AirPR — Quantifying the “Assist”: Making PR a key element of every GTM Strategy

PR is something no one really understands.

Those who say they do are either trying to sell you something or are telling a (mostly) harmless lie.

I’ve counseled hundreds of startups, started my own companies, and invested millions in entrepreneurs across the globe. Without a doubt, at some point, these companies have either benefitted from PR or suffered as a result of its absence.

And yet much like our culture’s fascination with reality shows and outer space, PR efficacy and its business impact are still largely inexplicable.

As of late, my skepticism about PR (being the good “Galileo” that I am) has begun to shift, and for good reason.

It started with my first meeting with Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer, co-founder and CEO of AirPR. He was earnest and passionate about his company’s mission: To provide PR pros with access to the most useful data through technology rooted in AI/machine learning and data science. Thus removing the opaqueness around how PR is impacting business goals and brand awareness.

In other words, PR measurement technology that would finally solve much of the attribution issue and essentially give hard-working, effective PR professionals a seat at the GTM executive table.

While AirPR’s team, customers, and growth were certainly impressive, not to mention they’d essentially incepted the concept of “PRTech” which is now part of the industry-wide nomenclature, I still wasn’t convinced the product really delivered on its promise. Did it really work?

So I did what every good skeptic would do: I brought in another skeptic, one who knew much more about the industry given her role as head of PR for one of my portfolio companies.

During the pitch meeting, I said nothing. I simply watched her skepticism turn to excitement as Sharam revealed a product that clearly spoke to her pain points and related to her career-long challenges about showcasing PR’s value and positioning PR as a key participant in the executives’ GTM strategy discussions.

Long story short, within days, my portfolio company became a customer of AirPR.

And here is what has become clear to me… PR not only has the ability to impact business goals and brand awareness in huge ways, but it is likely one of the most important aspects of something I am passionate about: Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy. That passion began from a simple observation — my investments succeed or fail primarily due to the efficacy of their GTM strategy.

That passion in GTM has led Storm to many marketing and sales investments (Marketo, Engagio, Cloudwords, EchoSign, Pipedrive, Prosperworks, and more). Those investments help the seller engage directly with the targeted customer to close the deal (the goal, using a hockey metaphor).

While marketing and sales are direct channels to a customer, PR, although nuanced and more difficult to articulate, “assists” the seller in reaching those customers through very important relationships with media, influencers, and advocates. I like the goal/assist metaphor because Sharam is a big hockey player.

By placing a “value” on the assist, and understanding how PR essentially impacts a business, we create new opportunities to reach our targets in a more authentic way. Something that is often lost during the marketing and sales process.

Today, I am proud to announce (TechCrunch) that Storm has led AirPR’s Series B funding along with a group of phenomenal investors including Mohr Davidow Ventures and Salesforce Ventures.

Together, we are excited about the future of AirPR, the PRTech ecosystem, and the opportunity to finally understand how the “assist” is generating both impact and revenue for every business investing time, energy, and capital in the $30 billion PR industry; and ultimately make the PR person a key player in GTM strategy discussions.