Tag: tech pr

PR Tips For A High-Impact Technology Launch

Posted on by Richard Etchison

Technology companies gearing up for a new product launches know full well they’re adding to a crowded marketplace. It can be particularly challenging for B2B startups offering SaaS or other tech services to generate visibility when the category isn’t new. But no tech company can afford to overlook the power of public relations to create anticipation, credibility, and impact for a new offering. For the company, a new product launch is the biggest news in the world. How can they make it big to the people who matter?

Tap into the larger story

Increasingly, reporters in the tech, advertising and marketing space are less inclined to do traditional product launch coverage unless the company is a top gun. The media tend to focus on Facebook, Salesforce, and Amazon, among others. To be successful, tech PR pros need to tap into a broader, buzzed-about trend to make the product launch meaningful and timely. Why is the product or service needed? What pain points does it address? For example, a startup with a new software that detects manipulated images through machine learning can join the conversation about fake news stories, the growth of AI, or information security advances. And if you can tie your offering to one of the giants like Apple or Facebook, that helps, too.

Go the media exclusive route

If you’re not Adobe or Salesforce, driving embargoed coverage for a product launch can be difficult. Smaller companies and non-unicorn startups can consider providing a single media outlet with an “exclusive” on the announcement, meaning that they get the story first. Though there’s no guarantee, exclusive access makes the time and resources spent on the story more worthwhile for the outlet in question. An entire media sector may lack an incentive to cover a smaller company’s product under embargo unless the launch is massively interesting or the category is new. In some cases it’s better to drive one great story for a new product versus attempting to generate several and coming up empty handed. For more detail about the art of offering media exclusives, see this post about how to apply it in tech PR.

Get a partner involved

In the B2B world, product launches can get a big boost when a customer or beta user is on board to be spotlighted. Reporters will take even more interest if the client is a pilot partner, and the company has success metrics or positive reviews to share at launch. Partnering with a bigger brand in a non-competitive sector can be fruitful for a launch, since the smaller company can ride on its reputation coattails. Of course, strategic partnerships must be mutually beneficial, with the kind of “win-win” outcomes neither company could have gotten on its own. But a customer-driven launch can swiftly ramp up the news value of the announcement.

Adopt an influencer strategy

Another key element that drives news value is an influencer strategy. Journalists often like to speak to sector experts, either on or off the record, to understand the potential impact of a new product or service. If a company is launching its new product at its own event or at a trade conference, the influential community members can play a role in shining a spotlight on the event before a captive audience. If the product is truly worthy, industry experts will be delighted to create the buzz. Plus, if they’re involved at an early stage, top influencers can offer actionable feedback. And if there’s a visual aspect, as in the consumer sector, top business users can be tapped to create shareable videos. But keep them short – chances are that you have a mere few seconds to make an impact.

Save the sales pitch for customers

For a product launch, it’s tempting to slip into a commercial mindset that stresses features over function. But in most cases it makes more sense to build coverage by focusing on the bigger picture. The media approach and press materials should talk about the problem that it solves, generating data to make the case. Or the PR strategy may be to tell a story about the motives of the creators, or the obstacles they overcame. That’s likely to be more memorable than acronym-laden features or jargon about how groundbreaking the launch is.

PR takes a running start

We’re big believers in early preparation for any kind of product launch campaign. First, there’s the content factor. Note that any PR or content team needs to build in time to create compelling blog posts, bylines, and videos – all of which incidentally build SEO to support the launch. Media exclusives can only be offered to one reporter at a time, and we can wait days for a decision, especially during busy seasons.

Above all, a product or service launch isn’t a one-day event. Once launch coverage is secured, the story can be told more fully over time – through customer success, market impact, education events, and longer-term influencer programs – and the successful PR has only just begun.

5 Trends Shaping Tech PR In 2018

Posted on by Richard Etchison

At times, technology PR can feel like a shape-shifting beast — large, fast-moving, and even a little intimidating. In an earlier post, we discussed what makes tech such a different animal. Now we explore some 2018 trends and issues that continue to affect the tech PR sector. Of course, by the time this is posted, a new trend will have arrived to nudge the paradigm.

5 tech PR trends

Privacy regulations

The GDPR privacy rule officially blazed into our lives in May. Some thought it wouldn’t affect U.S. marketers so much, but in today’s digital environment, everyone is impacted. And it won’t be the last data protection or privacy regulation we’ll see. In July, the state of California passed its own data privacy regulations called CCPA, and other states are sure to follow. Like many companies, PR firms need to ensure that our content marketing and other campaigns are compliant with the new regs. On the bright side, GDPR has presented opportunities for data privacy and security thought leaders to build visibility and reputation through insights and expert commentary. Data privacy issues will only grow in importance in how we work as well as how we promote clients.

Big tech’s reputation challenges

Once upon a time, Facebook, Google, and Apple were viewed as shining examples of U.S. innovation and heroes of a more socially and commercially connected future. They’re still hugely successful, but things have changed. The 2016 election and the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal accelerated what has been a gradual erosion of Big Tech’s reputation. Many have come to believe that the tech giants have too much influence and that their growth threatens user privacy and possibly our well-being as a culture. For tech PR agencies who represent early-stage companies and other technology companies, the dominance of the giants extends into the mediascape, monopolizing the attention of key journalists. Yet as much as the Big Tech players can block out the sun, savvy PR people can also take advantage of their visibility by newsjacking or responding to the latest moves of an Amazon or Apple.

Data and more data

Every major trend in tech PR revolves around the collection and application of data, from cyber-security to account-based marketing (ABM). Internally, data can inform our PR strategy and make our branded content better and more engaging. data-driven storytelling drives some of our best tech PR campaigns by winning points with journalists, boosting end-user or customer engagement, and attracting the most relevant audience. Quality data has made better PR monitoring and measurement possible. And, of course, the data we create through our own branded research for clients creates news.

Artificial intelligence

We all know AI and machine learning technologies are infiltrating many aspects of or lives. For those who work in tech PR, AI has not yet radically changed the way we do business, though it has affected who we do business with — clients in everything from analytics to supply-chain software now use AI to enhance their products and services. As AI tools revolutionize the way we consume and monitor news, PR pros may be able to get faster and more accurate reads on a social conversation surrounding a brand — and perhaps be able to neutralize a crisis before it erupts. It may also help us measure the impact of what we do — from a media placement to the full brand reputation of a client. Plus, AI tools are playing a role on the other side of the media relations coin: journalists are beginning to use AI solutions to read pitches, generate story ideas, and gauge what their audiences want to read.

On the blockchain gang

Even if you’re not part of the ICO craze, blockchain will surely affect you if it hasn’t already. The tech PR world has no choice but to get with the “distributed ledger” program. Though the applied technology is still in its early days, its future is huge. Beyond payment processing and banking, blockchain has implications for fraud verification, digital ad transparency, influencer marketing and data privacy — in short, many of the concerns tech agencies and their clients currently face. There’s even talk of future blockchain applications in the practice of PR, which may be alarming since one of the main premises of the technology is the removal of the middle-man – PR firms. Not to worry, PR people. Wasn’t the internet supposed to do the same thing?

Where Do You Find Data For PR Storytelling?

Posted on by Richard Etchison

Last week’s post covered the trend of data-driven storytelling in PR.

But where does the data come from? For many of our clients we field quarterly surveys designed to generate relevant news or insights. But there are lots of other options for PR pros to source relevant data, and many are inexpensive and fairly easy to find.

Data to power PR storytelling

Social listening sets the stage

Social monitoring and listening not only give us a heads up on customer service issues or negative PR, but they can illuminate industry trends and customer behavior. A PR campaign can include a general theme or direction found in social media data or patterns, or the social data can inform a content calendar. Social listening is also a great method for coming up with fresh ideas that will resonate with a specific target audience.
Surveys are the data gift that keep giving

Polls and surveys are time-honored PR tools for developing campaigns, fine-tuning messaging, and generating earned media and content. The survey possibilities are endless, but here are our favorites.

Omnibus surveys

They’re beloved among PRs because they’re quick and affordable. Unlike custom marketing surveys, they’re administered on behalf of multiple organizations, thus spreading the cost over many sponsors. A good omnibus is a solid way to inform thought leadership content or to grab relevant data to attract media interest. They can also be used like flash polls after a news event. If you’re a cybersecurity firm, a 1000-person survey conducted after a public security breach may show behavior change, persistent sloppy password habits or new attitudes about smart home devices. Whatever the outcome, it’s likely to yield fascinating material for content. Media love poll-results story pitches, especially when accompanied by visuals like infographics. See our earlier post for more on how to make surveys work for PR.

Quality data may already exist

Even a small company may have thousands of marketing contacts collected from CRM, website visits, and social followers. Social platforms like Hootsuite or a marketing one like Hubspot can collect, visualize, and collate data analytics on subscriber demographics, email engagement, website activity, and social engagement. If you do customer satisfaction surveys, you can throw in a question to support a specific storyline or uncover customer concerns useful for PR programming.

Public-domain research is high-quality and often free

A PR pro can find in-depth research online from many government and non-profit sources, all in the public domain. Data.gov, Healthdata.gov, U.S. Census Bureau, and other public agencies routinely produce data analyses and statistics collected over many decades. You can cherry-pick studies from different sources, combine and cross-reference to yield an original piece of secondary research – and a story. For a mattress company, we converted NIH data on how many hours people sleep every night into a branded national index of “most sleep-deprived cities.” Our out-of-pocket cost was $200 for the statistical software that made the calculations.

When all else fails, try a straw poll

They’re unscientific, but they’re cheap and easy. If you’re stuck for byline or blog ideas, you can always ask a handful of peers, customers, or sales reps for feedback on their biggest needs, concerns, or frustrations. The most cost-efficient are online tools like SurveyMonkey and Fieldboom for DIY polling. There are even smartphone apps like Poll Everywhere to facilitate more informal online polls with onsite participants at conferences and panels.

Formal third-party research builds thought leadersip

The high-end method is a partnership with an industry analyst or research firm to create a piece of branded research as a corporate communications centerpiece. We helped a credit-union client with a financial literacy platform team with a trade group to develop a national financial literacy study, white paper, and speaking tour. It’s an expensive proposition, but it can anchor a PR campaign and build credibility over years.

PR On The Small Screen: 5 Great Shows

Posted on by Marijane Funess

Stereotypes about the public relations industry abound in popular culture, and some are anathema to real PR professionals (see Samantha Jones in “Sex and the City”).

Happily, today there are TV shows that offer a more sophisticated and up-to-date look at PR and how it works. They can even help a company exploring PR learn a bit about what it can and can’t do, or at the very least have some fun in the process.

Shows that show PR

“Silicon Valley”

For anyone who works in tech and specifically tech PR, “Silicon Valley” mines a rich vein of parody as well as inspired humor. The show’s depiction of investors and start-ups, deal-making, rumor, and innuendo is ripped from TechCrunch, and they get a lot right. For example, in an earlier season, an investor in the fictional Pied Piper startup dumps his stock in the venture. Word gets out, prompting the team to hire a PR head to start damage control in a way that’s hilarious but relatable. For a somewhat more informative take, check out our wisdom for tech startups to determine the best time to bring on a PR agency.

“Scandal”

Most people know Olivia Pope. The glamorous D.C. queen of crisis PR bears very little resemblance to PR folk we know, but the show seems less outlandish given today’s crazy political news cycle, and there are episodes rooted in realism…well, almost. Olivia has been called to media-train politicians and everyday citizens for their “15 minutes” – something that seems to happen with frequency in the real world. Like some PR pros, she leverages media relationships to leak important secrets or to rehabilitate reputations. For a certain type of company suffering from chronic missteps, like United Airlines (which can’t seem to go a week without one), a strong and savvy fixer seems a good investment.

“UnReal”

This dark and wonderful send-up of reality TV’s “The Bachelor” also shows the use of public relations in interesting ways. This season the show-within-a-show, “Everlasting,” needs an image makeover after a scandal-ridden year. The producers set out to select a “suitress” (their “bachelorette”) with more intellectual heft and business success than the typical candidate to garner positive press. We liken the strategy to that of any company that has suffered a setback and chooses to better their image with a new hire as Uber did last year when replacing its CEO, for example. However, because this is a show that thrives on backstabbing and sabotage, it’s likely they will squander the opportunity.

“Better Call Saul”

The awesome “Breaking Bad” spin-off featuring “ethical-adjacent” lawyer Saul Goodman is full of great plot twists and dialogue, but we also love it because Saul is an old-school PR genius, as we’ve written before. We particularly like the goofy publicity stunt he pulls to gain exposure for his fledgling law practice. By appearing to rescue a fallen worker who dangles perilously from an outdoor platform while filming a TV commercial, Saul parlays staged dramatics into coverage on local TV news. Few self-respecting PRs would advise such a blatant, fraudulent stunt, but there’s still a place for a clever, well-managed PR event like this recent NYC subway makeover heralding the revival of ABC TV’s “Roseanne.”

“Homeland”

The last two seasons of the show seem ripped from today’s headlines — Russian social media meddling, right-wing broadcasters, and a beleaguered president. These forces converge in the aftermath of a Ruby-Ridge-like standoff fomented by an Alex Jones-type media personality and his followers. The impasse explodes in violence when a Russia-backed fake news story misleads the mob about the fate of a young man injured in the standoff between law enforcement and locals. The fictional President Keane, who has been struggling with negative media coverage all year, devises a plan. She stages a masterful media opportunity that brings together the widows on both sides of the conflict to mourn those killed. It’s all about the optics, as any good PR practitioner knows.

On the lighter side, for those who remember the popular 90s sitcom “Mad About You,” with Paul Reiser as a documentary filmmaker and Helen Hunt as his PR agency-owning wife, the show is looking at a reboot! If that’s the case, let’s hope they get the PR part right.

How Good PR Builds Competitive Advantage For Startups

Posted on by Richard Etchison

Gaining competitive advantage with PR programs comprised of media relations, reputation management, and content marketing can help a young tech company achieve prominence.

For an early-stage technology business, differentiation can be everything. Many operate in a crowded environment prone to fast changes and quick obsolescence. While solid business strategy and a good marketing plan are fundamental, a young company needs two things: positive visibility and credibility. They are linked but not the same.
Here are some ways PR builds competitive advantage for promising technology companies.

PR lets you play with the big boys

Emerging tech companies are often challenger brands. They need to highlight their differentiators in order to play in their chosen sandbox. Marketing is one piece of that – but there is no better way to do it than PR. A solid public relations strategy can bring all functions together with a single vision in accordance with the mission of the company. A consistent message is much easier to communicate, and it’s far more resonant.

PR means third-party validation

It’s always better to have someone else sing your praises than for you to sing them. The kind of organic visibility and the implied endorsement produced by earned media are fundamental outcomes of public relations best practices. Word of mouth is still king (even though the words now come from keyboards or smartphones). Earned media also produces higher ROI and higher conversion rates – and fortifies reputation.

Its credibility informs sales and marketing collateral

Whether you’re new or established, having a reservoir of sales and marketing content is essential to stay top-of-mind, build brand loyalty, and more. Not only can PR placements help as standalone sales and marketing collateral, they can also be used to populate or flesh out other pieces of collateral like newsletters, blog posts, and social media posts.

Your PR team offers 24/7 support

Good PR agencies/teams don’t just talk about your brand from 9 to 5. They talk about it constantly, during networking events with media and influencers, on Twitter, and more. It’s not enough to just pitch stories anymore. Smart PR means constant hard (story placement) and soft (informal) conversations. This cultivates more brand credibility long-term.

PR builds key relationships

Top PR teams do more than merely pitch media. They build long-term relationships that can pay dividends in many ways. A carefully cultivated journalist relationship will help a team navigate issues that can impact reputation — like poor reviews, customer complaints, or competitive challenges. Additionally, a savvy media relations program goes beyond valuable interactions with journalists and bloggers, but also with colleagues, influencers, clients, and competitors. Nurture a network of strategic allies and associates. Someday, you may need them.

Your story is compelling. The right campaign will tell it right.

A tech company’s origin story is a valuable commodity, so it’s critical to tell it well. Differentiation may not only come from a stellar new product, but also from its creator. Entrepreneurs rarely create groundbreaking new products just for money. They are often passionate advocates for some sort of change, whether it is a tiny life-improving device or a mission to affect society. Quality PR practitioners are expert storytellers. They know how, when, and to whom to tell your story in the most strategic way for building a competitive advantage over the competition.
PR creates brand attachment like Converse

PR creates brand advocates 

Good PR can help turn customers into brand ambassadors. People who wear Converse sneakers adore the brand. Apple’s customers love its products. But more than that, Apple customers love Apple – and everything it represents. This consumer attachment is the envy of all brands. A well-crafted, integrated PR/content marketing plan can create dialogue and engagement with clients and customers. Authentic interactions, entertaining content, and honest storytelling can capture hearts and minds in ways paid advertising cannot. The brand ambassadors will then tell your story, and this bears repeating –  it’s always better to have someone else sing your praises than for you to sing them.

PR keeps a finger on the pulse

Media and issues monitoring help you stay ahead of the proverbial curve. In today’s ever-changing news and cultural environment, it pays for an early-stage tech company to see what’s coming, what competitive factors and industry trends signify, and how to respond. Seasoned PR practices routinely monitor the media conversation in order to anticipate possible obstacles that might hinder a company’s long-term prospects. Technology firms can face crises ranging from regulatory issues to leadership changes. Monitoring the competition can also pay dividends. Being in the know helps a tech startup (or any company) get an edge on the competition.

Tech PR Tips To Pitch Media Like A Boss

Posted on by Richard Etchison

Media relations is typically a key part of a good technology PR program. One thing entrepreneur-led startups and enterprise technology businesses have in common is a desire to generate positive earned media coverage in widely read publications from TechCrunch to BloombergBusinessWeek. Here are our best tips for maximizing public relations success for tech clients, straight from our Tech Practice leader Chris Harihar.

Save the phone for calls to mom

Don’t call. Email. After all, these are technology people, and many are digital natives.  If you don’t hear back from the journalist, follow up just once. Nothing can be gained by pestering writers – except resentment. PR pros should wait at least 24 hours before the follow-up message.  You’re not the only pitch in the inbox, after all.

Pitch a story – not your client

Tech journalists don’t want to read a thinly veiled advertisement for your company or product. They want good stories that are relevant to their readers. Your pitch must quickly and concisely show them the value of your story to their audience. Don’t ask them to have coffee with the CEO of your client company unless you outline why the story matters to them.

Brevity is the soul of tech

Tech media pitches need be no more than three lines. Get right to the point, and do it without ambiguity. Craft a concise, compelling subject line that hooks the reader. Tech writers get an email a minute, so they will judge its value in seconds. Save your novella for friends and family.

Become a trusted source

There’s no better way to forge a bond with a journalist than to support his or her work. Share non-self-promotional stuff about other companies that you think will be of interest to the writer, not just your own clients or company. Also, tech PR professionals should also be okay with being an industry expert quoted in stories; remember, good PR influences journalists, too!

Give them context

When pitching tech media, explain why your story matters. Give them some big-picture perspective. Tie your story to current category trends, themes, or industry conversations. Connect it to the reporter’s previous work if possible. This will pique their interest and give them a roadmap to your story or the next one.

Don’t neglect the smaller press

We know, every early-stage tech PR manager dreams of getting his or her company’s name into TechCrunch or The Verge. While a coup for any young company, it’s not the only way to get your story out. A positive piece in a relevant trade like AdExchanger or a targeted publication like CIO can not only reach the perfect audience, but it may influence larger publications.

Build long-term relationships

Some approach the media relations process like a sales person looking to close the deal. We prefer to treat tech journalists as collaborators. Go to events where they’re speaking on a panel and participate in the discussion. Introduce yourself, ask questions, offer informed opinions. “Touch” them before you pitch by engaging with their social media channels. Share non-self-promotional stories or quotes. Show that you respect the demands of their work, and that you are an equally professional PR person. They will treat you as such.

Pitch the right media

This is media relations 101 review, but it cannot be stressed enough. It’s never a good idea to carpet- bomb the tech mediascape and hope for a hit. Target those journalists who regularly write on the specific subject of your story. Get to know their reporting and follow them on social media. Think of tech reporters as people with interests that you can appeal to in your outreach. Research. Research. Repeat.

5 Signs You Should Wait To Invest In Tech PR

Posted on by Marijane Funess

 

For many tech start-ups, investing in a strategic public relations plan is the first step in preparing a product or service for “prime time.” In our experience, timing is critical to getting the best press response, and the tendency to rush headlong into mass media relations can backfire. Here are five “slow-down” signs to help time the plunge into full-blown PR mode to achieve maximum results.

Early reviews show many different kinds of  product glitches. If early reviewers find your new app or piece of hardware a bit “buggy,” that’s to be expected. But if the glitches are all over the map, as opposed to a cluster of similar issues, that’s a clear sign you aren’t ready to engage in a full-blown PR campaign just yet. It is typically easier for product engineers to correct one flaw as opposed to something potentially systemic. Use those early reviewers as sounding boards, stay in touch with them and offer them first crack at your “new and improved” device or app.

Your product USP is a moving target. We recently worked with a start-up which offered online subscription-based mental health counseling. As we were preparing to offer an exclusive interview with the founders, they suddenly changed course and decided to offer the service first to college students, a very different segment from the one we had developed messaging and materials for. Since we generally get just one bite at the exclusive, if there’s anything less than crystal clarity about what your announcement is, you’re not ready to announce.

You don’t yet have a “category.” It’s intuitive to think that the groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind tech marvel coming out of your company should be heralded by massive media interest. Au contraire. Many media don’t consider a new product announcement worthy if it doesn’t have at least one other entry in its category. We have been told by press that categories make the story, a one-off product may just mean a fluke and not a worthy offering that will catch fire with consumers. When launching a wearable ultrasound pain device, the Wall St. Journal, for example, didn’t cover the story until the reporter had uncovered another player in the space.

Your infrastructure is lacking. As a start-up, there may be some departments that are quite up to snuff as your product is coming to market. Before entering into a PR partnership that will thrust a company into the public consciousness, leaders need to staff up and prepare everything from sales and IT departments to legal and HR.

You don’t have the budget to do PR well. Many tech start-ups put the big dollars into R&D and fail to budget properly for marketing. If you have a very small budget and are relying on some kind of DIY PR, the results will likely be disappointing. Or, perhaps you budgeted for a targeted ad campaign, thinking it could best explain your product to early adopters. You may find that it can’t. When your team is ready to tell the world your story, prepare by researching PR firms, assessing their track record and finding out if your teams are compatible. The best tech PR comes from collaborating with partners who specialize and factoring those costs into preliminary budgets.

7 Pitching Tips For Better Tech PR

Posted on by Michelle Han

Earning coverage in the top-tier tech press is a mainstay for any technology PR program, whether your brand deals in consumer tech or B2B services. Universal pitching rules apply here, but a few twists are in order when it comes to getting out technology news. In some ways, pitching tech is more straightforward than working with mass media or consumer lifestyle publications, since the parameters for what tech journalists cover are more specific and well defined. Here are our Tech Practice Director Chris Harihar’s best tips for generating better tech PR in day-to-day media pitching.

Learn the coverage and beats. This is a basic PR rule, but it’s particularly important in dealing with specialist press.  The impersonal “spray and pray” approach is clearly still a problem, because tech journalists often complain publicly about PR teams who offer irrelevant or inappropriate pitches, or who can’t be bothered to do basic research before they craft a pitch. Technology as an industry isn’t monolithic, so a Virtual Reality startup and an acquisition by Salesforce will be covered by two different people at a given publication.
More importantly, all tech media are not the same. TechCrunch, for example, regularly covers funding announcements for startups, while a consumer tech pub like CNET isn’t as interested in startup funding as it is in product reviews or deals for customers.

Make the most of product updates. Tech products these days evolve quickly. The companies we work with tend to lay out product roadmaps that include iterations and updates on existing products. They may seem insignificant but there’s often a good reason for the change. Even a small update can make news, particularly if it’s indicative of a trend. Combine a smart update with a savvy PR team, and you could earn strong coverage, as our team recently did with a a smart home product that made its service work seamlessly with Dropbox.

Narrate the story. Yes, technology writers want to break news and one-up the competition, but they’re also interested in why the product or service matters. Rather than use superlatives and jargon to describe your tech offering, show why it makes a difference. Sound storytelling techniques, particularly around a product’s origin or a founder’s vision, can go a long way to propel a pitch.

Acknowledge your competition.  Occasionally clients don’t want to admit they have competition for fear of being one-upped in the press, or because they want to claim a position as innovator. But competition is a good thing. The chances of generating coverage are far better if there are other companies in the same or similar space, particularly in a new or unproven category. To a journalist, it means there’s investment and business potential in the sector and might even signal the birth of something new.

Consider an exclusive. Tech journalists in particular tend to pay greater attention to a pitch if they are offered the runway to cover it first. It typically results in a larger and more detailed story, which is quicker and more efficient than shopping a story to individual journalists. But because an exclusive may mean that additional publications may not want the story after it’s been covered by a competitor, it’s a strategy that requires thoughtful consideration and, for agencies, client cooperation.

Be available. Nothing frustrates journalists more than being offered an interview or an exclusive, only to learn the top exec or founder isn’t available for questions. We know schedules can be demanding (and journalists sometimes don’t make it easy). The rock star PR professional rolls with these bumps and perseveres, sometimes creatively, to make the connection happen. Sometimes resorting to an email Q & A is one way to get the job done.

Share insights. Beyond startups, funding rounds, and product announcements, evolving trends in technology are of constant interest: no tech journalist wants to be the last to know about an important development on his or her beat. Is this the year personal home robots go mainstream? Is programmatic TV advertising reaching a tipping point? If you can prove you’re shaping trends or have thought-leading ideas for your industry, don’t be shy about letting media know. Just be able to back up your claims with data, examples, and well-articulated comments.

Beat The Clock! PR Adapts To Ever-Shortening Attention Spans

Posted on by Marijane Funess

If you want an edge in consumer and tech PR, it’s helpful to dabble in some smart prognosticating every so often. We’re taking the opportunity to look at what appears to be a trend guiding the way PR has to adapt – our ever-shortening attention spans. This is evidenced by reports of the “Goldfish Generation” with its “less than 8-second” attention span as well as a recent Pew Study which showed that 39 of the top 50 digital news websites have more traffic to their sites and associated applications coming from mobile devices than from desktop computers and that the average visitor stays on a news site for about three minutes.

With this in mind, here are five [quick!] tips to make your PR content and news as engaging as ever in the age of “attention as currency.”

Make your writing razor sharp. Sure a lot of good PR people can write a press release, but today that skill is less important than writing a pithy pitch (under 200 words please) or a post that pops! Do what the experts do, read the pubs and places you’re pitching – get the style down – and edit, edit, edit. Better still, get a colleague to edit.

Infotainment wins the day. PR teams have so many tools at their disposal to reach target audiences that have enabled us to excel at educating and persuading. However, it seems infotainment, particularly short video and eye-catching images with less text, encourages the most social sharing and “water cooler” buzz.

Perfect your “elevator pitch.” A good pitch should last no longer than a short elevator ride of 20 to 30 seconds, hence the name. We’ve read of attempts to upgrade it to a “skydive” pitch to reflect more of the stakes for getting this communication right! But whatever you call it, the point is to be able to tell a reporter, an investor or a perfect stranger what your company does, or what your product is, quickly and concisely leaving very little to question.

Streamline PR approval processes. Can your management team be trained to act fast when a news opp strikes? Often the key to some great earned media is the ability to newsjack or piggyback on a hot story. But, said “hotness” can have a really short shelf life; think Tom Brady’s ugly court sketch! The NYT Amazon story! Put a process in place to help your team trust your judgement and fast-track approvals to create quick wins for the company.

Think ahead, way ahead. The well-prepared PR team already has 2015 holiday content in the can. That same team is also on top of story ideas to tie into existing upcoming events (elections, award shows, sporting events). At the very least, keep a 3-6 month calendar handy and prep “shells” of outreach for the predictable future.

6 Courses Colleges Should Teach PR Students

Posted on by Marijane Funess

Effective writing and media relations will always be mainstays of college public relations courses, but the business is always evolving, so curricula must do the same to produce the next generation of consumer or tech PR professionals. I recently gave a lecture on “real world” PR to a class of college juniors and was surprised that the coursework still focuses on securing traditional media. Here are some courses we’d like to see the forward-thinking professors offer their students.

Content Creation: Owned, Earned, Paid, Shared. At one time public relations was narrowly defined by traditional media relations, but that’s a bygone model. Today’s PR students need to know about the concentric circles that make up the different kinds of content that can promote brand visibility. In a nutshell, earned media refers to traditional media as well as blogger relations. Shared includes everything from online influencer engagement to social media platforms. Owned encompasses content under corporate control, like websites, white papers, or a Facebook page. Paid includes sponsored posts, tweets and lead generation. All categories overlap and share a common nexus that is “authority” – the right voice to tell the story.

Social Media Strategies. Sure, college students use Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook every day for personal use, but successful PR grads have to learn how to use the platforms to connect companies with customers. It’s imperative to know which channel best benefits which product/service – Instagram for food porn or travel lust, LinkedIn for exec bylines or career development, for example.  The social media landscape changes daily, it seems, so smart students also need to stay abreast of developments such as Snapchat’s new partnership in Truffle Pig, an agency that will offer a range of creative and content services.

Video Production. Much as today’s broadcast journalists have become their own “camera-people,” the savvy PR student needs to master the craft as well. The immediacy of video means being prepared to capture both staged moments (press interviews; company events) as well as genuinely spontaneous encounters or those that try to be, such as this effort from Gillette/Venus that may just try too hard.

Reading 101. Even if you don’t want to read this study on the positive cognitive effects of reading, suffice to say that nothing improves your writing more than reading. Students need to read everything – sure, they might think Buzzfeed supplies all they need to know – but branching into reading great literary or film criticism, well-constructed Op-Ed pieces and, you know, books, will all help make one a superior writer.

Writing for business. Many PR classes focus on journalistic writing, particularly press releases. Yet, every year more and more journalists and industry types question its relevance. What is never irrelevant is good, concise business writing. Whether it’s crafting a carefully worded missive to a testy business associate, trying to sell in a pricey plan to a marketing partner or simply setting up a meeting with a complicated agenda, PR students need to learn the basics of business writing.

Art of business relationships. Something else in public relations classes that goes untaught, the fine art of establishing and keeping good business relations. This can include thoughts on how to network, how to set up and run productive meetings and even the mastering of social skills. 


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