Startups – some PR tips from an ex tech journalist on the do's and don'ts of getting your story published.

1. HOW TO APPROACH
THE PRESS
CLARITY PR

2. Y U WANT PRESS?
“We want to be on TechCrunch” is not a reason
• User acquisition
• Business leads/key hires
• Investors
Do you even need press? What are your goals?
• Brand awareness
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3. • Have a marketing & PR strategy
• Name a spokesperson
• Have a detailed list of target media
• Nail your messaging!
• Have a record of actions and follow-ups
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GET ORGANISED

4. HAVE MESSAGING
• What are you? Who is behind you?
• What three words describe you?
• What problems do you solve?
• How does it work?
• Who are your customers? Competitors?
•Differentiators/benefits?
• Challenges?
• Future?
• Industry insights?
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5. CLARITY PR
THE JOURNALIST’S BRAIN
“I wrote an average of 5 posts a day, churning out
nearly 1,740 articles over the course of 20 months”
“Days were a blur of furious typing, rushed calls,
and ignoring everything that wasn’t news (like
food and water)”
CONFESSIONS OF AN EX TECH JOURNALIST - BEKAH GRANT VENTUREBEAT
“Keep in mind that your pitch
is one amidst hordes. Our
inboxes are overwhelming”
“Reporters can sometimes
seem standoffish, skittish,
bitter, unresponsive, or
downright grumpy”

6. • Know which journo you are talking to
• A product launch or investment is NOT enough
CLARITY PR
HELP JOURNALISTS TO DO
THEIR JOB
• Cover the news, NOT your company
• Know their “beat”, their passions, their deadlines

7. • Don’t pester or be unpleasant
CLARITY PR
• Your story needs to be NEWSWORTHY
• Timeliness, significance, proximity,
prominence and human interest
• Don’t “spray and pray”
“If your pitch sucks, you
won’t get published”

8. CLARITY PR
• Give the “the why” ASAP
• Include next steps and ALL resources
• Keep it brief - add additional info at end
• Industry endorsements and other press
• Get a great subject-line
THE PRESS RELEASE

9. Hi there,
I’m writing to you about COMPANYNAME (www.COMPANYNAME.com) CrunchBase profile. They
have just Xxxxxxxx. They currently have close to x million clients across xx countries and offer
xxxxx in xx different languages.
Their main competitors are:
• COMPETITORNAME
• COMPETITORNAME
• COMPETITORNAME
The full press release is pasted below and their logo can be found here:
wp-content/uploads/COMPANYNAME.png
A few key stats - the company currently:
- develops around Xxxx apps a month
- has increased revenues by xx% over the last x months
- counts the US and UK as its 2 biggest markets followed by Brazil and Italy
Your colleague Xxxxxxx xxxx covered their first round of funding in 2012.
Here's the URL....
THE EFFECTIVE PITCH
CLARITY PR
FROM MIKE BUTCHER – TECHCRUNCH

10. • A quirky back story/narrative
• Exclusive access to key players
• Pitch analysis/opinions/white papers
ANALYSIS - unique, useful content
PROFILES - give us a personal view
EXPERIENCE - sharable insights and actions
• Share what you know/what you’ve learned
• Industry transparency
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CONTRIBUTE CONTENT

11. • Be helpful. Give tips if you have them
• Get on panels, debates and discussions
Get known as the “go-to
guy” for your industry
• Be pro-active. The media *needs* content
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PIMP YOURSELF

12. • Align these things
IN SUMMARY
• Think about what a journalist wants to achieve
• Think about what you want to achieve
• Get connected in real life
• Offer your expertise
• Be nice, be human, be helpful
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13. GET IN TOUCH
clarity.pr
•@linseyfryatt
• linkedin.com/in/linseyfryatt
• www.slideshare.net/linseyfryatt
CLARITY PR