Answers to PR Questions from a Tech Start-up CEO
Categories: Media Relations, Public Relations.
Part of the agency business is that you’re always looking for new clients. It’s been that way since January 1984 when I started my first “professional” job in public relations at Tycer-Fultz-Bellack in Palo Alto, California in the heart of Silicon Valley and it hasn’t changed since.
So this morning I got a set of insightful questions about PR from the CEO of a Web-based tech company located in Utah.
Given that The Betty Factor is focused on all issues marketing related, I figured why not share some of those questions and my answers here?
So (without disclosing the name of the exec or the company), here goes.
1. Not all visibility or efforts can be quantified, but I need to do my best to quantify the PR efforts. I read a bit on your website(s) last night. I read the blog on A, B and C press releases. I would initially categorize my info as B news. First, is my estimate accurate and secondly, on average what percentage of publishers take one of your releases and publish something based on that release? (I am only looking for an average and know that I may be below average.)
Answer to Question No. 1:
Categorizing news releases as having “A,” “B” or “C” importance is helpful and is a good way to look at announcements. However, because we’re speaking about sending news releases out to a large number of media outlets, the true answer is that some media outlets will view the “Xxxxxxxxxxxx” release as a “C” announcement, others as a “B,” and perhaps a few as an “A” announcement. In other words, it depends.
That’s also often true of different journalists within the same media outlet. For example, a Products Reporter/Editor might be quite interested in a new product announcement, while a Feature or News Reporter/Editor may not. Again, it depends.
2. Given the fact that USA Today just wrote an article on this same subject (the market that this company works in), what is the power of the story a week later, or a month later? Are smaller publications avoiding “rehashing” of stories on publications like USA Today? Do we need a stronger or fresher angle?
Answer to Question No. 2:
Typically yes, journalists like to be the first one to “break” a story; media outlets too. However, last time I checked, USA Today has a print circulation of close to 3.5 million; online they probably reach another 30 million. But out of these, maybe 10 percent will have actually seen/read the story.
That means that there’s probably another 200 million or so other adults in the U.S. who did not see the story. For this reason, we believe your story still has legs, both now and in the future.
Do other, smaller publications avoid “rehashing” a USA Today story? Actually, some of them will reprint it verbatim. But many will not.
3. We are discussing a a range of $6-$7K (for an initial project). In the initial phase, would it benefit me exponentially to increase that to $10k? In other words, for $6k I will see (x) but for $10k, I will see 5(x). Or is it better to see the $6k result and then duplicate it with another $5k in 6 months? What is the best short term strategy?
Answer to Question No. 3:
Don’t get me wrong. If a client or prospective client wants to spend more money, we’re not opposed to that. However, I’m not convinced that spending more money today on PR beyond what we’re currently recommending is going to generate dramatically more media coverage for you.
Unless someone/a company has invented/created something that is truly the “next best thing since sliced bread,” something that truly warrants a blow ‘em out, rock ‘em, sock ‘em, no holds barred, pedal to the metal PR campaign, my experience is that an aggressive but steady publicity campaign works the best.
You’re better off to get on the journalists’ (and bloggers) radar screens. Treat them professionally, Act like you know what you’re doing. Only send them real news (and ideas). Be an expert. Make their professional lives easier.
In other words, make them aware of you and turn them into converts — battle-hardened/skeptical journalists who become converted to the idea that your company is in fact one of the best online solutions (in your marketplace).
That’s what we do for our clients: We help them stand out in an overcrowded media world with the right positioning and messaging delivered to the right journalists (and bloggers) in the right manner at the right time.
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DISCLOSURE: A few clarifying points were added to the original text of my email answers.
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