One of the most frustrating things for start-ups is how difficult it can be to capture the attention of bloggers and the media. They have created compelling new services and products, they have interesting stories to tell, and would love even a little coverage to support their efforts.
Unfortunately, attracting the attention of bloggers and media is a major challenge. It is particularly surprising for blogs given there are no real estate limits. For large blogs, volume is the name of the editorial game so you would think it would be an easier process. As someone with nearly 15 years as a newspaper reporter, you figure I might have an edge but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Like everyone else, my efforts are hit and miss, mostly miss.
So how do you capture the attention of bloggers and the media? Here are some tips:
1. Craft a good story rather than pitching what your company does. Bloggers and reporters tell stories so make their lives easier by giving them one on a silver platter. Make sure the story has a twist or hook that makes it different. It could be you have created something innovative, unorthodox or unique. Whatever your edge, play it up. A good example is Guardly, an iPhone app that launched yesterday that lets you notify friends and family when you have a personal emergency. Guardly is not your run of the mill startup but it’s one that resonates with many people, which is probably why it attracted some nice coverage in TechCrunch.
2. Give someone a “scoop”. Having a story that no one else does has always been a prize within the news game. Today, the rules are still the same. The downside of exclusives is the risk of alienating every other blogger or newspaper but if it means getting coverage in GigaOm or TechCrunch, for example, it can be worth the gamble.
3. Demonstrate success. Bloggers and the media really like two things: success and failure. Too many startups try to capture coverage when they haven’t done much of anything other than create a new service product. Unless you have something really special, this isn’t newsworthy. If, on the other hand, you attract thousands of customers or users, that is far more interesting because you have done something many companies fail to achieve.
A good example is WineAlign, which I did some work for two years ago. At the time, WineAlign founder Bryan McCaw was convinced he had created an innovative new service that would let people make smarter buying decisions at liquor stores in Ontario. But when he pitched the story, the response was deafening silence. Fast-forward two years and 15,000 registered users later, WineAlign just got great coverage in the Toronto Star.
4. If you’ve been successful in the past, make this part of the marketing efforts. It’s a spin-off of point #3. If an entrepreneur has been successful in the past, there may be interest in their latest efforts.
5. Have high-profile investors or advisors. Again, you’re looking to capture someone’s attention at a time when thousands of other companies are trying to do the same thing. Having recognizable investors or advisors can raise a company above the crowd. Look at the attention lavished on anything that Marc Andreessen invests in. This includes RockMelt, the browser that captured the spotlight only to quickly disappear.
6. Recognition at conferences and shows. Whether it’s Demo, 500 Startups Demo Day, TechCrunch 50 or another event, winning best of show can attract the spotlight and separate your company from the crowd. Look at what Mint.com or Yammer were able to do after winning the top prize at TechCrunch 50.
7. Relationships.Building relationships with bloggers or reporters can give you a better chance of getting your story covered. Bloggers and reporters people, they’re not writing machines. Like everyone else, they do things for friends, people who have done them favours, helped them out, or people they like.
Relationships are the biggest reason you should consider hiring a PR agency because a PR person’s most valuable asset is their Rolodex. A good PR person is building relationships every day, something that they can leverage when it comes to pitching a story.
Building relationships is KEY.
Totally agreed. Without them, even the best pitches or stories can fail to resonate. Thanks for the comment. Mark
Hey Mark,
Love this post. It should be required reading for every startup! I feel like every company (ours included) thinks that “WE’VE LAUNCHED!” should make the front page of the newspaper, when in fact it’s the story that matters. When we launched the media picked up on Sarah’s story – that she had a failed startup, and it inspired her to start this company. We never anticipated that her story would become the draw, but once it happened we owned it.
Anyway, good to hear my hypotheses about how startups can get the word out there are echoed by you!
Erin
Thanks for the comment. I liked your recent post on how to create a good press kit – another great resource for a startup!
Mark
Thanks for this, Mark. I’ve definitely found that giving the media and bloggers some tasty treats in the form of a great story, good images or snap shots of their product, and quick content snippets to make their lives easier goes a long way.
Cheers,
David
Great Share Mark!
One of our leaders came across this and shared it with our entire team. It was definitely a great read for us as we get around to launching some of our programs this helps us indicate how we have to act to get the attention we desire.
Thanks Mark,
I appreicate the neat ideas. To proivde a story or an exclussive scoop to a blogger or media person, would you suggest that it be provided as a “NEWS Release” or a phone call or an e mail or ??? – if you do not know the target you are sending to?
Thanks
Bruce
Bruce,
I would send an e-mail to people that you want to target even if you don’t have a relationship with them. The e-mail should be personalized, be aligned to their interests and offer them a good story as opposed to trying to get coverage of your company. Hope that helps!
Mark
Good advice. But wine align needs some help with the message, it says free then the FAQ lists subs–if you’re helping them still, they might want to make that clear.
Wish we could avoid the LCBO and buy through them.
All very solid points for pitching larger blogs and publications.
I’d also point out that you don’t always have to go for the TechCrunch article. There’s a ton of opportunity to get coverage in the blogosphere in niche publications. Traffic isn’t everything. Finding the right bloggers who will actually give a shit about your product will do wonders for a startup just getting started.
It would be nice for every startup to have a founder with history as an entrepreneur or famous investors, but that’s not always realistic.
Do your research, find the right bloggers for your brand, get to know who they are and what they write about. You’ll get coverage if you put in the time and effort.
David
Great advice — Really useful stuff here that can make a real difference. I especially like the “craft a story” approach as opposed to just launching something and expecting people to take notice! . . . it’s the same thing people have been wanting since the dawn of time . . . a story! Also appreciated the mentions of which blogs and publications to aim for — especially useful if you’re just getting in the game like we are! Thanks to David above too . . . he has a point about niche publications . . . time to do some research I think.
Thanks.
Sarah
Hey Mark — Late to the game with a comment here, but just came across this post + the Guardly mention. Thanks for the shout out and great post about how to draw attention of the press/bloggers.
I agree with each point you make above (although it may be hard for all startups to find top-tier investors), and I second your recommendation that startup founders do their best to get out of the office and develop solid relationships with key opinion leaders in the tech space, but also in their key market sector or niche sub-sector.
From my experience, half the battle is knowing where you want your article posted. Many high-profile blogs are pretty accessible and/or have simple forms that you can fill-out to notify their staff about your new startup, product or service. For those that don’t have a “contact form”, just lookup their writers on Twitter and engage them organically. If you have a good story, they will listen.