbers under wraps. If you want to leverage the media to attract new LPs, then you want the media singing the praises of your Portcos. This means helping them line up interviews, talking about them in your own interviews, releasing case studies, joint press releases — and ultimately encouraging them to get out there and leverage PR.
Venture Studios so far are doing this the best — but the days of the hands off VC are over. As Hollywood says, you’re only as good as your last project, so if you’re not thinking about your Portcos and your firm as a unit — you’re missing out on establishing a powerful brand narrative complete with living, breathing case studies.
Also hands-on VCs committed to Portco success get a lot more love from the media.
3. Reverse Engineer Media Coverage
One of my absolute favorite ways to hack any kind of media campaign is to reverse engineer.
Make a short list of other firms who are similar to you — and getting better media coverage. For this list, you’ll want to find the intersection between topics you’d like to speak on, and venture capital firms who are crushing their media relations.
From there, make a list of reporters who have covered this intersection and pitch them directly. In your outreach, be sure to mention their previous coverage, the colleague they’ve covered, and what else you have to add to the conversation.
Media is by far one of the best (and under utilized) fundraising partners a VC can leverage — which one of these tips are you going to try?
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