How PR becomes the silent engine of your funding campaign
Long-read in response to the Eyevestor podcast "The Sharefunding Arena ", in which Eyevestor founder Gijs Dalen Meurs talks to PR & communication expert Annelies Putman Cramer (Fair Focus).
Introduction
Visibility never comes naturally. Yet PR is still too often seen as a closing item. Something you 'pick up later'. In this episode of The Sharefunding Arena PR & communication expert Annelies Putman Cramer can see why that is a strategic mistake. And how you, as an entrepreneur, do work smartly and humanly on trust - long before your campaign goes live.
Because fundraising does not start with raising money. It starts with credibility.
🎧 Prefer listening to reading? You can watch the full podcast here ⬇️ and listen to it here on Spotify, as well as on other podcast platforms.
Not a press release, but a public story
Annelies is the founder of PR agency Fair Focus. She has been working with Eyevestor for years and has helped dozens of scale-ups and founders get their story out into the world, in a way that suits them.
In this conversation with host Gijs Dalen Meurs, she emphasizes: PR is not a separate press release. It is everything you do as an entrepreneur to come to the attention of people who will matter in a meaningful way: funders, journalists, stakeholders and customers.
"You want someone else to tell your story. Not that you keep saying it yourself."
PR is therefore not about sending, but about building: relationships, reputation and rhythm.
The three phases of good sharefunding PR
At Eyevestor, we work with three fundamentals for a successful funding campaign:
Preparation – Connection – Fire moments.
Annelies shows that PR plays a leading role in all three of these phases.
- Preparation: build credibility. Show that you exist, that you have vision, that you are active.
- Connection: make your story relatable. Think of human stories, purpose, tone of voice, repetition.
- Fire & Fire Celebrate moments: Create events or publications that bring mass, urgency or momentum and make sure everything falls into place.
An example? Wine platform ONWINE organized a shareholder tasting before their funding campaign.
The result? Within two weeks, 35% of their goal has already been achieved. That's PR that works, because it's human.
Concrete tips for founders
Annelies shares practical tools that every founder can start with tomorrow:
Build a press room on your website
A central place with logos, fact sheet, recent publications and visual material.
Know who your target audience is and who the journalist is
The journalist is your bridge to the outside world. You have to convince them too.
Use repetition and rhythm
PR only works if you keep doing it. One article doesn't change anything. A continuous stream of updates, milestones, events and stories is.
Organize an event with character
Think of a breakfast session, a tasting, a theme discussion. Physical or online. Everything revolves around meeting and meaning. Not about a slick pitch.
PR + community = ambassadors
What does PR have to do with equity funding? All.
PR helps you build a community that feels connected. Those people don't get in because of just financial returns, but because they understand your mission. Because they grant you. Because they become fans. Those are your shareholders of the future.
"I am a shareholder at SharePeople myself. And ambassador. Because I believe in what they do."
And that is exactly what sharefunding aims for: investors who are more than capital.
Finally, start today
Annelies' most important lesson? Don't wait.
Most entrepreneurs start too late. Or think that PR only makes 'sense' if something gets in the newspaper. But visibility is built. With attention. With time. And with a rhythm that suits you.
Do you want to start? Start with a Q& A, a good press release and a clear message. And make sure you understand what your story is, and the rest will follow.
🎧 Listen to episode #3 now and find out how PR can accelerate your funding campaign.
The Sharefunding Arena is more than a podcast title; It's an invitation to rewrite the rules of the game and share the value of your business with the people who are most motivated to drive that value further.
Background to the title: The Sharefunding Arena
The Sharefunding Arena is for every entrepreneur who wants to grow and succeed. For the entrepreneur who is the misfit, the crazy one, the man or woman in the arena.
115 years ago, Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech that became known for one paragraph and thus came to be called the man in the arena. Google it and you will find the quote. Below is the Eyevestor free translation anno 2025.
It's not about the people on the sidelines. Not about the critics, the complainers, or the people who know exactly how you should have done things differently or better – but don't do anything yourself. The real honor belongs to you, the one who dares and continues.
You standing in the middle of the arena, with sweat on your forehead and the sleepless nights of work and fear. Who fails, falls, gets up again and continues. Not because it's easy, but because it matters. Maybe you win. Maybe not. But at least you fought. Mood, with passion, with everything you have. And even if you lose, you do so with your head held high – because you tried. Better to fail in trying, than to stay safe on the sidelines. Because that's where – in that arena – it happens. That's where we grow. That's where we make a difference.
Every day, the entrepreneur is busy with his or her passion and especially with the acute SME challenges and problems to solve. Fund your growth & Financing is always the biggest challenge, at every stage. How do you do that you are male or female in The Sharefunding Arena?
To finance your growth, preparation, connection, and fire and celebration moments are needed. The ultimate way to do that is by strengthening your own assets. Because only then will there be other opportunities to grow, finance and connect.
We discuss what is involved.
The Sharefunding Arena is for every entrepreneur who wants to grow. In 30-40 minutes, we dive into a specific theme or the story of the entrepreneur per episode. No superficial conversations, but sharp insights from entrepreneurs and experts.