What idea is central to your business?
Image by Mike Linksvayer
Facebook’s Head of Technology Communications, Caryn Marooney, has a test for determining the strength of a message: will it “stick to your ribs?” That is, does it pass the RIBS test? Is it Relevant, Inevitable, Believable and Simple?
This is one approach to message development, one of the most important parts of pitching your story to investors, the media and potential customers.
Beyond pitching and talking to the media, message development and business development are partners. Improving one can improve the other.
Both your business and your messaging need to pass the RIBS test. That means honing in on your core service and reason for being, and knowing where to edit your message and your offerings.
A great pitch attracts reporters’ interest because it has a story that resonates with people. The “started in a garage” story is so popular in tech because it shows people battling long odds to bring their dreams to fruition. A story won’t resonate with a reporter or an audience if it’s muddled. Message development is about digging through your ideas to find the kernel of your story. Then, that central tenet is built into a narrative about your business, what it does and who it serves. A good pitch fits your story into larger narratives to show the scope of your company’s current and potential reach and importance.
The act of honing your message feeds into your business development because it forces you to find that which is central to your company. It finds your core reason for being. Until you have this hyper-focused center pinned down, your business development can’t progress.
This may at first seem contradictory to what you know about young companies. Don’t you need to be prepared to pivot? What if you choose too narrow a focus and it’s not what your customers need?
Absolutely, you must be prepared to pivot. But first develop a strong message and learn to stick to it. A powerful pivot is one that grows out of a business that has positioned itself well.
Start focused; you can grow later. Launch one product or service at a time and focus your energy. Growth comes later, once you are well grounded.
Don’t try to do it alone. Whether you are working with a cofounder or just bouncing ideas off friends and family, get feedback. It’s easy to get so sucked into an idea that you don’t see a major flaw — or a simple solution. Someone with a slightly different perspective and a different wealth of experience can always give you a sense of what your message sounds like outside your own head. Such feedback is one of your most valuable resources. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.
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Once you have a strong message, learn how to share it with the media.
