New Year, now what?
January always feels like standing at the base of a mountain, in fresh hiking boots and with good intentions. However, a new year also has a way of exposing the gaps we’ve been avoiding.
For many founders, tech teams and communications professionals, PR and communications sit right in that space. You know they matter. You know they influence credibility, growth and trust. Yet somehow, they’re the first things to slip when the year gets busy.
This usually isn’t down to a lack of ambition or ability. It’s more often the absence of clarity, structure and realistic commitment. Without those, PR and communications become reactive, inconsistent or quietly abandoned altogether.
Your PR and communications might have been strong last year. Or maybe it was patchy. Perhaps you had momentum but lost it amid funding delays, team changes, or the general chaos of keeping a startup alive in this ecosystem. Wherever you're starting from, the question remains: what are you going to do differently this year?
This article is meant to help with that. It’s a reset for anyone who wants to approach PR and communications with more intention this year. Let's break down what that actually looks like.
Start with a mindset reset
PR and comms work best when they’re treated as part of the job, not something squeezed in when there’s spare time. Deciding upfront that visibility, clarity and reputation matter sets the foundation for everything else. Once that decision is made, planning becomes easier and execution feels less forced.
Be clear on what you want to be known for
You can't be everything to everyone. Pick three things you want your company or personal brand to stand for this year — and commit to them consistently.
The strongest African tech brands are known for something specific. PiggyVest became synonymous with simple, disciplined saving, and Paystack built its reputation on reliability and developer-friendly infrastructure.
Your three pillars should be the ideas people instinctively associate with you — without explanation. It might be simplicity in user experience, innovation in cross-border payments, trust in healthcare solutions, or community-led growth. Whatever you choose, let those pillars guide what you talk about, where you show up, and the stories you repeat.
When people think of your brand one year from now, these should be what comes to mind. When your message is focused, recognition follows — and recognition builds trust and credibility.
Choose consistency you can sustain
Look at your schedule and be realistic. One well-executed LinkedIn post monthly is better than promising weekly content that dies by mid-March. Your audience needs to know you'll show up. Pick a rhythm that fits your life—monthly newsletter, bi-weekly LinkedIn posts, quarterly articles—and treat that commitment like any other business priority. Consistent presence builds more credibility than occasional bursts of activity ever will.
Plan for the big moments
You probably know what's coming this year. A product or feature launch, a funding round or an acquisition. Industry events where you need to make noise.
Map these out now. For each one, work backwards to build a timeline. What announcements need to happen when? Who needs to be briefed? What content needs to be created? Which journalists should get early access? Scrambling at the last minute leads to mediocre coverage or missed opportunities. Planning ahead is how you control the narrative.
Also, many teams only speak up when something feels “big enough”. In reality, progress, learning and decisions are often the most valuable stories. Clear communication is just a well-paced explanation, and that builds visibility and trust over time.
Make your founders visible
Founders and leadership teams often underestimate the value of their perspective. In reality, many of the most trusted African tech brands are closely tied to the visibility of their founders.
Executive visibility doesn’t have to be loud or overwhelming. Start with realistic, repeatable goals such as panel appearances at industry events every few months, one or two opinion pieces a year in relevant publications, or an X Space or podcast appearance where you unpack what’s happening in your sector and why it matters.
We’ve seen the impact of this firsthand. Founders like Odunayo Eweniyi (PiggyVest), Iyinoluwa Aboyeji (Future Africa), and Tosin Eniolorunda (Moniepoint) built credibility by showing up consistently — sharing how they think, what they’re learning, and speaking plainly about the problems they were solving.
For founders who feel uncomfortable with visibility or aren’t sure what to say, start smaller than you think. You don’t need a keynote or a polished thought-leadership essay. It starts with answering simple, honest questions: What problem are we solving? What have we learned building in this market? Practical insights, honest lessons, and clear opinions often resonate more than carefully branded commentary.
Visibility is a muscle and a strategic asset — one that builds trust, credibility, and long-term brand equity. The more founders show up in manageable, supported ways, the easier it becomes.
Share how you think, not just what you do
People don't need another press release about your product update. They want to understand how you see the market, what trade-offs you're wrestling with, what's working and what isn't.
Talk about your decision-making process, and share the lessons from your failures. Explain why you chose one approach over another or why you pivoted. When people understand how you think, they trust your judgment. That's what builds real credibility in the ecosystem.
Strengthen internal communication deliberately
Your external reputation starts inside your company. If your team doesn't understand where you're going or why certain decisions are being made, that confusion will leak outward through every customer interaction and media opportunity.
Make internal comms a priority—regular updates on company direction, clear explanations of strategic choices, and transparent conversations about challenges. When your team is aligned and informed, that confidence shows up in everything they do. External PR works better when internal clarity exists first.
Actually follow through
The difference between startups that win at PR & comms in this ecosystem and those that don't usually comes down to execution. Everyone has ideas and good intentions, but most founders don't consistently do the work.
Block time in your calendar for comms activities, and assign clear ownership for specific initiatives to specific team members. Build in accountability for the commitments you're making.
Monitor and respond to what matters
Set up Google Alerts for your company, competitors, and industry-specific keywords. Spend 10 minutes each morning seeing what's being said in your space. When there's a chance to add value to a conversation, take it.
When someone mentions your company, acknowledge it. When a journalist tweets asking for sources on a topic you know deeply, respond quickly. Speed matters because news moves fast and reporters often work under tight deadlines.
PR isn't just broadcasting your wins. It's being present and valuable in the conversations already happening.
Get help if you need it
Your team may have the bandwidth and skills to handle PR & comms in-house. Maybe you don't. Be real about what you can actually execute well, given everything else on your plate.
A good PR consultant or agency that understands the African tech ecosystem can be worth every dollar if they free you up to focus on product and growth. A bad one will burn through your budget and damage relationships with the journalists who matter.
So ask for references, talk to their other clients and get the help you need. Better yet, reach out to us, and we can have a chat to know if and how we could support you.
Closing thought
This year can be different, but only if you treat comms as strategic work instead of something you'll handle when you have spare time. You won't have spare time. You never do. You have to make the time.
So, New Year. Now what? Now you show up and do the work.
