Getting Good PR for A Small Company? 130
"Before I go any further, here's the short version of our story: We provide enterprise level database backends for web sites at one fifth of cost of our competititors, (those that are still around) and with a fast rollout. We use the ArsDigita Community System to help corporations roll out next generation integrated application community sites in very short timeframes -- under two or three months, usually, and sometimes in as little as two weeks.
I think we have a great story, and a good product, so how do I tell the rest of the world? I'm sure there are some post-IPO types who know all about the press, managing them, whipping them into a frenzy, etc. This must be a question that every small software firm struggles with, and I hope the community finds it of interest. Thanks in advance for any and all advice offered."
Well... (Score:1)
Essentially good PR comes down to this: When you do good work, proclaim it as loudly as possible. When you screw up, try to keep things as quiet as possible. The last thing is to always do the right thing.
I think I heard that in a movie once.
This advise was given to me... (Score:1)
Money drain (Score:1)
Your options are to outsource, which is expensive but probably gives better results IF you choose a good company [and there are tons of crappy PR companies] or else hire a dedicated PR person yourself.
But the best PR is to have a good product that people like. Word-of-mouth is acknowledged by any good PR person as more valuable than gold. You can't just buy fame [well, you can, but it costs more than you have!]
Many people go to PR firms expecting them to work miracles on a negligible budget. Make sure your expectations are realistic. It sounds like perhaps you were expecting too much, too soon.
PR, marketing reptiles, and press coverage (Score:1)
I write about technology for many major publications, and have done so for many years. I make a very comfortable living as a freelance writer, and deal with PR firms as well as directly with tech firms every day, so I know what I'm talking about.
First off, most PR firms are worthless wastes of time. I almost always blow off PR phone callers, and delete their email unread. They almost never know anything about their clients, and they almost never respond in a timely fashion.
Second, if a journalist of any kind ever asks you a question, just answer it. Right away. You'd be amazed at how many companies can't manage to return phone calls and thus lose valuable coverage. Don't waste my time, because I won't waste my time on you--I'll just go and ask someone else who does return my calls.
Third, user your head: don't bombard me with phone calls and emails and faxes. Don't waste my time with announcements about your latest micro-incremental updated release. Don't tell me about your new B2C website if I write about networking hardware.
Fourth, do a little homework. If you call me up or try to book an interview with me, you really sound stoopid when you ask me what I write about or who I write for. USE THE INTERNET! DO A SEARCH! READ MY OTHER COVERAGE! DUH!!!.
Fifth, assume that I know what you're talking about. I probably know more about it than you do. Many technology journalists are also technologists themselves; most of them are pretty damn smart. I've put together a couple of dozen books on my topics. So when I ask you what your product does, don't give me MBA-speak bullshit. Just tell me what the f*ck it does. In one sentence. Like, "it scans network traffic for known attacks" or "it's a word processor" or "it's a router". Not "it defines a new paradigm for proactive security services" or "it leverages customer synergy and solves problems".
Finally, don't yank me around. If you want to tell me something, tell me. I'm not interested in signing NDAs, and anything you say is on the record unless you make it real clear ahead of time that it's not.
Oh yeah, you may be some shit-hot little marketing turd, but if you want me to cover your new product you'd better convince me that its worth covering. I write for the biggest magazines in the business as well as leading niche market magazines. If I decide to write about your new vaporware crap you'll get some priceless publicity. Jerk me around, and not only won't I bother with this piece of crap, but I won't take your calls in 6 months when you're working for some other ridiculous startup.
Here's a few tips I've picked up in my travels... (Score:1)
Go to websites you feel/know your potential customers will visit and read through various articles. Many articles will have contact info for the journalist who wrote it. Get a feel for what journalists would be most appropriate to write a story about your company(like the technology writer, tech editor, etc...)*DO NOT* sign up that contact info for your mass mailings, this will generate BAD press. *DO* send a personal and polite email, with an offer of shirt, coffee mug, etc... stating how much you enjoyed his column(hopefully, you reall will have enjoyed his column, I certainly have never written a journalist I think is lame because I am way above asskissing, but you might not be). Let your sig talk about your company, do not sell your company in the text of your email, but make sure your *short* sig(no more than 3 lines, 2 is better, but if it's nice looking, more may be fine) states the mission of your company, or the goal of your company, or the theme, and your contact info etc... This is planting a seed, and if the journalist takes you up on your offer of a free shirt, send him one, but do *NOT* ask for a story.
The goal is to plant seeds. Seeds take time to sprout, there is no immediate harvest. After about 6 months, if you are diligent in your efforts in doing these things regularly, and your company really offers something of value, I guarantee you, these steps will get you written up. It has worked in the past for me, but I won't say where.
I'm not a marketing genius, but I am a student of human nature. That's all it really takes. Journalists are humans. Ask yourself how you have become fans of xyz company, and then seek to duplicate that. Obviously a good product is the first step and MOST IMPORTANT STEP, if you don't have this, don't even bother trying, it won't work. If you have a good product, then these simple, easy, and relatively affordable steps can and will generate the press you're looking for.
Hope this helps, and remember, the only thing dumber than politicians, are the people who vote for them. Peace.
-Farenheit
Take it from a PR person. . . (Score:2)
One think you'll learn real quickly is that most editors don't cover a specific product or company very often. More often, they write about broader issues like market trends, new design methods, etc. If you can present your company's story in the context of a broader issue, you're much more likely to get yourself covered. Build a relationship with the editors on your beat. If they know they can trust you not to feed them BS, then they're more likely to return your phone calls and/or read your release.
Next point, everyone writes press releases. Its a big fight for editorial eyeballs. One way to keep up the likelihood of your release being read is to put it in front of the editors in advance. Keep in mind that most monthly publications have an extensive lead time (usually 4-6 months). Talk to monthly editors in advance so that they have the story written on your release date. Editors will usually respect non-disclosure agreements. The exception is weekly editors. They are constantly looking for things to write about, so it means you have a better chance of being covered. But remember that they wrap their books on Thursday afternoon. God help you if you call them on Thursday with something less-than-breaking news. Also, never underestimate the value of a face-to-face meeting. It can be a great way to make an impression with an editor. Just be respectful of their time, keep meetings to 45 minutes, and set them up well in advance. I've heard of PR people calling an editor from their cell phone, hoping to meet with them in 20 minutes, and they're already on their way with the client. Don't even consider doing this, you will earn the editor's ire in ways you can't begin to imagine.
Finally, be sure to keep it real. Many editors are very technical, and many of them have been on the scene for many years. That means that they have heard every lame marketing spiel on the planet, and are quite willing to tear you apart if you come to them with a half-baked message. Be willing to prove any claims you make and don't be suprised when they challenge you. Be respectful and calm. Understand that editors do this as a way of extracting useful information.
There are a thousand other useful things to know when meeting with the press. This is why utilizing the skills of a good PR firm can be valuable to many companies. A good PR person knows the press and has worked to build personal relationships with them. They can help you develop successful messages. With the economy being what it is right now, there are quite a few skilled freelance PR people out there right now. Again, there are good PR people and bad ones. If you have already developed a good relationship with a few reporters or editors, they can be a good place to look when you're ready to hire a PR person or a PR agency.
Re:Five Rules for Good PR (Score:3)
And above all else, avoid "clueless suit" quotes in press releases. No corporate officer in a computer or Internet company with more than a few dozen employees ever has anything to say about a product that a journalist wants to hear. You're better off quoting some of the people who actually made the product -- and making sure tech reporters can get hold of that person easily for more info.
But you won't be allowed to follow these rules. Most PR material is put out to make execs feel studly, not to get stories written.
- Robin
Read the IPG Guide (Score:5)
- Robin
Re:Some PR advice... (Score:1)
#5 is a Really Good Point - don't waste coverage on pre-announcing a product or trying to get coverage of your beta product - if you get coverage of that, you'll likely lose press later when you really could use it. Remember this too - if you're working with print magazines, figure two to three months between the time the journalist writes up something to the time it hits the newsstands. Timing is very important... Zonker
Getting Covered (Score:3)
Here are a few tips - they're not sure-fire, and they won't guarantee coverage for crappy products - but they might help.
1. Leave no stone unturned - try to touch base with the right person at any publication - Web or print - that might cover your product.
2. Be open to collaborating on any kind of coverage, not just reviews or getting press releases covered. Sometimes a product just isn't review material - but it might make a good feature or "how to" story.
3. Don't be stingy with review products. I've had a few software companies that have told me "just download the demo" instead of sending me a review copy. Guess what? If it's my decision, I instantly drop it. Not because I'm hunting for a freebie - I get plenty - but because that is a poor attitude and communicates a total lack of interest in working with me.
4. Be polite, and know when to drop it. I've had a few overly persistant PR folks who practically demand that I cover their product. Sometimes large companies can get away with this - but don't press your luck.
5. Talk to the right person and once you've established who the right person is, keep in contact. Ask what you can do for them.
6. Don't send Microsoft Word docs to Linux press. Not a good idea. (Okay, this is of pretty limited interest to companies doing business outside the Linux market, but I've run into it a lot and I'm always stunned that someone in a PR job will send a Word doc to me.)
7. Don't ask "can I see the review before it goes to print?" The answer from any serious journalist is NO.
8. Write a decent press release - I get SO many press releases that are so full of jargon, or are completely content-free! Assume that a journalist may write a blurb about your company and product straight from the release without ever talking to you. Can they get all the relevant information and does the release read well?
9. Don't count on press releases.
10. Never, ever, fail to respond to a journalist. Ever. And don't try to force them to call you for more information. Put it all out there.
Anyway, I hope that helps. Also, you have to realize that there are infinitely more products and companies trying to get coverage than there is available space in the press - be sure to make good use of your Web site. I took a look at your site and it could use a little more content, and a bit less cutesy graphics. Also, a press section would be a Very Good Idea.
Take care,
Zonker
Much More Subtlety Involved (Score:1)
More importanly, good PR people find ways to make themselves a resource for journlists. If a journalist has a story they're working on and need ideas, they usually call their friends in PR. It helps them to dig up information and allows the PR person to continue building that relationship.
That being said, news is news - if your company offers something truly useful and can discuss the benefits properly, you can get some press. Just don't throw something "on the wire" and expect it to get picked up.
Wire services are important, but mass distribution needs to be coupled with one-to-one follow-up with key media.
Case studies are a great tool for accomplishing this. Have you had success with a client that is particularly large and well-respected? Would your client be willing to have their experience published in trade press and be quoted? Can your product or service be identified as part of a larger trend in information technology? If so, you've got a great opportunity to make a journalists job easier by helping them write a credible story.
Make sure you work with a PR firm that understands tech. Do they have any geek (or semi-geek) PR people on staff? Do they understand the value you provide to your clients?
If not, find someone who does.
HTH
Articles help (Score:5)
Another is to appear at trade shows in discussion panels.
This gets the name of the company out there in subtle ways, and hopefully provides a good impression at the same time.
Hire a communications person. (Score:1)
I know, I know, "It's a phoney major," but that's what they teach those people..
If you get a keener kid right out of collage, you don't even have to pay them much..
Re:This is such spam (Score:5)
I don't think so - By the time I was done reading the question, I totally forgot who the company was - the tone was very different from the "This is the greatest thing since sliced bread, everyone should have one in their grage, and the people who are bringing it to you are Blah, Inc." type of spam that we've seen here on /. before.
I think this is totally relevant to /. - what we have here is a small, open source reliant company made up of a bunch of geeks that want to know how to get better press. My intuition tells me that there are lots of other geeks around here on /. that are facing the same problem. What's more, this is one of those types of problems that other readers can provide real insight and experience to - I think it's much better than the usual Ask /. fare that can usually be categorized into either:
- I need a lawyer - what do I do? or
- I know I could figure this out if I just RTFM, but I'm too lazy to do that, can you tell me?
I see that RobLimo's already posted something useful - I think given-"Zow"
Re:How do you market yourself? (Score:2)
The only thing that a marketer can do is to possibly change my purchase decision, by persuading me to ignore the solution that's best for my needs.
How do you market yourself? (Score:3)
I don't want to see any e-mails, pop-up ads, commercials on TV, billboards, or wacky contests. I dislike marketing because the purpose of it is to subvert my reasoning process in order to get me to buy your product.
Next, you need to simply take care of the customers you already have. If you always do what you promise to do, when you promise to have it done, then your customers will become your marketing department.
That's all there is to it. Now, take a hike.
Oh this one is easy! (Score:2)
First, figure out that technical geeks don't know a damn thing about marketting. So asking what to do here will not get you very much in the way of usefull advice, unless you get really really lucky.
Second, figure out that technical geeks don't know a damn thing about business. So asking what to do here will not get you very much in the way of usefull advice, unless you get really really lucky.
Third, figure out that business types and market-droids are usefull for something -- usually things having to do wtih with business and marketting -- and go ask them. They will probably be able to give you more usefull advice than you'll get here, unless you get really really lucky.
Here's hoping you get lucky!
from the other side of the fence (Score:2)
My advice:
get a list of the journalists that would cover your stuff;
send them personal notes inviting them to check you out, (make those notes short and sweet);
seek them out at trade shows and make sure they see your stuff;
get to know them as you would a prospective client
It's also very good to do some pro bono/charity work and suggest they write about the charity you did the work for: The Northern State Cancer Society's new web space is the best in the US for helping patients.... This site, with technology donated by YOURFIRM. ... NS Cancer Society Spokesperson said "We're so pleased with the generosity of YOURFIRM. Their database works great for us." and so on.
In kind donations are great for generating tax deductions and generating good PR and helping your community.
I can understand why the PR firm didn't do it for you. Press releases somehow manage to all go through the Great PR Homogenizing Machine on the way to release. Work on making your company the most noteworthy one in the crowd.
Step One (Score:1)
Re:Five Rules for Good PR (Score:1)
As the lead architect at my company, I often talk with CTO's at some extremly large companies. Linux MOST DEFINITLY without a doubt has been heard of and is activly watched. You're unexperienced to think that all CTO's march to the same drum.
Very few read OSDN. But, take a look at the institutional investors in some linux companies. Why would they waste their time?.
Nobody in their right mind would run a large enterprise application on linux. But for the small/medium size apps, it runs Oracle or Informix great. It web serves like a champ. It can be a POS, or a Terminal. Tons of applications that don't require an RS/6000. And don'e forget about Beowulf.
I fail to see why you're so pissed off over something. Ofcourse BUSINESS IS ABOUT MAKING MONEY. Never mistake that. Why do I work? It's about ME MAKING MONEY.
P.S. When did IBM start spending a billion dollars on a single PR move? Maybe because there's a decent chance they'll make more money?
Pan
PR tips for small companies (Score:5)
making sure that journalists know how to
use your web site: www.useit.com [useit.com].
RIAA and MPAA. You can't buy the kind of publicity
that Napster got.
4. Post lots of places with a self-promotional
like: "The author of this piece does not speak for
Emusic [emusic.com], which is
still a cool company, even if it has been bought
by one of the Big 5".
Re:You Already Know the Answer... (Score:2)
"two weeks ago I'm washing lettuce, next I'm went to fries. Two days after I put poliglut in my
(With apoligies to Louie Anderson)
(Apologies to the humorless too. I haven't made dick off my website, it's a labor of love.)
--
Also speaking as a journalist... (Score:1)
Who are your main sales targets? (Score:2)
You want the young sysadmins? That's easy..you just don't do stupid shit in public, and don't spam them with marketroid crap.
But is that who you have to sell to in order to move your product? Who do you really need to convince. I'd bet a big portion of your market will be non-technical senior IT staff (yes, there is such a thing) or higher. People who know what kind of system they want, but not a clue how to do it; or think it's really expensive.
How you get good PR? Be honest, be true, and don't spam.
Think from the truthful perspective (Score:2)
A second comment, from "Contented Cows Give Better Milk", is to be more strict in your hiring than in your internal control. Once you have good people in a good situation, you don't need to worry about what they'll say: it will be the truth, and everyone should hear it, especially you.
The instant you gain outside investors, Nervous Nellies who will try to destroy your company at the first hint of bad news, it becomes extremely tempting to place controls on who may speak and what may be said. I suggest that at that time you perform an internal review of personnel. If everything looks fine, just keep on keeping on; your good people will do right regardless of outside comment. If there's something wrong, make sure you know why it's wrong before you attempt to fix it by throwing out the good with the bad.
But that's one man's opinion, and he has only philosophy to guide him.
This is such spam (Score:2)
Re:You Already Know the Answer... (Score:2)
I browse at plus 2, so I have no idea what comments are floating around below that level, but I don't mind your kvetching at all. I found it rather funny, in fact. : ).
Re:Ybos (Score:1)
This is poorly directed... (Score:3)
I am *almost* inclined to believe it, however, since it is so poorly directed. I mean sure, /. provides a large reader base for your marketing fluff, but mostly not with people making decisions on where to outsource web-development, especially in the $50,000 range.
These guys really do need help getting their story out, just not for the reasons they say. =)
Re:You Already Know the Answer... (Score:1)
siri
No, it's not spam at all (Score:2)
I am a developer, I write code for a small startup. I maintain our servers. And my company is struggling with all that PR mess on which I ultimately depend personally. If I find a good suggestion here, I'll go and bring it to my boss and marketing guys and see what they think.
In a nutshell, I am a typical slashdot reader, and this article affects my life, so why shouldn't it be posted here? I think it highlights a very important aspect critical to the survival of many small companies like mine and the one of the original poster. It's time someone mentioned something like this.
-----------------------------------------------
Re:You Already Know the Answer, yes here are some (Score:1)
I don't mean to be crass here, but doesn't wearing your company T-shirt around a bunch of blind kids seem a bit ironic?
I know, you're not marketing to the kids, but it just sounded funny...
Re:The art of a good Press Release (Score:1)
I know I hate it when someone leaves a burial vault on my desk....
Read Your Business Plan (Score:2)
SuperID
Free Database Hosting [freesql.org]
speaking as a journalist... (Score:2)
tip 2: never think of journalists as an extension of your p.r. department. microsoft certainly does (calling after you write a story to "thank you for helping get [their] story out." though it may help to treat them nice (which is a sub-tip, one apple has forogtten), it is _so_ not their job to rewrite your press releases. though many crappy news outlets do just that.
tip 3: learn what journalists do and why they do it. there was a big email thread on jim romanesko's media news (thread: http://www.poynter.org/medianews/prpeople.htm) that showed how uninformed both sides were about the other's business.
um, answer their questions? honestly, too. there's more, but those are a good start.
goat sex (Score:1)
--
"Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes."
Re:goat sex (Score:1)
--
"Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes."
Re:YOU have to get out there and shake a lot of ha (Score:1)
--------
"Counting in octal is just like counting in decimal--if you don't use your thumbs."
DIY vs. hiring an Agency (Score:1)
Part of the project would include the PR outfit, then, calling appropriate editors / reporters to pitch your story, lining them up to meet you, etc. This isn't on an ongoing basis, but for a specific time period and as part of a specific project for which you pay a fee.
You can maybe do this all yourself, but if you met with an agency and worked out agreeable terms, you can instead do what you do best and let them do their job. If the agency doesn't deliver on your initial project, don't use them again.
Folks here mentioned the importance of hiring a salesforce; that can be expensive, too, but you have to figure that any successful PR campiagn will require visits and follow-ups to prospective clients.
Steve
Re:Marketing folks are very important - seriously (Score:2)
A good management team will go a long way toward helping these two different groups realise what each other's neads are and finding a way to work together to actually get products shipped.
_____________
PR problems (Score:1)
read transmeta history for how to do buzz
kip
YOU have to get out there and shake a lot of hands (Score:2)
For maximum effect try to do these activities while naked in public places.
Remember, there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Re:You Already Know the Answer... (Score:2)
If I knew anything about PR and Marketing, I would gladly post some tips. If you have any, please do.
-Puk
You Already Know the Answer... (Score:5)
-Puk
Plug Plug (Score:1)
On another note, I also write for Future Energies [futureenergies.com] (a non-profit magazine promoting renewable energy) and normally automatically bin press releases except... when (a) they are genuinely newsworthy and (b) they are already written in the form of an article, don't fawn over the originator, hence require little editing to post.
Phillip.
Never hire a PR firm. (Score:1)
Best to hit the trade shows, get an AWESOME sales force and get to your clients directly and lastly, try CALLING the journalists - they're not untouchable and will usually talk to you for five minutes.
Your other mistake was "asking Slashdot" for advice for P.R. - when was the last time you saw a geek dreaming up dot-com ad campaigns? ;-)
-----
Marketing folks are very important - seriously (Score:2)
Marketing types do something that's just as important to your business, if not more so, than the technical stuff. Just ask Microsoft ;-)
Be smart and let the marketeers do their thing while you do yours. You'll be happier.
Re:Marketing folks are very important - seriously (Score:2)
My primary point was that without marketing and business types, technical types would be jobless. The marketers need someone to build the products they market, but the engineers need someone to generate demand for the things they build. It's symbiotic.
word of month marketing (Score:1)
Unfortunately... (Score:2)
"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
Call or visit your potentical customers! (Score:2)
"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
How did this get accepted? (Score:2)
Re:Five Rules for Good PR (Score:1)
This is his impression of Linux: can it power our cluster of RS/6000s better than AIX? No? Than we don't care if you're paying us to use it -- no fucking deal. No one here understands that BUSINESS IS ABOUT MAKING MONEY. It is not about encouraging RMS' Marxist agenda or Linus' crappy broken UNIX-wannabe kernel. (Inidentally, I feel that RMS would have a very different attitude if he had ever held a real engineer's position. He's spent his whole life hiding in universities, sucking on the public teat with milk dripping into his filthy bum's beard, and therefore his opinions are of no value to anyone but graduate students.) Most of the time, a businessman is willing to pay for a quality product as an investment for his business' future rather than use a crappy freeware alternative just to save a few bucks today.
We use Oracle. Let's pretend that we were evaluating (snicker) MySQL. It doesn't support transactions, rollback, views, foreign keys, or stored procedures. It doesn't fully implement SQL92. It doesn't come with a search engine, or an XML parser, or half of the tools (schema browsers, database managers and such) that Oracle does. It doesn't scale (at least not to our multi-terabyte needs), and there aren't a lot of MySQL experts in the DBA market. It's not supported by our application server. Therefore, the facts that it is free and open-source are irrelevant. End of story. Yes, the sad fact is that even fucking SQL Server is more fit than MySQL to be an enterprise database.
Stop: and realize that the only people reading OSDN are bored college kids who like MP3s and think they're l337 because they can install Red Hat. Stop: and realize that the noxious odours your precious OSS mentality haven't permeated past the lobby, let alone to the development war-room or executive suites. Stop: and realize that IBM's and Sun's "support" of Linux is a PR move. And finally, stop, and realize that nothing on OSDN, including Slashdot, has ever been a legitimate news site. Slashdot and NewsForge just post links to real journalists, and press releases. You're just part of a little online boy's club which is neither known by or cared about by real IT folks.
Thanks for posting, fucko!
--
Re:P.R. (Score:1)
Right now, lame news is better for you than no news.
blessings,
Re:Hire a communications person. (Score:1)
blessings,
Re:P.R. (Score:2)
First off, you need to be making news. No news, no PR. Use marketing and sales instead.
If you have news, make a database of appropriate journals, both web and print. What really counts in this database is contacts. Build relationships with your contacts at these journals as time goes on. This is one reason why a decent PR agency works--they already have relationships with journalists and editors. Also, note that a good PR agency won't waste their good karma with decent contacts by promoting something that isn't newsworthy. If you are sending out minor news, don't bother with followup calls, just hope that soembody needs filler.
But don't be shy about sending out press releases about you landing some big sale! Always provide decent copy -- good enough to be used verbatim and slick photographic artwork (analog & digital) with a release. Have a press kit (you do have a press kit, don't you?) available on your website in pdf format, put up your logo in eps format & also high-rez jpegs. Make it available to anybody who wants. There's no reason to secret it away! It will help you sell your products, no matter who reads it.
Keep any reviews and articles and make them also available on your website, and put the good one's in your press kit (you do have a press kit, don't you?) The journal will be delighted that you put their name on your public website.
blessings,
Re:Never hire a PR firm. (Score:2)
Re:Capitalize on the ArsDigita confusion (Score:2)
You're right (Score:1)
As an example, the founder of my company (a small mechanical engineering house specializing in custom industrial automation) is our sales force. He has also worked on design, in the machine shop, as the general manager, and has spent 6 years building up a reputation for the company for quality, integrity, and personal attention. We have no advertising budget, no contact with journalists (that I know of), and we will have no trouble meeting our goal of $1.1M for this year (up from $630k last year) based almost entirely on word of mouth. Additionally, there is no shortage of financing available for expansion and retooling of our machine shop.
I guess my advice is, don't worry about it. If your product is good and the price is right, your customers will provide your PR freely, even enthusiastically. Probably the biggest mistake you can make is trying to grow too fast.
MOD PARENT UP (Score:1)
How To Get Good PR In Three Easy Words (Score:2)
Buy Journalists Beer.
(Or: Get Journalists Laid)
Trust me, I know several journalists and outright bribery usually works well. ;-)
--
News for geeks in Austin: www.geekaustin.org [geekaustin.org]
Hello (Score:1)
First you have to make a name for yourself through your product.
Not naming any names. We are atlanta based and have several articles in the biggest news paper in the state
We also go to conventions that suite our company and public recognition doesnt just come instantly for most. You have to earn it.
Do good work, have something to show for your work and you will get recognized. Its that simple. Once you have something worthwhile to show you can create a real buzz (not just vapor hype BS) otherwise if you create a buzz and have nothing that leads to people seeing you as nothing.
Whilst I have not actually handled mnuch of the PR our parent firm is an Advertising/Marketing/PR firm who had a web dvision so to speak that did the website side of marketing and one thing went to another and now we are a software company.
Its very interesting and it takes a lot of work to gain mindshare. It also takes talking with people and getting to know othersin your business and making yourself known in your target market.
It never hurts to have someone to handle all your public relations that knows your target market whatever it is.
Jeremy
Slashdot has been suckered (Score:1)
Who's your 'partner', Rayban? (Score:1)
Publicity (Score:2)
Press releases do help, but send them to appropriate locations, and the local business journals.
Classes and tutorials that are not marketing. Such as presenting to user groups on how to do X, and that gives you a chance to introduce yourself. But, as we used to say in the BCS Tech group, "if it's just marketing, you will be eaten alive."
You can use some marketing, but there has to be a good amount of meat.Watch the news, then contact the people writing on related topics.
Open Source eh? (Score:1)
Re:Open Source eh? (Score:1)
Free, open-source, and GPL'd.
Oracle cost too much? http://www.openacs.org/ -- it uses PostgreSQL.
You're on a good start... (Score:1)
So what is the key in getting good PR? (Score:1)
Selling newspapers. Figure out why covering your story will sell newspapers, or TV ads during the news, and you'll get all the coverage you need. All else is irrelevant. News is a business.
Do Your Homework. (Score:1)
Be honest with yourself, you are not looking for press you are looking for customers. Focus on current customers and the methods of leading new ones to your "lunatic fringe".
A intrest group trick (Score:1)
A government professor I had last semester let me know of a nice trick.
You'd be amazed how many newspapers/magazines will print this, if you do this well enough. I know it's sleazy, but it works.
I think of it like spam...most people will disregard it, but some people will fall prey to a well written piece.
the difference between ads and PR (Score:2)
PR is better -- according to my marketing prof, who didn't make it up, of course.
The answer is, hire a good PR agency, they will get you planted in Big Media by pulling strings. Or, do newsworthy, sappy, or otherwise prominent things that attach your name to items that are otherwise newsworthy. Think about the PR that BugTraq and SETI@home get, compared to BSD.
Easy (Score:1)
until (succeed) try { again(); }
What's the secret? (Score:1)
Here's what we did/do (Score:2)
Run a single, small ad in the one Industry magazine that targets your market best. Run it every month without missing a month, even if you need to not pay yourself. This pays off is subtle ways. Mainly by keeping your brand in the customers radar even if they don't know who you are or need your services right away.
Run adds on mailing lists. For the same reason above.
Exhibit at a single trade show where ever it goes in your target market geographical location. Do this even if you go with a card table and a laptop.
Talk to as many people about your product as possible. Find evangelists and nurture them. Kiss their ass until your lips are numb.
Avoid PR until you can't deal with the external requests from the press. Don't use PR to get TO the press use them to HERD the press.
Don't bother doing any of the above if your product isn't a whole lot better then your comptetion. The above will only work if you have a killer offering, if not, get a PR firm now and blow all your money on fooling the masses into buying your crappy product.
Richard Reynolds
http://www.rockstar.com
Re:Never hire a PR firm. (Score:1)
On the other hand. WOMEN make wonderful salespeople. Especially attractive ones. (Yes this is sexist, but since when did money have a conscience?) As repugnant as this sounds, an attractive woman could probably generate more business for you than you could handle.
Of course you could always spam, but I just heard that Moses came back with an eleventh commandment, so I'd wait on that one.
Cripes (Score:1)
Maybe it is a slow news day. I'm just glad to see Slashdot using it's popularity for the powers of good. (Instead of posting that story submission by Bill Gates entitled "How can I make Linux people like me?")
Thou shalt not drink and post.
Part of the PR problem (Score:2)
Actually, all of this iss just part of the the Internet crash. It is possible to continue to grow in this sort of environment, but I suspect that the Internet business is going to keep drying up for a while.
This means you need for in your corner on your payroll who are as skilled as sales geeks as you are at be programmers, etc.
When you looks at this, the employment ratios go something like - one third hard core production types, coders, QA, etc. - one third admin and infra structure folks, including bean counters, floor sweepers, MIS, etc - one third marketing and sales geeks - Marketing is only there to generate leads for sales, etc. so don't shoot yourself in the foot.
Statistics go monthly in most brick and mortar places. For better reaction time, get weekly stats, and then note the trends. This way, if the shit hits the fan in the middle of the month, you see the peak and can handle quicker. Got to watch the single to noise ratio because of the things fluctuate. A running average for the one 4 weeks preceeding the current date might be better.
Note: Marketing geeks should get bonuses based on number of column inches of press/ seconds of air time, with circulation taken into account.
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
Easy to do. (Score:1)
Best Advertising to Slashdot (Score:1)
for the rest, i run several linux servers
Getting PR noticed (Score:1)
You need to keep the PR simple. You need to show why its earth shattering, even when it's only great. (She wouldn't lie to me would she?
Normally it helps if they know the people who would be covering the area. Then the PR is framed for the audience. The less work the reporter has to do the more likely it will be given coverage.
For small companies a senior freelance journalist will often be better than a PR firm. The journalist would do most of the writing anyway. A senior journalist should know about printing and layout. The will know where to send the finished product off to and how to make is suitable for several audiences. And they will be working on the one job: yours.
If its a slow day a small function may help but don't count on it. Normally the money is wasted. You can get some coverage by taking the targeted reporter out to lunch but the coverage won't be any better. But your PR person may be able to get better coverage at a later time.
PR is used to get known where you wouldn't be seen. Coverage in
There's much more but I'm sure all of this stuff is boring you. I've got no interest in it.
Hope this helps.
Ybos (Score:2)
You can now own a full-featured community Web site for under $50,000. Start the process right now by taking our simple 3-click survey.
Well, I know somewhere you can download one for free! [sourceforge.net] Or you can pay $39.95/mo [slashhosting.com] if you want it hosted.
Re:devils advocate (Score:1)
Re:This is such spam (Score:2)
Why reporters would rather deal with lawyers (Score:2)
1. PR flacks get in the way. I'd rather pick up the phone and talk directly to the subject of the story, not his flack, definitely not the flack's secretary, and absolutely not the flack's secretary's voice mail. I just want to ask a few questions. I don't need a scheduled appointment and a canned presentation.
2. Just because I drink your free beer doesn't mean we're buddies. You think you're going to shame me out of writing an expose on your client when it might be the best scoop I ever got?
3. In-house flacks are even worse than agencies. The minute they sense you're planning to do anything short of a glowing report on their boss, they do everything possible to shield him from you.
4. Flacks for government agencies are the worst of all. Nothing will get done the same day you request it. The worst I ever dealt with was a flack who controlled access to a lot of government officials. I learned later that her boss didn't like my publication and had instructed her to delay all my requests until my deadline had passed to make sure my competition got the story first.
5. Lawyers are quick-witted enough to realize that once a journalist has decided to do a story on a subject, there's no backing off. They'll give you a quote right off the cuff without worrying about some long-range "strategic marketing plan." Besides, it's easier to translate legalese than marketese.
(Note to Ybos: blueberry, lilac, honeydew? Is that anything like blue, purple, green? How about including some color swatches in your poll [ybos.net] so we can see exactly what you're talking about?)
Re:Slashdot has been suckered (Score:1)
Perhaps they should ask themselves... (Score:2)
Here's one problem (Score:2)
That is one big hint. You need name recognition. Sure that's not really PR, but in a way it does deal with it. If your company is out there doing all sorts of great things, interacting with the public and so forth, but nobody can remember who you are or what your company is called, then you _are_ just wasting your money on PR. People need someway of tying the two together to realize that it is _you_ and not one of your competitors doing all this great PR.
Maybe the name of the company needs to be changed. Ybos. How do you say that name?? I'm sure someone out there knows how to say it, but how many people in a crowd could look at that and say "Yeah, I know how to say Ybos." In some of the marketing seminars I've gone too they've talked just about why products/companies fail. And this is one of the big reasons. ***No one knows how to pronounce your product/company's name.*** I could come up with a name like Xyxqulmpt and how many of you could correctly pronounce it? (It's pronounced Six-Que-lump-t, or whatever.)
(On a side note, the way I would pronounce Ybos would be Yeh-bos, which sounds like a derivative from a very naughty Russian cussword.8P)
I guess what I'm trying to say is that PR is marketing yourself, selling the good points of your company. People need to realize who you are and what you stand for. They also need to remember your name after a paragraph. The intro to /. was very tiny and some people could not remember who the company was. That should tell you a lot.
Please God, don't let me fuck up.
--What was that?
Uh, everything is A-OK! -- The Right Stuff
Some PR advice... (Score:3)
There is lot's of places to get PR. Online pubs, print magazines, daily news, local and national TV are news based. But don't forget the grass roots stuff. Speak at trade shows. Talk in front of user groups. Be active in online discussions. Start a column yourself. Write a book.
2. Get to know the press before you need the press. Figure out who writes specific columns and only send news worthy information to them instead of shot gunning to a thousand press people. Sure a PR company is supposed to do this for you but often they don't/won't understand your market/product/angle.
3. Don't 'work' the press. These guys are busy people. Respect them. If you have to call an editor don't do it more than once unless they invite you to do so.
4. Forget powerpoints, market speak, techno babble and speak about your product in very clear simple terms.
5. Assume that most editorial has rules about how much coverage you can get. In the day when it was around, MacWeek had secret policies about how much press a company would get. For example if you ANNOUNCED a new product they'd write an article. If you managed to ship a month later you'd be lucky to get a mention as your product had "already been covered."
This was why it was important to know all the writers. Beat guys covered announcements, ships and revs. Reviews Editors/Writers were a totally different part of editorial. Also knowing the Senior or Chief Editor meant you might get included in or influence a feature story.
6. Trade press isn't just the big 5 or 10. User groups, regional magazines and industry specific journals are likely to generate more "revenue related" business than an article in Wired.
7. Timing is everything. Avoid announcements at trade shows as you'll get written up with all the other noise. Holidays, end of quarters, April 15th, Summer, are just a other times when your 'news' will get less attention than it deserves. Not from the writers perspective but your potential customer might miss it because they've got other things on their collective minds.
8. Don't 'expect anything' from your PR effort. You will only get disappointed if you do.
9. When you finally do make the headlines, it's only for a short time. Next week, next month, tomorrow, five minutes (as is it is on
10. When all else fails rev your product from 2.0 to 3.0.
A PR Guru Speaks (Score:2)
I've been in the technology PR industry for about five years, having moved from the IT industry. Here are my thoughts...
There are no hard-fast rules to getting good PR. If you are a start-up company, I highly recommend either 1) getting a mid-to-senior practicioner in-house, or 2) hiring an independant consultant. If the company starts to scale in terms of revenue, customer, headcount, funding, and so on, then it makes sense to retain an agency in order to hammer out a solid strategy and position the startup to play in the bigger leagues.
The dot-com boom brought in a lot of PR shysters, kibbitzers, and dilletantes. I would surmise that the person who posted this "Ask Slashdot" may have been taken by one of them. There was a point when such a dilletante could strip naked, tattoo "I do PR" on his/her ass, run up-and-down Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park (the famous VC shopping mall), and get three clients or so.
In today's environment, you can pretty much take your pick of agencies. (I will refrain from pitching my own firm here, but I will say that we're mid-sized, independent, and very good at what we do.)
As the current downturn runs its course, it acts like a crucible on the high-tech PR industry: all of the crap and impurities are being burned away and, within the year, the best product will remain.
PR isn't rocket science but, done poorly, it's disastrous. What trips people up often isn't PR strategies/tactics, but learning about the client's technology. Coming from an IT background, that hasn't been a problem for me. You'd be surprised how many people have gotten into high-tech PR who lack the technical smarts that God gave the pygmy marmoset.
As to resources, InternetPRguide.com [internetprguide.com] is often helpful. People can rant back to me here or at maximum_entropy@hotmail.com [mailto].
Re:Five Rules for Good PR (Score:3)
This is getting off topic, but I couldn't let it go.
I figure you're a junior person at a medium-sized company with very monolothic computer needs. Or for some reason you think like one. Because your rant sure doesn't describe reality in large organizations - or even reality as seen from the top in small ones.
Is MySQL an "enterprise" database? Not on your life. Is it useful to large enterprises? You bet. In a large organization that has hundreds or thousands of projects going on, only a tiny handful need the power and feature bloat of megabucks "enterprise" hardware/software. I'd wager 90% of database projects would be better off in MySQL than in Oracle, just because the maintenance costs are so much lower and the product is so much more accessible to junior staffers.
I spend six figures on Oracle, for use where it's needed. That doesn't mean I'm so stupid that I'm going to spend another six figures on it for projects that don't require it. Likewise I have people doing development in Linux on $500 e-machines servers for projects that deploy on giant rack-sagging monsters running heavy-duty OSen. It just makes good financial sense. And every once in a while we even find something neat that Linux, or MySQL, or what-have-you-open-source-program can do, that all our money can't buy.
Re:Think from the reporter's perspective (Score:3)
I don't doubt you're correct here. I worked in journalism long enough ago that the people I knew then have either given up on the business or moved pretty far along. So when I talk to someone about dealing with dot coms (a topic near and dear to my heart), it's going to be a senior reporter or an editor at a major pub, and that's bound to provide a somewhat warped perspective. But I think the core messages are still just as valid:
Think from the reporter's perspective (Score:5)
Here's what a reporter wants:
Okay, so keep all those in mind. Now, how can you help? For starters, take this press release and throw it in the trash:
...because the people who receive it are going to do exactly that: throw it away.
A press release that actually gets picked up has to provide the basis for a story, which more or less means it has to relate directly to things that the reporter knows about and would otherwise be writing about. Reporters do not write about marketspeak crap, except to make fun of it.
So find a trend that's popular but not overplayed, and figure out how you relate to that. Or find an angle the reporter can work with toward a story about how to do something, how to avoid something, how to make something, and build on that. Don't be afraid to mention your competition - having the story appear in print with you as one of three is better than not having it at all. And if your contact info is on the release, your spokesperson is going to be the one who has a quote in the story.
Approaches like this have you doing half the reporter's work for them, without it looking like he just licked up whatever you fed him. That meets his needs and yours too.
And nurture personal relationships with reporters. Get them drunk at conventions (they're the poorly-dressed ones, so they're easy to spot). Find the bar near the local paper where they hang out. Donate some equipment to your local college newspaper.
One last tip - if you don't know how to write, find someone who does. Go outside your office, find someone in grad school, or someone who writes accessible materials for a living. Do not under any circumstances use your neighbor or your mom or your brother-in-law unless this person is actually gainfully employed for his/her writing ability (next week's lesson: Do not use these people for graphic design either, just because they happen to own a copy of Pagemaker and once did their church newsletter). Everyone knows at least one person in such a capacity. Someone who is laughing at your typos or overuse of the thesaurus or weird grammar is not going to be writing a story about your product.
Five Rules for Good PR (Score:4)
1. Do not seek press if you are not ready for dealing with lots of inquiries or if your company is a "consumer advocate" story waiting to happen!
2. Execute press releases for hires, promotions and deal wins. They are the easiest to get published and people do read the business section. Releases that try to educate the press rarely work.
3. Avoid referring to technology. Point out benefits your customers experience and the business results that occur!
4. Have a full press kit ready to email to interested parties. Doing so allows editors and writers to do their job better.
5. Do not evaluate the success of PR in the number of leads it generates. PR does one thing well things: it creates brand awareness for your company.
I've never used a PR firm, for one reason, I believe most of them don't get the job done well.
uh hello (Score:2)
devils advocate (Score:3)
On to the subject now. I think word of mouth is one of the better routes to go until the company has enough to pursue advertising since it does come out rather expensive.
Bartering a banner with a similar venture, or partner or friend is another method that comes in handy many times. It sucks to be sucked dry by PR firms, but I strongly feel companies should do their own marketing concepts before seeking a PR firm anyway. An idea is created, the concept laid down for the PR firm beforehand, so money is saved.
Getting attention is not that difficult there are plenty of websites that'll do a write up if they find the product useful. Visit some of the more known sites, jot an address down its not that hard.
p.s. don't bother flaming I won't rsvp. Is our soldiers homecoming? [antioffline.com]
Re:You Already Know the Answer, yes here are some (Score:2)
1) Find out from your employees, what are their hobbies or volunteer efforts.
2) Support those efforts by granting them extra time off to attend.
3) Ask for them to distribute information about your company at these meetings
For example, I read to blind children on a regular basis, about once a week. At these reading I always had my company shirt on and a couple of brochures. When someone would ask me about myself, I would go on tell them and pitch my company at the same time.
Some volunteer organizations will let you place an advertisement within their newsletter for minimal dollars ($ 50.00 to $100.00). That would generate about 1 client per every 3 newsletters.
During Christmas, my firm would work for a month in soup kitchens and make a small donation of $ 2,000. We had posters put up, and we all wore our company shirts. Many of a time we got free press that way. We also had the opportunity to meet other people that might be able to use our services. We landed a huge transport contract that way. One of our reps was working next to a plant manager's wife, one thing lead to another and he got to do a presentation to the plant manager.
Long story short, one day I was reading to the daughter of a news reporter and they did a small write up of my shipping company I was on TV that generated a lot of buzz and got me 3 clients.
Don't waste your time supporting those things you or your employees don't believe in. Your pitch will not be sincere to the prospective receiver.
Side Note sales pitch and fund generation: Alzheimer's association is hosting a Polo match charity fund raising event near Princeton NJ area this summer. If you are interested in having a tent or attending, pull up my bio and get my proper e-mail and I'll forward you the information.
spambait e-mail
my web site artistcorner.tv hip-hop news
please help me make it better
The Care and Feeding of the Press (Score:2)
You never follow up an e-mail to a reporter with a phone call asking if she received the e-mail.
You know your reporter and what he has published -- before you make the first contact.
You get the facts fast to the right people, especially when asked directly for them.
You put full corporate contact and product summary info in all press releases and on the Web.
You never send unsolicited e-mail attachments, of any kind.
You'd never send out a group e-mail that includes your entire press list in the header.
You fix factual inaccuracies quickly and dispassionately.
You understand the power and limitations of freelance reviewers.
You'd never even contemplate sending out time-bombed review copies, demos, etc., knowing that writers want the real McCoy.
The art of a good Press Release (Score:5)
You have to appreciate the fact that there are literally hundreds of new products, services and companies launched every week -- and if journalists were to publish a story on every PR they received then the newswires would become flooded with the stuff and readers would complain.
The secret to getting a PR turned into a story is to wait until you've got something truly newsworthy before you issue a PR.
There are some companies whose PRs automatically get fined in /deve/null because they send out two or three a day announcing the most mundane and trivial things: "Our website is now listed in Yahoo's dierctory", "Our new sales manager is wearing a brown tie today", etc, etc.
Unfortunately for them, even if they come up with the answer to life, the universe and everything, I doubt anyone will be listening.
The secret to good PR is to figure out ways to become newsworthy. When you do something that is truly of interest to the wider industry (or world) the the journos will beat your door down trying to get a story.
Also -- pick your timing carefully. Every editor and reporter knows (and hates) slow-news days. There are some days when absolutely nothing is happening out there and those are the days when we tend to reluctantly start paying more attention to the PRs that come across our screens.
What's not newsworthy on a day when Yahoo buys the NY Times and Dell files for Chapter 13 might well be a lead-story on another day when yours is the only story happening.
Of course achieving this eye-catching status is not easy - or everyone would be doing it -- right?
As far as PR companies go -- it's been my experience that they're really good at spending your money but don't gain you a lot of ground. Let's face it, if you're not newsworthy then no amount of PR-spend is going to get your stories run in a reputable publication.
And as for the format of a PR -- keep it very, very short. If you haven't convinced the editor/reporter that you're newsworthy within the first paragraph they'll never read the rest anyway.
If you've sparked their interest -- they'll contact you for more information anyway. Best to leave them a little curious than drop a weighty tombe on their desk that tells them the whole story.
I hope this helps!
Dear Cliff (Score:2)
--