hacking pr: how to get media coverage for your startup
DESCRIPTION
PR is a system. It's not an art, it's not abstract or nebulous. It can be optimized and refined. There are three key components to a good pitch. By understanding these three pillars you can pitch more effectively, and get much better ROI on your time working on PR. Pitches should follow along Trends Press cycles move along trends (Groupon is amazing, Groupon is growing like crazy, Groupon is a scam, Pinterest!). Reporters write about trends because it's easier to predict that people will enjoy, read, and share those stories. Wrapping your PR in context of a trend helps reporters see the value of your pitch. It serves as a signal to reporters that makes your pitch much more effective. Scarcity Reporters don't want to break the same news that everyone else does especially after others have written about it. If reporters feel that you're just pitching everyone, the story is not as valuable. An easy solution for this is to provide reporters with embargoes and/or exclusives. An embargo means that reporters will not cover a story until a set time. This provides reporters with some assurance that by the time they cover it, it will not be widely written about it. Another solution is exclusives, where you guarantee a reporter that they will be the only ones to get the story. Avoid Meta Stories Entrepreneurs have a compulsion to try and get reporters to write meta stories. Stop. Meta stories are hard and intensive to write about and can often fall flat. However, hard news (fundraising, product announcements) is easy for both reporters and readers to digest. So from an ROI perspective, spend your time pitching hard news. It's a more efficient, more effective pitch. Use these three pillars to hack your PR. Spend less time, get a better response, get more press.TRANSCRIPT
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Hacking PRGetting Press for Technology Companies
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PR
It’s a system...And all systems can be hacked.
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Why is Press Important?
• Free
• Social Proof
• Trust - More weight than marketing messaging
• Starts inbound interest
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STRATEGY
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REPORTERS DO NOT
WANT TO WRITEMETA STORIES
STOP TRYING TO GET THEM TO
</META>
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NODEv
INFLUENCER
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NODE
• Well read by everyone
• Significant Distribution
• Often an “aggregator”
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INFLUENCER
• Not read by everyone, but influences nodes and influences early adopter thinking
• Personal blogs of Chris Dixon, Fred Wilson, Mark Suster, Brad Feld, etc.
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TECH PRESS LANDSCAPE
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TECH PRESS LANDSCAPE
Influencer Node
Very Important
Less Important
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TRENDS
• Daily Deals! iPhone Apps! Facebook Privacy! PINTEREST!
• Tech Reporters love covering trends
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LIFE CYCLE OF A TREND
Influencers Start
Nodes Pick it up
Audience Cries, Please Stop!
People write sarcastic pieces
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WHAT MAKES A GOOD PITCH?
1. NEWs, not meta
2. Right part of the TREND CURVE
3. SCARCITY (via Embargoes, Exclusives, etc)
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Thank You!