How to Get Your Startup in the Press, According to the Experts
By Emma McGowan on Startups.co
In my five years writing about startups, falling in love with a startup founder, living in hacker houses and digital nomad communities, and participating in incubator programs, I’ve figured out the single biggest problem for startup founders. It’s not raising capital or generating press or creating a company culture or managing a growing team. Nope, it’s not one of those things — but it is all of them.
The single biggest problem for startup founders is the fact that, no matter what your background is, you’re going to have to act in all of those roles (and more) to some capacity at some point in your company’s lifespan. Followers of lean startup (or anyone who’s trying to bootstrap) know the pain of “wearing many hats” and I’m convinced it’s one of the main reasons so many startups fail. You’re simply not going to be very good at the majority of those roles!
So today I want to pull out one of those hats — the one that has “Get The Press To Give A Sh*t About Me” embroidered on it — and take a closer look at it, with the hopes of lightening the load a little bit. To help me with this task, I’ve enlisted Conrad Egusa, the Co-Founder and CEO of Publicize, which provides affordable PR services (ranging from their new free service Publicize Zero, to $399 a month) for startups and SMBs.
Conrad is one of those startup guys whose LinkedIn profile is a list of companies and organizations you’ve definitely heard of. He’s written for TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and The Next Web; is a Global Mentor for 500 Startups and a mentor for The Founder Institute; and has founded, invested in, or advised for more than a handful of startups. All that to say: This is a guy who knows his stuff.
“My background had a big impact on Publicize Zero because we’ve always taken the Silicon Valley startup mindset of: How can we add as much value as possible to entrepreneurs,” Conrad tells Startups.co. “And how can be build something not slightly better than existing solutions, but rather 30 times better?”
So if you’re ready to bring in the professionals, Conrad and his company are the people to turn to. But if you’re still trying to DIY your own PR, here are my and Conrad’s top tips.
1. NEVER SEND AN EMAIL WITH THE SUBJECT LINE “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE”
Journalists and bloggers get a million press releases and pitches a week. On one hand, that’s great — it’s what keeps us going. But on the other hand, a cluttered inbox is no one’s idea of a good time. That’s why we’ve all developed methods for filtering those emails and one of them is clicking “trash” on anything with FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE in the subject line.
And if you want to do one even better?
“Including a writer’s name can dramatically improve the number of people who will respond,” Conrad suggests.
2. BE INNOVATIVE IN YOUR PITCHES
Unfortunately, no one outside of your family really cares to read a profile about your startup. (And they’re mostly just doing it to be nice.) That’s the hard, honest truth.
What you need to do if you want the press to pay attention is come up with a hook that’s relevant to their publication and their readers. Do your research. Spend some time checking out their site. Find the writer who covers your topic area. See what kind of stuff they publish — Is it how-to articles? Founder profiles? Something related to the industry you’re in? — and then brainstorm possible pitches with your team members.
In your pitch email, include any relevant data or information that they might need to (quickly) write about the topic you’re proposing. Remember: We’re always looking for something to write. The easier you can make it for us to write about your company, the more likely we are to go for your pitch.
3. INCLUDE A REFERENCE TO A PREVIOUS PIECE IN YOUR PITCH EMAIL
Journalists and bloggers are often toiling away on our computers with limited contact with other humans and very little idea beyond analytics what type of impact our work is having. To put it bluntly, we’re lonely — and probably a little insecure.
But you can work that to your advantage! Play up to a writer’s ego by including a reference and link to a related article that they wrote. Saying something like “I know you like to write about X topic (I loved your piece “X”) so I thought you’d be interested to hear about…” Trust me — very little goes a long way.
4. MAKE FRIENDS WITH JOURNALISTS AND BLOGGERS
I have a few companies that I will always write about, no matter what they pitch me, because over the years I’ve become friends with the Founders. Some of them I’ve met in person, some I only know online, but all of them are awesome humans who make me wish I could live in multiple cities at the same time, just so we could hang out all the time.
Obviously you can’t make this connection with every journalist or blogger you want to write about you but if you think that someone seems interesting or like someone you’d like to be friends with, figure out a way to make that happen. Follow them on Twitter. Ask if they’d be cool with a Facebook request. Basically, treat them the same way you’d treat anyone else you’d be interested in building a relationship with.
5. DON’T SENT BLANKET BCC’D PRESS EMAILS
Conrad and I both agree strongly on this one: Do. Not. Send. Blanket. Press. Emails. We will not read them. The BCC is not your friend. Instead, individually address each email and personalize it. Otherwise, you’re really just wasting time.
6. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TIPS EMAIL ADDRESSES
“Most people believe that emails such as tips@venturebeat.com are not read,” Conrad says. “However these tips email accounts are monitored and often covered.”
So when you see those “tips” email addresses or general email addresses for a publication? Try them! You might be surprised.
7. ATTEND EVENTS HOSTED BY PUBLICATIONS
One great way to actually meet writers in person (which goes a long way toward making friends, right?) is to go to events hosted by publications. Conrad points out that the editorial staff of those publications is often present at those events, giving you a chance to interact with them IRL.
One networking tip, though. Don’t just walk up to someone and start pitching. Have a normal, non-business related conversation, even at a networking event, and tell them about your company only if they ask. Also, ask them questions about themselves and their lives. That’s the best way to get them to care about you.
8. CHECK OUT THE PUBLICIZE COMMUNITY FOR MORE TIPS
These tips are really just the start. If you’re interested in learning more about how to do excellent, low-cost PR, definitely check out Publicize Community for more information. Like I said, these guys are the experts.
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