When people Google your name or business, what shows up? That’s the heart of online reputation management, and it matters more than ever. 

Maybe you’ve noticed a few bad reviews showing up in search results. Or maybe you’re just realizing how much your online presence influences trust, whether you’re closing a sale, applying for a job, or running a business.

This article breaks it all down in plain English—no fluff or jargon. You’ll learn what ORM actually involves, how it impacts your success, and most importantly, how to take action before your reputation starts working against you.

What Is Online Reputation Management?

Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the practice of shaping how people perceive you or your brand online. It’s about making sure the first thing someone sees when they Google your name or business leaves a good impression.

Put simply, ORM is how you monitor, influence, and manage your online image. In a nutshell, these are its main functions:

• Brand protection: Guarding your image from false claims, negative reviews, or reputation attacks.
• Trust building: Increasing transparency and credibility with your audience.
• Customer engagement: Responding to feedback and building relationships publicly.

What Does ORM Involve?

Online reputation management isn’t a one-time fix, it’s an ongoing process. Here are its core components:

• Monitoring online mentions: This means keeping an eye on what people are saying about you on review sites, blogs, social media, forums, and even news articles.
• Responding to reviews & comments: Whether it’s a glowing five-star review or harsh criticism, how you respond matters. Timely, thoughtful replies can turn a negative into a positive and show you care about your reputation.
• Promoting positive content: This includes publishing blog posts, customer testimonials, case studies, or media coverage that highlights your strengths. The more good content out there, the more it pushes negative or irrelevant results down.
• Suppressing or addressing negative content: ORM doesn’t always mean deleting negative comments (which often isn’t possible). It’s about addressing the issue head-on, resolving complaints, and building so much positive content that the bad stuff gets buried or recontextualized.

6 Key Platforms That Influence Your Online Reputation

Your online reputation is shaped by more than just your website. It also includes:

• Google search results
• Review sites like Yelp, Trustpilot, and G2  
• Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram  
• Online forums like Reddit and Quora  
• Blog posts (yours or others’)  
• News sites and press releases

Proactive vs Reactive ORM

There are 2 ways to approach ORM: proactive and reactive.

Proactive ORM is all about building a strong online presence before anything goes wrong. You create valuable content, encourage happy customers to leave reviews, and stay active online so you stay in control of the narrative.

Reactive ORM kicks in when something negative appears. A bad review, a misleading article, or a social media backlash. It focuses on damage control and reputation repair.

Ideally, you want to do both. Think of proactive ORM as wearing sunscreen, and reactive ORM as treating a sunburn. One protects your reputation in the long run, while the other helps when trouble shows up.

Why Is Online Reputation Management Important?

Online reputation management isn’t just about looking good online. It affects whether people trust you, buy from you, or even find you on Google. These days, one review or comment can spread fast and change how people see you, even if you’re not part of the conversation.

Here’s why it really matters:

1. People Trust Online Opinions More Than Ads

Before making decisions, people look you up. In fact, 93% of consumers read online reviews before buying a product. Reviews are today’s word-of-mouth, only they’re permanent and public. 

What’s more, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation when they’re recent and relevant. That means your reputation online is your first impression whether it’s your Google Business profile, Yelp page, or LinkedIn search result.

2. Bad Reputation = Lost Revenue

A few negative reviews or an unanswered complaint can cost you business. Harvard Business School found that  a one-star increase in a Yelp rating can generate a 5–9% increase in revenue. Flip that around, and a one-star drop can hurt your bottom line.

And it’s not just about reviews. A poor or outdated online presence can cause potential clients or employers to go with a competitor even if your service is better. People assume your online image reflects your real-world professionalism.

3. Your Reputation Affects SEO & Visibility

Google wants to show users the most relevant and trustworthy content. That includes user reviews, star ratings, mentions in the press, and high-quality backlinks. If your brand is associated with trust and positive engagement, Google is more likely to feature your content prominently.

Also, tools like Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) mean your reputation can now influence your search rankings. If people question your credibility, so might the algorithm.

4. It’s Critical For Recruitment & Hiring

Your online reputation doesn’t just affect customers, it influences potential hires. 86% of job seekers check out employer reviews and ratings before applying for a job. A negative employer brand can not only drive away top talent but cost you more to attract them.

Companies with strong reputations see a 28% reduction in turnover and spend 50% less per hire. That’s how closely your public image is tied to internal success.

5. Reputation Shapes Long-Term Growth

Whether you’re building a business or a personal brand, your reputation compounds. A consistent, positive online presence builds trust over time, bringing in:

• More referrals
• Better customer retention
• Increased brand authority
• Greater resilience during crises

On the flip side, reputation damage, especially if unmanaged, can take years to recover from. You can’t control everything people say about you, but you can control how you respond and what you amplify. Let’s dive deeper into that a bit. 

What Happens If You Ignore Your Online Reputation?

Ignoring your online reputation doesn’t make problems go away, it just lets them shape how others see you without your input.

What Can Go Wrong?

Negative Reviews Gain Traction

A single bad review isn’t a dealbreaker, but when it goes unanswered, it can become the dominant voice. 94% of consumers say a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business. No response often reads as “we don’t care.”

Customer Complaints Can Go Viral  

Social media gives frustrated customers a megaphone and they use it especially when they feel ignored. One unresolved tweet or TikTok video can quickly spiral into a public relations headache.

Rumors And Misinformation Spread

If you’re not actively monitoring your brand, false information on blogs, forums, or review sites can spread. Once Google indexes it, it can live at the top of your search results for months or even years.

What Are The Consequences?

Lost Sales And Leads

89% of consumers check online reviews before making a purchase. If what they find is negative or worse, unaddressed, they’ll go with a competitor who looks more trustworthy.

Lower Search Visibility

Google factors in review quantity, recency, and quality when ranking local results. Poor engagement or consistent negativity can lead to declines in local SEO rankings, making you harder to find.

Higher Costs To Recover

Once your reputation takes a hit, cleaning it up isn’t easy or cheap. Crisis PR campaigns, paid reputation repair, or legal consultations can cost thousands and take months to show results.

Bottom line? Not managing your online reputation means you’re handing the mic to everyone else. If the loudest voices are unhappy ones, it’s your brand and your business that pays the price.

How Online Reputation Management Works + Examples

Online reputation management isn’t a one-time fix, it’s a continuous process. Whether you’re a business owner or building a personal brand, managing your reputation means staying active, aware, and authentic across every online channel.

Here’s how it works, step by step:

Step 1: Audit Your Online Presence

Start by searching your name or business on Google. What shows up on page one? Check your social media profiles, review sites (like Yelp, Trustpilot, Google Business), blog mentions, and forums.

You are looking to answer:

• What are people saying?
• Are there negative reviews or outdated information?
• Does your brand reflect your values?

Example: 

After a quick search, you notice most people are landing on an outdated product page that doesn’t reflect your current inventory. Your Google listing is missing new product categories, and one review mentions confusion about whether you carry certain accessories.

You update your listings, refresh your homepage content, and make sure popular sections like this golf cart accessories page are easy to find and clearly linked from your social profiles. With those updates in place, search results start highlighting more accurate, helpful content, and customer questions drop noticeably.

Step 2: Set Up Monitoring Tools

You can’t respond to what you don’t see. Use free tools like Google Alerts or paid ones like Mention, Brand24, or Reputology to get notified when someone talks about your brand.

These tools track:

• Mentions across the web and social media
• Keyword alerts tied to your name or business
• Sentiment trends (positive, negative, neutral)

Example:

After setting up alerts, you get notified about a blog post reviewing your service, something you would’ve missed otherwise. It’s positive, so you leave a quick thank-you comment and share it on social media.

Or negative comments are piling up on Facebook and Twitter, and people are frustrated that no one received a heads-up. You quickly join the conversation to acknowledge the issue and explain the steps you’re taking. 

To avoid this in the future, you set up a real-time emergency notification system so you can send instant updates to customers by voice or SMS whenever there’s an urgent change or outage. 

Step 3: Respond to Reviews & Comments

A review, positive or negative, is a chance to build trust. Thank people who leave great feedback. When facing criticism, stay calm, professional, and solution-focused.

Tips:

• Use templates to streamline responses (but personalize them)
• Respond within 24–48 hours when possible
• Take sensitive conversations offline if needed

Example: 

For businesses in the outdoor living space or home improvement, reviews often mention product durability. One customer leaves a 2-star review saying products like these outdoor cabinets didn’t hold up in coastal weather (which is ironic because it should be built for this kind of weather).

The company responds promptly, apologizing, offering a replacement, and linking to their updated line of weather-resistant outdoor kitchen cabinets designed for tougher climates. The reviewer updates their rating, and new shoppers see the brand’s accountability in action.

Step 4: Create Positive Content

Don’t just react, create. Publish blog posts, high-quality images, case studies, customer success stories, or press releases that show your values, expertise, and results. Hire an expert to create content that can push negative or irrelevant results lower in search rankings.

Ideas to create:

• Blog articles with industry tips
• Video testimonials from happy clients
• Behind-the-scenes content or employee stories
• Press coverage or award announcements

Example: 

After noticing that older, mixed reviews were showing up high on Google, you publish a blog post answering common customer questions and add fresh testimonials to your homepage. Over the next few weeks, that content starts ranking higher and gives people something better to click and trust.

Step 5: Engage On Social Media

People expect you to be present and responsive. Comment back, reshare customer stories, and join conversations that matter to your audience. Engage on your social channels, automate when needed, to help build authority and humanize your brand.

Example: 

You notice someone tagging your product in a story with great feedback. Instead of just liking it, you reshare it, add a thank-you message, and respond with a short tip to help them get even more out of the product. Not only do they become repeat customers, but they tell others and now you’ve got free word-of-mouth working for you.

Step 6: Work With Experts When Needed

If you’re overwhelmed or facing a serious issue like negative press or a fake review attack, it’s worth getting professional help. ORM agencies and tools can guide strategy, offer cleanup services, and protect your brand at scale.

Example: 

After a string of fake one-star reviews hits your Google profile, you reach out to a reputation management agency. They help you flag and remove fake reviews, launch a content campaign to highlight real customer stories, and improve your search results over the next few months. Without help, it would’ve taken much longer to bounce back.

Reputation management isn’t about faking perfection. It’s about showing up consistently and being honest. Respond thoughtfully, post regularly, and lead with integrity. Over time, people trust not just what you sell, but how you show up online.

Who Needs Online Reputation Management?

See if your brand fits into one of these categories.

Small Businesses  

Local service providers, restaurants, salons, and clinics live and die by word of mouth and today, that means reviews. A few bad ratings on Google or Yelp can scare off new customers. Managing your reputation helps you show off great service, respond to feedback, and build trust in your community.

 E-Commerce Brands  

When your entire business runs online, your reputation is your storefront. Product reviews, influencer mentions, social media comments all of it shapes buyer decisions. A strong ORM strategy helps you stay ahead of negative feedback and highlight your best customer experiences.

Solopreneurs & Freelancers  

If your name is your brand, what people find when they Google you matters. Whether you’re a coach, consultant, designer, or writer, your reputation affects referrals, pricing power, and client trust. Managing it means making sure your best work and feedback are easy to find.

Corporations  

Bigger companies face bigger risks. One employee tweet, viral video, or unhappy customer post can turn into a crisis overnight. That’s why brands invest in ongoing monitoring, crisis response strategies, and reputation repair to catch issues early and protect long-term trust.

Job Seekers & Professionals  

Recruiters and hiring managers Google applicants every time. If your LinkedIn is outdated, or if a random comment from years ago shows up in search results, it can affect opportunities. Managing your digital presence helps you look polished, reliable, and ready.

How To Manage Your Online Reputation

Managing your online reputation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It’s about building habits that keep you visible, trustworthy, and in control of your story. Here’s how you can do it consistently:

I. Claim Your Profiles Across Platforms

Secure your business name (or personal name) on platforms like Google Business, Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and industry-specific directories. Even if you’re not active on all of them, claiming your profiles prevents confusion and keeps someone else from pretending to be you.

II. Ask For & Showcase Positive Reviews

Happy customers usually won’t leave a review unless you ask. Make it easy for them to send a quick link or follow up after a purchase. Once you have great reviews, work with marketing experts to feature them on your site, in marketing materials, and on social media to build credibility.

III. Address Negative Feedback Constructively

Negative reviews aren’t the end of the world, they’re a chance to show how you handle tough situations. Respond politely, take responsibility if needed, and offer to make things right. Your reply isn’t just for the reviewer, it’s for everyone else reading.

IV. Keep An Updated Blog Or Content Hub

Publishing fresh content signals that you are active, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. A blog, resource section, or content hub also gives you control over what ranks in search results. Share tips, answer FAQs, or highlight your values.

V. Share Customer Stories & Testimonials

Real experiences from real people are powerful. Share screenshots of reviews, create short video testimonials, or write up case studies. This kind of social proof builds trust faster than any sales pitch.

VI. Run Regular Reputation Audits

Don’t wait for a crisis to check in. Once a month or at least quarterly Google your business, read recent reviews, and scan social media mentions. Look for trends, outdated info, or anything that might need attention.

VII. Stay Transparent During Crises

If something goes wrong, be upfront. Acknowledge the issue, explain what you’re doing to fix it, and follow up publicly. People don’t expect perfection, they expect honesty. Being transparent builds more trust than silence ever will.

Conclusion

Reputation is built over time, but it only takes one misstep to damage it. Managing it well means being proactive, responsive, and real every step of the way.

If you re not sure where to start or you’re ready to take your brand’s online presence seriously, 99robots offers their expertise in managing your online presence.

Ready to take control of your reputation? Visit 99robots and get a customized plan that keeps your online presence working for you, not against you.

The post What Is Online Reputation Management And Why Is It Important? appeared first on 99 Robots.

Without a strong PR strategy, your target audience will not hear your story, and competitors will dominate the conversation.

In this article, we will dive deep into PR for startups and how to craft a PR plan. We will also share the tested public relations tactics to build your credibility. 

By the end, you will know how to develop creative PR content, secure press coverage, connect with journalists, and position your brand for success.

Beyond The Buzz: How PR Puts Startups On The Map

PR for startups means you will use strategic storytelling and media outreach to:

Gain customers

Attract investors

Build awareness

How does it work?

PR is more than just press releases or sending cold emails to journalists. It is about crafting a company’s story in a way that makes people care. You need to create a narrative that resonates, whether it is about:

Disrupting the market

Solving an industry problem

Sharing a compelling founder journey

Then, you use media relations to connect with the right journalists, bloggers, and influencers who can amplify that story across different media channels.

Here’s what else is in it for your startup if you do PR:

I. Drive Organic Growth

Unlike ads, PR stories have a lasting impact. A well-placed feature can continue to bring traffic and interest long after publication. Suppose you are a marketer at a fintech startup and you earned a feature in Forbes that highlights how your products help millennials save money effortlessly.

Weeks later, personal finance bloggers link to it, and YouTube creators mention it in reviews. The result? Steady organic traffic, more app downloads, and ongoing brand recognition—without spending a dime on ads.

II. Strengthen Talent Acquisition Efforts

A strong PR presence attracts A+ talent through better employer branding. When your startup is featured in industry publications or news articles, it signals to potential hires that your company is an exciting place to work.

For example, let’s say you are at a fast-growing AI startup and you got it featured in WIRED for its groundbreaking work in automation. The article highlights your innovation, workplace culture, and visionary leadership. Weeks later, the best engineers and data scientists start applying—not because of a job ad, but because they want to be part of something big.

III. Support Crisis Management

PR is not just for good news. If issues arise, having established media relations lets you control the narrative and protect your reputation. Strong media relations mean journalists cover your side of the story—not just the crisis.

Let’s say your food-tech startup employer is facing backlash after a supply chain issue delays orders. Instead of letting rumors spread, you can quickly respond with a transparent statement on news sites to explain the fix and reaffirm customer trust. 

The result? Reputation stays intact, and trust is restored faster than if you stayed silent.

From Unknown To Unstoppable: Building A Winning PR Strategy

Go through each step with a critical eye and outline the most relevant takeaways. Later, when you meet with your team, you will have a practical roadmap to shape your startup PR strategy.

Step 1: Define Your PR Goals 

Jumping into PR without clear goals is like pitching journalists with no story—you will not get results.

A good PR strategy is more than just being featured in media outlets. You need to make sure that those features drive real business impact. 

What To Do

Know what you want your PR team to do. Do you need to:

Establish credibility

Drive website traffic

Build brand awareness

Each goal requires a different PR approach. Then, make sure you align your PR goals with business goals. So if you are launching a product, focus on securing media reviews. 

Meanwhile, if you are expanding into a new market, target industry-specific media outlets and local business publications to establish credibility with potential customers and partners in that region.

To make this step much more effective, use the SMART framework:

Let’s say you are a marketer at a startup in the outdoor niche like this backyard patio provider. Here’s what your PR SMART goal can look like:

Here’s the overall goal statement:

Within the next 3 months, secure 5 media features in top home improvement blogs and outdoor living magazines to establish credibility and build brand awareness for our patio covers. Our PR team will pitch to 10 targeted media outlets, tracking published articles, audience reach, and referral traffic to ensure success—just in time for peak patio renovation season.

Step 2: Craft Your Company’s Story

Even the best PR professionals cannot generate meaningful buzz without a story worth telling. Before launching a PR campaign, you need a clear, compelling narrative that makes people care about your startup. Use a well-crafted story to build your foundation for a strong brand identity.

In addition, your company’s story can:

Give journalist a reason to cover you

Help your customers connect with your brand

Make sure your messaging stays consistent across every channel

What To Do

Define your mission statement. To do this, clarify what the company stands for and why it exists. Keep it short, powerful, and aligned with your long-term vision, like this one from Slack:

Highlight your core company values or the principles that guide the business. Whether it is innovation, sustainability, or customer-first service, your values shape your marketing strategy.

Next, make your stories relatable because great ones should connect on a human level. Share the brand’s journey—what problem led to the startup’s creation and how does your product or service solve it?

For example, let’s say the startup is in the health tech niche like one of these shoes for elderly fall prevention. As the marketer for the company, here’s how you can pose the story:

This story connects because it is real and emotional—many families worry about aging parents losing mobility after a fall. In fact, 1 in 4 seniors falls annually, leading to 3 million emergency department visits annually. So instead of just selling shoes, this story highlights a relatable problem: seniors want to stay active, but traditional shoes do not offer safety or style.

By sharing a personal journey, you can build trust with caregivers and older adults who want a solution that feels empowering, not restrictive.

Then, package all that into a media kit. Include the startup’s origin story, key milestones, leadership bios, and brand messaging in a media kit that journalists can easily reference.

Step 3: Choose Where Your Story Gets Heard

A successful PR strategy is not about getting featured everywhere—it is about getting featured in the right places.

Your PR efforts should focus on relevant media outlets and social media platforms where your target audience already spends time. If you choose the wrong channels, your story gets lost. The goal is to put your brand in front of decision-makers, potential customers, and industry influencers who actually care.

What To Do

Identify where your audience gets their news. To do this, put yourself in their shoes. What blogs, podcasts, or industry sites do they follow? Which social media platforms do they engage with most? 

If your audience is discussing industry trends on LinkedIn but ignoring Twitter, focus your PR efforts there. You should also look at where your competitors are featured. Study their news stories and see which relevant media outlets cover them. If they are getting attention there, you can too.

Also, match channels to business goals. If you are launching a B2B product, aim for trade publications, business podcasts, and relevant discord channels. If you are consumer-facing, prioritize lifestyle blogs and social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok.

To help you with all these, hire a PR agency. Their experts can help research and compile the best channels for your public relations campaigns. 

Step 4: Create Press Releases & Outreach Pitches

Choosing the right channels does not mean journalists working there will already cover your startup just because you exist—they need a reason to care. If you do not frame your story in a way that grabs attention, your media coverage efforts will fall flat.

Use this step to develop strategic communications that position your brand as newsworthy. 

What To Do

Find a newsworthy angle. Ask yourself:

Why would a journalist care? 

Launching a product is not enough. You should:

Tie it to a trends

A problem you are solving

Industry insights that media professionals find valuable

As for the content itself, make the press release clear and concise. Get to the point fast. A press release should have a compelling headline, a strong opening, and a quote that adds depth—not fluff. 

Here’s a press release example:

For the outreach pitch, personalize it since many journalists will ignore generic emails. To do this, research their work, reference a recent article, and explain why your story fits their audience.

But you should use strategic timing when sending your pitches. Send them early in the week and align them with relevant industry events or trending topics.

Lastly, follow up without spamming. If you do not hear back, wait a few days and send a short, polite follow-up. A successful pitch is about persistence, not pestering.

Breaking Through The Noise: 5 PR Tactics For Startups

Choose the PR tactics that fit your startup’s needs. Note key actions you can take right away and start mapping out your next steps.

1. Create A Dedicated “In the News” Or Press Page To Showcase Your Startup’s Media Wins

Your startup’s media mentions are powerful—if people can find them. Create a press page on your site but make sure it is more than just a collection of links. Use it as a tool to:

Impress investors

Secure media coverage

Build trust with customers

Journalists researching the startup can also use it as quick access to your news announcements. Plus, potential customers love seeing credibility from news publications they trust.

Here’s an example of Box’s press page:

Here’s how to make the “In The News” page effective:

Include downloadable media assets, company background, and press contacts.

Add high-quality logos from every outlet that has covered your startup to boost credibility.

Hire a digital marketing agency that does web design, like 99Robots, to make your press page look professional and guarantee seamless navigation.

Refresh your page regularly with the latest news announcements, PR campaigns, and interviews.

Do not just list links—add summaries and standout quotes from each feature to create engaging content.

2. Use Social Media For PR To Turn Your PR Campaigns Into Shareable Moments

If you do not amplify it on social media channels, you are leaving exposure on the table. Why?

The media landscape moves fast, and getting featured is not enough; you need to turn press mentions into ongoing conversations. Use this strategy to extend your reach, drive social media engagement, and make your campaign part of a larger industry dialogue.

Do this right and you will increase your brand visibility and strengthen building media relations for future coverage.

Here’s how to use social media for your PR campaigns:

Pull a key quote, tag the journalist, and add an engaging caption. Here’s an example: “This startup is redefining sustainable fashion with zero-waste designs.’ Huge thanks to @JournalistName & [Publication Name] for featuring our mission! Read the full story here: [link] #SustainableFashion #PRWin”

Leverage trending hashtags to tie your PR campaign to relevant trending topics for extra reach.

Summarize major PR wins through short videos or behind-the-scenes clips to make them more shareable.

3. Leverage Paid Media Partnerships To Maximize The Impact Of Your PR Efforts

PR is known as earned media, but paid media partnerships can amplify your reach and get your message in front of the right audience faster. Relying only on organic coverage can limit exposure, especially in today’s competitive marketing mix.

So use this approach to secure high-quality exposure without waiting for journalists to pick up your story.

Here’s how to leverage paid media partnerships effectively:

Run targeted social or display ads featuring your earned media mentions.

Use native advertising to blend your content into respected media platforms for seamless exposure.

Partner with content creators who have strong media contacts and trusted audiences.

Invest in sponsored content and publish in-depth articles in top industry publications to position your brand as a thought leader.

4. Partner With A Non-Competing Brand For PR To Create Newsworthy Collaborations

Startups often struggle to build relationships with major media outlets, but partnering with another brand can change that. Get a strategic collaboration to create a fresh, newsworthy angle journalists want to cover.

Plus, instead of promoting your company alone, you leverage a like-minded brand’s credibility, audience, and reach. Use this to:

Strengthen your public relations strategy

Generate company news that feels bigger than a standard announcement

For example, let’s say you have this B2B marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Partner with a leading M&A advisory firm specializing in small business acquisitions. Together, you can release the “2025 Small Business Exit Trends Report”, which analyzes real transaction data, valuation shifts, and buyer behavior.

If the report secures a feature on Forbes, it will position both your companies as industry experts. Instead of a routine marketplace update, it can become major industry news that will help you build relationships with investors and business brokers. 

Here’s how to choose a partner and work with them effectively:

Look for a company that serves the same customers but is not a direct competitor.

Make sure their brand values align with yours because a misaligned partnership can hurt your credibility.

Launch a joint initiative, like an awareness campaign or industry report.

Host an event together, like a webinar, live Q&A, or in-person networking event, to attract press and customers.

Cross-promote on social media and share each other’s company news to maximize visibility.

Issue a co-branded press release and frame your collaboration as an innovative solution to an industry challenge.

Run a joint giveaway or offer bundled deals to engage both audiences.

5. Get Media Training For Your Founders To Deliver Powerful, Newsworthy Interviews

As a marketer, you can write the perfect pitch, secure top-tier media placements, and build an effective PR strategy—but if your founders stumble in interviews, the impact is lost.

Remember, journalists want strong, engaging sources, and a hesitant or unprepared founder can weaken your brand’s credibility. Meanwhile, media training helps them:

Control the narrative

Speak with confidence

Turn every press opportunity into a compelling story

When your founders know how to handle tough questions, highlight key messages, and engage audiences, your PR efforts become far more effective.

Here’s how to get media training for your founders:

Show them how to pivot from tricky questions back to their key messages.

Improve body language and tone since confidence is not just about words; eye contact, posture, and tone matter.

Train them for different interview formats because they need to be comfortable with live TV, podcasts, panel discussions, and written Q&As.

Hire a professional media coach to teach your founders how to handle interviews and stay on message.

Simulate real media interviews with tough questions so your founders practice staying composed under pressure.

Make sure they have clear, repeatable talking points that align with your effective PR strategy and business goals.

Conclusion

Review your PR efforts and choose one tactic to act on now. If you have media mentions but aren’t maximizing them, create a dedicated “In the News” page to showcase your wins. Need broader reach? Leverage paid media partnerships or collaborate with a non-competing brand.

Track what is working and what is not—do not just set it and forget it. If a tactic is not getting traction, tweak your approach, and test a new angle. PR is a long game, and momentum comes from smart adjustments.

To help you with your PR journey, 99Robots’ expertise in marketing can come in handy. We can help create your PR content or integrate your PR mentions on your website. Contact us now and let’s see how we can boost your public relations efforts.

The post PR For Startups: A Definitive Guide For Marketers In 2025 appeared first on 99 Robots.

You will turn 80% of your visitors into buyers if you offer them personalized experiences using Google Ads and other social media ads.

But this is not easy to implement at scale without draining all your time and resources.

This is where dynamic creative optimization (DCO) comes into play.

If you are tired of generic ads that fail to convert, this article is your roadmap to mastering DCO. We will discuss what it is, how it works, and how you can implement it to enhance your advertising strategies.

Let’s get started.

What Is Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) & How Does It Work?

Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) is a display ad technology that uses real-time data to tailor ad content for individual users. It helps you serve the right ad to the right person at the right time.

Unlike traditional static ads, which are the same for everyone, dynamic creative optimization automatically changes elements like images, text, and calls to action (CTA) based on the viewer’s data, like browsing history, location, and device.

Here is the 3-step process of any dynamic creative optimization process:

Data Collection: DCO pulls data from various sources like your website, CRM, or browsing history.

Creative Assembly: The system assembles ad components like images and headlines based on this data.

Real-Time Delivery: It serves ads dynamically that adjust in real-time to be as relevant as possible for the user.

For example, assume you own a footwear brand and a customer recently viewed running shoes on your website. If you are using DCO ads, your retargeting ad will display the exact shoes they viewed with a personalized discount offer. This will increase the chances of a conversion.

These ads are 93% more efficient than static ads and give you the following 6 benefits:

Effective Retargeting: It helps you re-engage your customers with personalized ads based on their previous interactions and effectively drives them back to your site.

Cost-Effective: You automate the creative process and optimize your ads based on real-time performance. This minimizes wasted ad spend.

Fully Automated: You free up your team to focus on strategy because the entire ad-optimization process is automated.

Hyper-Relevant Ad Content: All ad components like images, texts, and offers are customized to align with the user’s preferences. This makes your ads far more engaging than traditional static ads.

Continuous Data Integration & Broad Reach: It pulls data from multiple sources and your creative management platform. This means you can reach customers wherever they are with consistent, personalized messaging.

Creative Precision & Versatility: DCO campaigns show your customers the most effective elements through static image or video ads.

2 Levels Of Dynamic Creative Optimization

Review your ad creation process to pick which one you can use to enhance your ad campaign performance.

A. Static Units

Static DCO includes pre-made ad templates where an algorithm selects which creative elements to display. The template doesn’t change, but the dynamic content within the ad, like images or text, adjusts based on user data.

For example, if you own an airline, you may use the same ad template to display different destinations based on your user’s location. You may display flights to Paris to your customers in New York and show Tokyo flights to those in LA.

B. Dynamic Units

Dynamic DCO selects creative elements and optimizes them in real-time based on performance. The DCO system continuously learns and improves to deliver the highest-performing combination of creative elements for each individual.

For example, if you own a clothing store, you may display dynamic ads highlighting different outfits based on your customer’s location and the weather conditions there. Your dynamic ads will display t-shirts for sunny climates and warm coats for cold weather.

6 Innovative Dynamic Creative Optimization Strategies (+ Examples)

Review your current ads to see where they are falling short and pick 1-2 of the following strategies to optimize your creative performance.

1. Test Different Times Of The Day To Find The Right Time To Reach Your Audience

You will likely experience a peak in customer engagement on social media between 9 am and 2 pm from Tuesday to Thursday.

This window will vary based on your industry and audience. So, use DCO to test different times of the day and adjust your ad delivery for peak engagement. This will maximize your ad spend and increase clickthrough rates (CTR).

Do this:

Identify your peak engagement hours by analyzing your audience’s activity throughout the day with Google Analytics 4 or any other customer data management platform. Use clickthrough rates and engagement to pinpoint when exactly your audience is most active.

Use AdRoll or Criteo’s to dynamically adjust ad delivery based on real-time data about your audience’s behavior. These tools will automatically push ads during peak engagement hours to increase customer engagement.

Assess times that lead to the most conversions with time-specific performance metrics and allocate more of your ad budget to this time block moving forward.

Adjust your messaging based on time and tailor your ad messaging to reflect the time of day. For example, “start your morning right” for morning ads and “unwind after work” for evening ads.

Set up automated A/B testing for different times with Google Ads or Meta Ads Manager and schedule your ads to run at different times of the day to test performance across time zones or target markets.

This is especially useful for health and wellness eCommerce businesses like Green Supply, where timing is everything. Customers looking for wellness products like supplements often search during specific times of day when they are most concerned about their health, like early morning or late evening when they focus on personal wellness routines.

You can test different times of day to target customers with ads for products like KN95 masks from Green Supply. This will make sure your ads reach the right customers at a time they are most likely to engage.

For example, if your audience is more active in the evening, you can schedule ads that focus on relaxation products to align with their end-of-day routines.

2. Experiment With Weekly Promotions To Find What Works For Different Offers

46% of your customers need personalized communications to build trust. 

So, use DCO to test various weekly promotions and automatically adjust your ads based on which offers perform best for each customer segment. This will capture the right audience’s attention, encourage repeat visits to your website, and convert users at different stages of the sales funnel.

Here is what you need to do:

Segment your email lists and use email marketing to drive different weekly offers and target different groups, like new subscribers and high-value customers, with varying promotions. Analyze email open rates and clickthrough rates for each promotion to find groups that make the most purchases.

Use your customer’s purchase history or preferences to personalize your weekly offers based on individual customer data. For example, send them a personalized email with a buy one, get one free offer on products similar to what they previously purchased.

Predict future promotions based on past weekly promotion performance and adjust your campaigns accordingly. For example, if free shipping converts 20% more customers compared to discount offers, focus your next promotion on shipping perks instead of percentage discounts.

Schedule and coordinate weekly promotions across social media, email, and display ads to maintain consistency across all touchpoints. 

Run multiple versions of your weekly promotions with Unbounce or Optimizely using distinct offers, like percentage off, free shipping, or buy one, get one free.

This is very important for brands that sell luxury items to high-ticket customers like Whole Wood Playhouses. Customers in this niche often need time to consider purchases and might be waiting for the right promotion or discount to convert.

So, you can experiment with weekly promotions and test various offers, like percentage discounts or free delivery, to see what resonates best with your audience and encourages them to buy.

3. Automatically Update Milestone Event Ads For Relevant Ad Experience

42% of your customers feel excited when they see banner ads with a countdown to a date.

You can display ads to reflect milestone events like birthdays, anniversaries, or subscription renewals with DCO campaigns. Consequently, you will reach your customers at key points in their journey and make them feel valued.

Here’s what you need to do:

Use data triggers like birthdays, anniversaries, or upcoming events to update milestone event ads automatically. Set up workflows to trigger event-specific promotions and create personalized messages based on specific events.

Connect your calendar APIs to update your ads for holidays, local events, or customer milestones in real-time based on your customer’s location.

Identify key customer milestones with Salesforce or HubSpot and create milestone-based offers for your ads targeting high-value customers. For example, you can send a personalized 20% off ad for a customer’s 1st anniversary with your brand.

Send different ads for those celebrating their 1st versus their 5th anniversary as a customer and segment your milestone ads by individual customer behavior. Customers celebrating a longer-term relationship should receive a more generous discount or exclusive offer.

Create eye-catching dynamic ad creatives that are visually engaging for milestone ads using Canva, Adobe Express, or any other creative management platforms. Make sure your ads reflect the significance of your milestone, and add personalized messaging accordingly.

This strategy is perfect for online education and e-learning platforms like Classical Guitar Shed that need to nurture students at different stages of their learning journey.

You can automatically update ads for milestones like course completions, upcoming lessons, or subscription renewals to keep your students engaged and encourage them to stay on track with their learning for a longer term.

4. Customize Ad Content Based On Location To Encourage Purchases

88% of your local customers who search for your business on mobile will call or visit your store within 24 hours.

You can customize your ads for these customers and create separate ads for others based on their geographic location. This hyper-relevant content speaks directly to local preferences and drives in-store visits.

Here’s what you should do:

Use geotargeting to deliver relevant ads and adjust your ad content based on location to highlight local events, weather, or store availability. Promote city-specific deals and emphasize limited-time offers in nearby locations.

Use Google Analytics 4 to gather insights about where your site traffic comes from and tailor your ads to different regions based on customer behavior and preferences.

Highlight your customer’s proximity to physical stores in ads. Use Google Maps integration in your ads to show customers how close they are to your nearest store and encourage them to visit.

Use a dynamic ad platform to serve ads that feature products or services popular in a specific region or city. For example, target colder cities like Chicago or Boston with apparel choices like winter coats with specific messaging on staying warm.

Segment your audience based on location and tailor your messaging to target specific cities or regions more effectively. For example, highlight free shipping for rural audiences and fast shipping options for customers in urban locations.

Travel, events, or retail businesses that heavily rely on location-based marketing can enhance this strategy with localized product promotions. Combine this strategy with the 12 promotional product trends to create customized and relevant merchandise that resonates with specific regional audiences. This will drive both engagement and conversions.

5. Use Your Browser’s Language To Connect With Them More Meaningfully

76% of your customers prefer to buy products with information in their native language. 

Use DCO strategies to adjust your ad content’s language automatically to match your customer’s browser settings. This increases customer engagement, increases clickthrough rates, and strengthens your connection with your customers.

Here’s how you can do this:

Create language-specific content and visuals that reflect the cultural nuances and language preferences of your audiences. 

Research cultural trends and language preferences in different regions and align your ad copy with cultural context. Make sure your ad creatives and messaging match the local context. Use local slang, traditions, and humor, and avoid direct translations.

Create customized CTA buttons in different languages to make sure your ads are fully localized for better engagement. This can have a stronger impact on non-English-speaking customers.

Create language-based audience segments for email marketing campaigns and send language-specific offers to your segmented email lists.

Use Google Ads’ language settings to display ads in your audience’s preferred language. Make sure that your landing pages and other dynamic creatives in the entire user journey are also available in the same language to be consistent.

If you have international customers, tailor your content to match your target audience’s browser language. This will make the content more accessible and enhance user trust and engagement. Plus, you can pair this approach with the top 8 strategies to make your social media page stand out.

These two coupled together will make sure your brand speaks to your local audiences in a language and style they connect with.

6. Adapt Your Ad Copy Based On Current Weather To Increase Relevance

You can increase your sales by 600% with weather-related advertising.

Use DCO campaigns to achieve these results. For example, you can adjust your ad copy and imagery to reflect your customer’s current weather conditions and resonate with their immediate environment. These ads automatically feel more relevant and timely and increase interactions and sales.

Do the following:

Use real-time weather data to trigger ad updates and integrate them into your ads directly. Adjust your product offerings based on the weather conditions in the user’s location. For example, display ads for raincoats when it’s raining or sunglasses when it’s sunny in your customer’s region.

Create weather-based dynamic ads that change based on local weather. Test different weather conditions to see how your ad performance varies. 

Tailor your messaging based on temperature and customize ad copy for different temperature ranges. Use language that aligns with how your customers feel based on local weather. For example, use copy like “Stay cozy with our winter collection” to resonate more deeply with customers in colder regions.

Create and promote weather-specific product bundles that appear in ads when triggered by specific weather conditions. For example, you can bundle rain boots, umbrellas, and jackets for the rainy season.

Use location-based weather forecasting tools to forecast local weather and adjust your ads in advance. Make sure you schedule your campaigns ahead of predicted weather changes. For example, if LA is expecting a heatwave, schedule ads for sunscreen and swimwear just before the weekend.

Since this requires a deep understanding of advertising strategies and technical tools, hire a seasoned advertising executive for this strategy. This requires someone who can precisely coordinate across platforms, integrate data, and execute your campaigns creatively.

A good advertising executive can help you resonate with your audience and perfectly time your campaigns for maximum impact. 

3 Steps To Follow For Dynamic Creative Optimization

Review your current creative strategy and use the following to break it down into manageable steps.

Step 1: Use High-Quality Data To Create Your Buyer Personas & Select Your Digital Channels

Accurate, high-quality data is the backbone of successful DCO campaigns. Create detailed buyer personas to target your audiences with personalized ads that speak directly to their needs.

Here’s what to do:

Gather demographic and behavior data for your target audience.

Create detailed buyer personas and specify age, job, location, interests, and pain points.

Identify where your audiences spend time online and tailor your DCO campaigns accordingly.

Update your personas every quarter based on user interaction data.

Track user behavior on your site and refine your personas based on actual browsing habits.

Step 2: Create Multiple Messages & Ad Elements

This will help you stay consistent across various platforms, customer types, and buyer’s journey.

Do the following:

Create multiple versions of your ad creatives, like product images, backgrounds, and layouts.

Write different combinations of ad copy variations for each buyer persona so your messaging is clear and engaging.

Use a dynamic creative optimization platform to set up dynamic ad components, like headlines, CTAs, and offers, that can adjust automatically based on user behavior.

Use Google Ads Responsive Display Ads to create dynamic ad components that rearrange based on performance.

Test multiple ad formats, like static, carousel, and video, to see which resonates most with different audiences.

Refresh your creative assets every quarter to make sure they are relevant to your audience’s preferences.

Step 3: Monitor Performance & Optimize Campaigns

This last step will help you make data-driven optimizations to improve engagement and increase your conversion rate.

Do this:

Track key metrics like clickthrough rates, bounce rates, and conversion rates for your DCO campaign.

Automatically optimize your campaigns based on which creatives are performing best.

Find out which combinations of your dynamic ad elements are delivering the highest ROI and which ad performs best for different audiences.

A/B test new creative elements as your campaign progresses to keep your ads fresh and engaging.

Review your performance data monthly and use insights to inform future DCO campaigns for continuous improvement.

Conclusion

Are you ready to create ads that stand out in today’s crowded digital space?

Start with 1 or 2 of the strategies we discussed, like testing different times of the day for your ads or setting up milestone event triggers. As your campaigns grow, you can expand into more complex, dynamic ad optimization.

99Robots can help you master DCO with automated tools and expert guidance to drive higher engagement and better results faster. Contact us for a free consultation today and start building personalized, high-converting ad campaigns.

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