Public relations agencies charge their clients thousands of dollars per month.
Sure, established companies with big budgets can probably shoulder that weight, but tech startups with limited budgets certainly cannot. Do you really need someone else's help to get the media's attention or can startups just handle it themselves? Many public relations professionals do have access to key media contacts which can certainly turbocharge publicity. However, modern technology now makes it easier than ever to get exposure. The easiest way to get on a journalist's radar? Twitter.
During a panel discussion held at RocketSpace's San Francisco campus, reporters Josh Constine (TechCrunch), Kia Kokalitcheva (VentureBeat), and James Robinson (PandoDaily) said they check their accounts several times a day and recommended that startups use the platform to build relationships with members of the press.
Are there any other ways to get in front of the industry's top tech reporters? RocketSpace recently hosted another panel and invited Tomio Geron (The Wall Street Journal), Olivia Solon (The Guardian), Michael Coren (Quartz), and Chris Preimesberger (eWeek) to give members some insight into the stories that tech reporters actually want to cover:
Top Tech Stories Reporters Want to Cover
1. Partnerships
Is your startup partnering with a recognizable corporate? If so, tech publications would very likely be interested in publishing your news. In recent years, we have seen an increasing number of partnerships between established corporations and young startups.
Not only will customers be keenly interested in any management changes that could potentially impact their experiences, but the overall tech community will be interested as well. In this instance, you would do well to both pitch a reporter and draft a press release. Your pitch should intrigue the reporter, and your press release should provide more detailed information, including:
- Background summaries of each company
- The reason for the partnership
- The benefit to the consumer
- Your company point of contact
What do partnership articles look like? Check out 3 Startup Partnerships You Need to Know About. Struggling to land a partnership with a major corporate? Our Corporate Innovation Program might be just the solution you're looking for.
For more insight into the power of the RocketSpace tech community, check out The Power of Ecosystem.
2. Acquisitions
Another common newsworthy topic in the tech sector? Major acquisitions by corporations. Reporters are interested in acquisitions because they affect the greater business community and economic climate. In this article, TechCrunch broke the news of Apple acquiring inVisage Technology.
This reporter conducted significant background research in order to gather the information she needed to write the story. She also noticed multiple InVisage VC backers had listed the company as "exited" on their websites. This was before anyone from Apple or inVisage ever confirmed or denied the acquisition.
Why Apple makes it a policy not to discuss their tech startup acquisitions, we are not sure. Obviously, they don't need the press. However, if you do, some reporter would most certainly love to have the inside scoop.
3. Trends
Are you on the forefront of capitalizing on something trend-worthy? If so, a reporter could very well benefit from quoting you in an upcoming trends article. Some of the biggest opportunities for publicity in tech right now include:
- Blockchain
- Machine learning
- Cybersecurity at scale
- Immersive customer experiences
- Employee-centric application development
Look closely at most news articles, and you will notice they almost always include a supporting quote from a reliable source. Not only does this make for a richer reader experience, but it also lends the publication an added layer of credibility. The easiest way to learn about such opportunities is to sign up for HARO.
Register for the organization's daily newsletter, and you will receive notice of source requests relevant to your industry, expertise, and personal experience. Simply pitch the masked email addresses of the queries you are interested in. Include answers to the journalist’s questions, any specified requirements, and a company biography. If the reporter is interested, they will get back to you. The best part about HARO? It's 100 percent free.
4. Investment
Finally, consider notifying the press whenever you receive a new round of funding. For example, Code2040 recently received $5.6 million from The Knight Foundation. Tech reporters are always keeping an eye out for the latest funding rounds made by top VCs, private equity firms, and investors.
Build Your Pitch With RocketSpace
Just because you don't have a public relations agency on retainer doesn't mean you can't get press. As we have shown, the key to getting coverage is all about building relationships with reporters and understanding which topics they find most interesting.
Are you still struggling to get the press coverage that your tech startup deserves? Finetune your pitch and approach by working alongside other tech founders, entrepreneurs, and innovators at RocketSpace. At RocketSpace, learn from the leaders who have "been there, done that" as it pertains to press coverage. Additionally, we provide Seed to Series C tech startups with flexible coworking space, tech-centric programming, and growth-oriented amenities needed to take your tech startup into the stratosphere!
Is RocketSpace right for your tech startup? Try a FREE Day Pass!
