Whether we’re talking about a dedicated story heralding the arrival of your transformative new product, inclusion in a roundup of companies to watch, or an interview with your latest hire in an important industry trade publication - getting press coverage can be a major step in moving your brand forward. At some point, every single founder considers how to make an effective press announcement for a company launch, feature release, new partnership, or funding round. For this month’s Fuel Up, we decided to sit down with one of the best PR brains in the business to dig into the component parts of announcing something to the press.
As the founder and strategic mind behind Pluck PR, Kate’s led press coverage for companies such as Acubed, the Silicon Valley innovation center of Airbus, Airflow, Aperture Investors, Dibbs, Marstone, Universal Hydrogen, and more. Prior to launching her own firm, she served as Senior Media Strategist at Lewis PR, working on campaigns for Progress Software, Pret A Manger, Wayfair, and Lexmark. Kate knows the ins and outs of how young companies can cut through the noise and find meaningful coverage in our oversaturated media landscape. In this candid conversation, Jamie and Kate will go over every detail of a PR announcement - from building a media list to releasing the right metrics.
Pulling wisdom from countless tech announcements over her 15 years in the media business, Kate lays down lessons that every early-stage founder needs to know to really “get” PR. We suggest watching the whole conversation now (and again before you consider making an announcement of any kind), and internalizing these key takeaways:
Relationships matter a lot.
Before anyone pitches anything, it’s important to understand the nature of the PR function. One way to think about it? It’s a lot like asking for favors all the time. It’s all about people - which means relationships matter a lot. When you have a group of reporters who really know your business, who’ve been along for the ride with your company and your product, it’s more likely they’ll cover your hard news and listen to your less newsworthy story ideas.
Pitch real news.
Just wanting to tell the world about something cool your company is doing doesn’t make it news. Younger companies have the best chance at getting coverage when they stick to large corporate news - such as a financing round, major hire, product launch, or partnership. Sometimes specific reporters will be interested in nuance and willing to take a look at more niche stories - but this typically involves cultivating a relationship (see above).
Understand your objective.
You probably know exactly what the priority is for your company at this exact moment, right? Is the primary goal fundraising and getting in front of investors? Is it recruiting for engineering roles? Is there a new competitor in the space you’re trying to box out? Is there a partner you’re looking to get the attention of? There are so many different motivators. Rather than simply thinking in terms of “we need a story in TechCrunch”, consider what you’re actually trying to achieve, then let that inform your press strategy.
Get the messaging down first.
Most startups are operating on compressed time scales, and one of the quickest ways to limit mistakes and find opportunities is to do your homework first. Specifically, start your announcement process by drafting a press release (or blog post) and media FAQ document. Let this draft help organize your announcement by getting the fundamental messaging in place. Taking the time to do this can pay dividends down the line. As a bonus, this document turns into a handy tool for training your spokespeople.
Give it as much time as humanly possible.
Today’s tech landscape is crowded. So many new products are launching, so many new companies are getting funded. The sheer volume of news today has caused many tech reporters to work at least three weeks out. This means companies that start planning early and reach out with plenty of lead time are in a better position to fit into reporters’ schedules and secure coverage. If you’re hoping to secure longer-form coverage - that is, stories that require more research, interviews, fact-checking, and a higher word count - you’ll need to pitch your news with enough time for all that legwork to occur.
Be flexible.
There’s no magic day or time to pitch. Instead of trying to hack your way to the perfect launch time, pay attention to what reporters are saying they prefer. Reporters are people too - and, like the rest of us, they’re stretched too thin. If there’s one thing the pandemic really revealed, it’s that we’re all dealing with too many stressors. That provides an opportunity to speak openly about time constraints and flexibility. Simply saying, “here’s our preferred timing, but we can be flexible” can be the difference between an immediate pass and a valuable exclusive.
For seed or Series A funding announcements, go with the exclusive.
There isn’t a golden rule, but there is common sense. Unless your round was led by a massive strategic investor with a heap of beat reporters following them around, you’ll probably do better going with an exclusive. Here’s how: Choose five reporters you’d be thrilled to work with who might be interested in your news, then stack rank them. Pitch one at a time, making sure the word “exclusive” is in the subject line. Keep the email itself short and digestible, using just a few bullet points to explain your news. Be very clear about your timeline (and again, give as much time as possible). Be sure to close the loop if they pass before moving on to the next journalist on your list.
Build a great media list, then start reading.
Just how do you get to that list of five reporters to pitch? First, build a giant list with as many relevant names as possible. Are there any reporters you’ve talked to along the way - maybe even reporters you had a relationship with in a previous role or company? What reporters have covered your top competitors? Add all their names to your list. Then read everything they’ve written. PR people probably spend 25% of their time reading. Reading prior coverage from the reporters on your list will help you understand what they’re curious about and triangulate what their appetite might be for your news - and it will also help you figure out which reporters to avoid.
As always, I'm available to chat about your PR strategy or anything else marketing related. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me at jamie@fuelcapital.com.