leveraging media relations | media for startups | prof. bringi dev | jul 05 @ iimb audi

Media

Leveraging Media Relations

N Bringi Dev

July 05, 2014

What?

Why?When?

(w)How?

Who?

Why?

What can Media Publicity Do for You?

� Build awareness

� Potential Employees

� Investors and Banks

� Possible Partners

� The public at large

� Build Brand and Value

� Generate Business?

Media

Relations

& Public

Relations

Advertising,

Promotions,

Sales

Caveat:There are No Free Lunches!

� While media relations appears to be ‘free’,

there are costs involved:

� Financial costs

� Collateral

� Outside resources..

� Non-financial

� Time!

� Work!

� Consistent Focus!

When?

An Absolute Must Read

When?

When?

Networking +

WoM

Push PullPush +

Pull

Advertising

+ MRMR

Advertising

+ MR + PR

Note: My adaptation

Public relations vs. media relations

How is it different from Advertising?

Advertorial vs. Editorial

Types of Public Relations

� Offline

� Online

� Social

Source: Alok Kejriwal

Does Offline PR Still Matter?

� There is a market of decision makers (CEOs of

Companies, Heads of Departments, Senior

Govt. Officials, etc) who only read print.

� The online websites of large publications have

large audiences and once you are written up in

print, you automatically get featured online too.

� Think of it as ‘proof of concept’ test. The day you

can make it in the Fortune or Time or The

Economist, you have done something

worthwhile.

Source: Alok Kejriwal

How are

we doing

thus far?

What?

The Media Milieu

• Time

• Channels compete

• E-relationships

• Low attention span

• Technology massively propagates pictures, videos and ephemera

News is a Product

What media wants

Conflict of Interest?

What ‘sources’ want

Messaging Model

Messages

Target

Audience

Messaging Model - Now

Messages

Influencer/

Opinion

Leader

Target

Audience

Opinion Leaders

� Have credibility

with readers that

media wishes to

leverage

� Political figures

� Celebrities

� Community/

religious leaders

� Teachers

� Media analysts

� Industrialists/

Investors

BEHIND THE NEWS

Behind the Scenes

Who Decides?

� Editors commission stories/columns

� Journalists/writers file

� The Editors decide

� Sub-Editors hack the story

� Priorities change all the time

Journalist Roles

27

journalist has a personal

role

personal approach is allowed for the

journalist

journalist must be objective

newsroom

work only

commentary, note,

columns, opinion

news, news feature

story

reporting

interview

Traditional Interaction Model

Spokesperson

PR

Agency

Readers

Wire/News

Services

Spokesperson

Spokesperson

In-house

MarComm

Journalists

Editors

Analysts

Web Sites

Other

Stakeholders

Editors

Investors

Readers

Lower Hanging Fruit

� Bloggers

� Niche/Trade/Industry publications

Start-Up Publications

(w)How?

Fundamentals

� Know thy TA!

� Whom are you talking to?

� How do I reach them?

� What do they read?

� Know thy messages!!

� Find the right publications to reach your TAs

Getting Past the Gatekeeper

Connecting

� Who are the journalists that write in your

area?

� What kind of stories do they write?

� Comment on their stories online –

responsibly yet provocatively

� Write to them, but not spam them

� Find out who their commissioning editor is

� Give them reasons to want to know you

Network, network, network

� Conferences & forums (sic): Speak!

� Attend entrepreneurship group meetings

� Be active part of the eco-system

Connecting Online

� Develop serious blogs

� Be the expert

� Have a trenchant point of view

� Comment on relevant issues

� Develop an individual Brand personality

Be Prepared

� Develop a pitch for the media

� Focus on highlighting the aspects of your offering that they think will be useful to their readers

� Have a media page on your site

� Your pitch is a ‘living document’

� Develop a media kit: online + offline

Any

Questions?

Who?

Make vs. Buy?

You are the Business!

“The vast majority of the time,

the founders are the

voice and heart of the company.”

- Brooke Hammerling, Brew Media Relations

DIY MR

� Is there a media-savvy person in your

founding team? Why Not?

� No Idea? Get Idea

� Can you find a media relations person

cheap?

� One-person outfits exist - call themselves consultants – select one who comes recommended by someone you trust

� The Moonlighter Option

Send Out News!

� Blog!

� Web site Media Section

� E-newsletter

� Create & post media releases for free

To Agency or Not to Agency?

� Only three reasons an early-stage company

should consider retaining the services of a

firm:

1. It’s entering a crowded market.

2. It’s a very disruptive company that needs to

get out there ahead fast.

3. There’s a legacy CEO involved who has

history with the press. - Brooke Hammerling, Brew Media Relations

A Few Bright Ideas

� MR Now – Pay Later

� Find a PR agency that will provide consulting now for a slice of the business or later

� Work on a pay for results basis

� Fledging agencies may be willing to work for

costs

� Get your investors to help you connect

� They have a vested interest

� Most times we do not ask them..

Stay the Course

� Like all relationships, building media relations

takes time

� Be prepared for the long haul –it is worth it!

� Most importantly – the leadership team needs

to invest time and effort to make it work.

Last chance!

Any

Questions?