Above the code microsoft accelerator : herzliya

ABOVE THE CODE™ Herzliya, Israel July 1, 2012

Hacking Your Startup’s PR and Communications Initiatives To Get You Above The Code™

OUR STARTUP IS NOT READY FOR THIS...• What is a PR person doing in the room?• We gotta focus on getting to - and through Demo Day on date•I work a lot and want to have a life•Idon’t have time for this... thinking about PR could wind up being a distraction

ABOUT• 30 years - yup, I am an old school PR guy :) -• San Antonio & Tel Aviv• Works with Jeff Pulver on State of NOW -#140Conf• Involved with Israel’s traditional tech sector for the last 18 years

Life in three labs.... Tel Aviv San AntonioNYC / London / Tel Aviv, etc.

GETTING LUCKY...• Belief set about getting lucky with.... • PR • Social • Content

ALIGNING BUSINESS GOALS WITH COMMUNICATIONS• can be applied as an element of your R&D and development strategies• help you accelerate the potential for success• prepare your company for gaining coverage before, during and after Demo Day in September• prepare your company for being discovered• be ready when you are found by the media

2 PARTS TO PRESENTATION• Principles and belief sets for the long run• Practical and actionable steps to help you be ready for DEMO Day in September and beyond...

THE MEDIA IS YOUR FIRST MARKETto share and tell your story

The Media is Your Customer.... bloggersyou analysts & the the consumer enterprise media

GOOD NEWS :)• Very low cost / no cost to create a start-up• Big Idea• Core team• Strong will• Servers / hosting• Coding

BAD NEWS :(• Someone in New York, Austin, Chicago, SFO, Singapore, Haifa, Mumbai is thinking the same thing as you are :(• Hard to have a defensible position• Hard to protect your IP

QUALITIES THEN...• Strong Intellectual Property• Defensible technology• Strategic investors like Intel, Microsoft, Cisco, Motorola• VC funded

QUALITIES NOW• No Intellectual property• Nothing really defensible• Strategic investors & partners - Friends, Family, Angels, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, AT&T, etc.• Up until recently....No funding, or angel, micro, friends & family funding• Easy to run a virtual company... no real address, presence from a co- working space and an IP phone number

THE WORLD AS WE KNEW IT• Hardware• Software Go to School Army Service• Telecom Year Off for Travel• Security Go to College / University Summer Job• Bio Sciences Go to Work• Medical Devices

THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT• Hardware High School Start-Up• Software Army Start-Up• Telecom College / University Start-Up• Security Travel Year Work• Bio Sciences Startup Quit Day Job• Medical Devices Startup

Outbound / Inbound StrategyOutreach to media pick me Being found by the media ﬁnd me

PR in the past..... bloggerscompany agency mediacompany analysts

The more that software eats the world, the role of story tellingand connecting the dots for your global customer / partner base becomes increasingly important

WHAT I BELIEVE• 12 Fundamental Belief Sets • Not everything I do always works •I do this for me... I do this for clients. • There’s always exceptions to the rules • Discussion is based on a combination of experience and principles

From > Code

To > Above The Code

Alan’s12 Fundamental Belief Sets

#1 - STOP PITCHING• Start story telling• Yourpitch helps clarify / deﬁne what you do, but really sucks as a way to get coverage

#2 - YOU’RE REALLY A MEDIA COMPANY THAT....•Creates and makes media • Pinterestso you’ll be discovered, • Instagramfound and shared • Cinchcast • YouTube • SoundCloud • Twitter • Google Plus • Facebook • LinkedIn • Blog

#3 UNDERSTAND THEDIFFERENCES BETWEEN BEING...• Discovered - random being discovered and being found increases your chances• Found - search of sharing

#4 IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU• How do you help others do something in a compelling way you could not do before

#5 BE HUMAN• Get off your perch and write like you would speak• Conversewith your potential market wherever they are

#6 LIKE MINDED PEOPLE TEND TO FIND EACH OTHER• Givethem a place to connect and share their story• Consider aligning with other startups like yours to create a multinational startup

#7 HAVE A MISSION• We’re out to make __________ better• We want to help _____ do _______• We want to help others the opportunity to ________• We’re connecting _______ with ______ so they can ________• We make it easier to ____________• Have your voice be heard about _________

#8 THINK LIKE A SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHER• The potential to collect “Big Data” means you have something of incredible value to a potential partner, investor, or brand• Gives you a better chance of a lift when an exit may present itself• Bigdata lends itself to infographics, which contributes to your thought leadership and a great way to get media coverage

spark - what if? “some funding.”.. technology platform story... narrative toreal value engagement BIG DATA Lift towards an exit... (c) Alan Weinkrantz

#9 PUT IT OUT THERE• You never know who is going to ﬁnd your content and engage• You don’t have to have high quality production values to do this• Hardware is cheap. Tools are free. Tons of creatives to help you

#10 DRAW, PAINT, PHOTOGRAPH, ROCK OUT• Do something or learn to do something creative other than working on your startup• Itwill re-wire your brain in an unexpected way my drums circa 1968

#11 IT’S NOT ALWAYS REPLICABLE• Justbecause one strategy or tactic worked for one company does not mean it will work for another

#12 GET LUCKY• Go wide• Get lucky• Runwith it when you strike a chord

THE MIND OF A DEVELOPER• Focus on... • functionality • application • utilitarian value

HACK YOUR OWN PR!• Youhave to “know” the journalist• Much of this you can do yourself• “Paper trails” on the Internet exist if you search correctly

PLAN....• Postand write relevant content • Read and comment on relevant so you can be a source to media articles without being self on your ﬁeld of expertise promotional.• Develop & publish infographics • Askend user / beta customers if you can share you can refer to them to media• Follow a wish list of 20 • Follow editorial calendars journalists you think should cover you

NOW....• Makea wish list of where you • track competitors or belong companies in your periphery on news.google.com to see • business/ tech / bloggers who who covers and writes about are your fans back home them • media appropriate to your space • analysts appropriate to your space

PLAN FOR PR• Ifyou follow some of these basic • Get everyone on your team to principles, you’ll be further make this part of their regimen ahead. as it will make them aware of the opportunities that await you• This process takes at least six when you are ready. months to one year to really get on a journalist’s radar and be • Bring up PR in your team sticky - sometimes you can get meetings in a “what if...” scenario. lucky Be Ready For PR So You Can Succeed

HELP!• Mydoor is “open” via email and Skype• Happy to spend one hour with each company after July 15 to help you think this through.• Email me your wish list of media

Read. Re-Read. http://tech.li/2012/03/integrating-pr-into-your-product/http://gigaom.com/2012/03/03/how-startups-can-hack-the-pr-machine/ http://appsmarketing.mobi/app-marketing-sxsw-2012/ read again...:)

Free tools to get you into the groove.... http://www.alanweinkrantz.com/startup-pr- Who did I pitch today? strategies-who-did-i-pitch-today http://www.gartner.com/technology/about/Gartner Brieﬁngs request form vendor_brieﬁngs.jsp Editorial calendars http://www.alanweinkrantz.com/ technology-public-relations-2011- editorial-ca

Methodically. Reach. Out.http://www.alanweinkrantz.com/startup-pr-strategies- who-did-i-pitch-today

ABOVE THE CODE™ please share:)

thank you alan@weinkrantz.com www.alanweinkrantz.comTwitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Instagram. all photos by me © Alan Weinkrantz And Company 2012 Above The Code ™

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Above the code microsoft accelerator : herzliya

by Alan Weinkrantz on Jul 01, 2012

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