how to get featured in the press
TRANSCRIPT
How to get featured in the press
THE BASICS• What is PR?• Why Do you need it?• How can it help you?• PR vs Marketing• When do you need PR?• Examples of PR
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Why do startups need PR?Public relations (PR) are used to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and the public.
PR helps you communicate with your audience to make sure they understand and value your company/service.
It also helps build a positive image in the public mind.
Startup PR focuses on breaking stories about new businesses and brand building
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PR & MARKETINGGreat Product + Bad Reputation = No Sales
Social media is blurring the boundaries between PR and marketing, but the difference is...
Marketing sells products and servicesPR develops relationships and builds reputation
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How can PR help you?
One good article placement can lead to a substantial increase in sales and tremendous growth.
Consumers believe Third party endorsements more than Ads.
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When do you need PR?
“You always need to think about PR, but that doesn’t mean you should chase press coverage as soon as you’ve got a company name”
“Startups should not hire a PR firm till they have customers as proof-of-concept”
Shalini Singh, Founder of Galvanise PR
•Company Announcements, Milestones, Recruiting, Business Development, Fund Raising, Staff Morale, B2B & B2C Sales, Future PR, M&A, Customer Acquisition, Strategic Partnerships, etc
There’s a lot of noise in the tech industry.
Having a PR strategy helps get your message out, and is crucial to a startup’s growth for:
•Cloudike•Project:
• Build company story to support global business aims
•Process:• Interviewed founders. Built
company intro and press kit. Distributed story to global media
•Achievements:• (Eventually) Achieved coverage on
TechCrunch, which resulted in a 10 X increase in enquiries for the service
• Achieved coverage on regional technology publications in Asia – http://tcrn.ch/1Him39g
The Press Kit – “Pure PR”1. The Boilerplate - a boilerplate is a unit of writing that can be reused
over and over , for multiple press releases, without change2. The Elevator Pitch - an elevator pitch is a short description of your
product/service3. The Press Release - PR announcement issued to the media4. Images 5. Other items
Boiler PlatePoints To Bare In Mind
• Include what your company does and for whom• Describe your strengths• Include your organization’s tagline• Use appropriate keywords for SEO• Include specific metrics• Use words that position you against competitors• Include a link to your website• Include contact details
Keep it short and simple: 100 – 150 words
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The Elevator Pitch• An elevator pitch is a short description of your product/service • In one sentence you should be able to explain your company’s mission• “my company, _(insert name of company)_, is developing _(a defined
offering)_ to help _(a defined audience)_ _(solve a problem)_ with_(secret sauce)_”.
• Imagine you’re on an elevator with a potential investor and you can only pitch to him/her during the ride
111 words
10 Tips For Writing A Press Release
1. Have a good reason for sending a press release2. Grab attention with a good headline3. Get right to the point in the first paragraph4. Answer who, what, when, where, why and how5. Include hard numbers or data points6. Make it grammatically flawless7. Include quotes whenever possible8. Make sure it is appropriately targeted9. One page is best, two is maximum10.Provide access to more information
ImagesYour Logo • Use a high-quality image of your logo that is sharp and visible
Product Photos• 1-2 should be sufficient. Make sure it’s the product you talk about in the
release
Shots of people• Make these appropriate to the audience
Video• The video should clearly back up what is said in the release• Keep it to 60 seconds or less
What is a press list“An effective press list is actually not a list,
it’s a collection of personal connections”
Effective PR relies on strong media connections. If writers already know you, they are much more likely to listen like friendships, building strong media connections will take time.
So… a press list will take time to develop, and should be looked after, like you look after your friends. Writers might change jobs, but you should keep the friendship.
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How to build a press list• Identify target publications• Identify writers who cover your ‘beat’• Record contact information and build writer profiles• Connect with them and start interacting early• Get to know their preferences / interests
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How to contact journalists“Spamming 1,000 ‘cold’ contacts will not be nearly as effective
as pitching 10 relevant people you know very well”
How to make friends with journalists• Add value to their work• Follow them on Twitter• Share their relevant work• Comment on their Writing
• Try Snail Mail• Buy them a beer• Send a highly personalized e-
mail• Keep them informed
Tips on connecting with press
• Target relevant writers• Ask writers how they like press kits
received• Send 1-2 reminders• Develop meaningful dialogs• Focus on the 5 W’s• Show your appreciation & keep the
dialog going• Keep in touch with writers• Offer support with other related stories
• Don’t demand coverage• Don’t chase up more than twice per
press release• Assume all writers have the same
preferences• Use excessive superlatives• Don’t treat Reporters like your
soapbox• Don’t make writers feel like an after-
thought• Don’t mistake ‘No’ for ‘Never’
Do Don’t
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