pr tips for startups

1. BASIC STARTUP PR

2. WHAT YOU THINK

3. THE REALITY

4. HOW DO YOU GET THESE PEOPLE TO LISTEN?

5. RULE #1
DON’T BE RUDE

6. DON’T ACT LIKE HOT SHIT (ASSUME NOTHING)
NO BCC OR MASS EMAILS
FOLLOWING UP ONCE IS OK. TWICE GETS YOU
BLACKLISTED.
LEARN TO ACCEPT “NO”
ONLY EMAIL ONE PERSON PER PUB
NO LONG EMAILS (AT LEAST NOT THE FIRST
PITCH)
DON’T STRESS EMBARGOES TOO MUCH

7. RULE #2
THE DETAILS MATTER

8. GET THEIR NAME/PUB RIGHT (PLEASE!)
TAKE TIME TO CUSTOMIZE EACH PITCH
*ACTUALLY READ* THE REPORTER’S WORK
NO BUZZWORDS!

9. RULE #3
KNOW YOUR BUSINESS

10. FOUNDERS>PR PEOPLE. ALWAYS.
KNOW YOUR NUMBERS
KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS
BE CANDID WITH REPORTERS
ASK YOURSELF, “IS THIS *ACTUALLY*
INTERESTING?”

11. RULE #4
TECHCRUNCH ISN’T THAT
IMPORTANT

12. RESEARCH OTHER PUBS (EVEN “LAME” ONES)
PITCH LOTS OF PEOPLE AND KEEP REFINING
FIND YOUR NICHE
MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS

13. RULE #5
BE SUPER NICE

14. SAMPLE COLD EMAIL PITCHES

15. Subject: Announcement from new wearable tech startup – 2M in
funding
Hi Jen,
I noticed that you’ve been writing a lot about wearable tech lately. I
thought your last article about sensors in shirts was really cool –
definitely looking forward to more companies using that technology.
I’m the founder of a startup called Sensi that makes it easy for
manufacturers to incorporate sensors into clothing at a very low cost.
We’re seeing a lot of traction (over 100 businesses pay for our
technology), and just closed our biggest customer yet, American
Apparel.
We just raised a big round of funding (2M) and plan on making an
announcement soon. Let me know if you’re interested in writing about
the news and I can send over more info. Hope to hear from you soon!
Best,
Mark

16. Subject: EXCLUSIVE: Groundbreaking wearable tech startup you
should cover
Hi there,
Have you heard of Sensi? We’re a new startup that is taking wearable
tech to the next level. We just raised 2 million dollars and have a lot of
customers. Can you write about us at TechCrunch? The news is
embargoed until 9am on Thursday. Please let me know ASAP if you
can write an article.
Mark

17. BONUS TIPS
FOLLOW REPORTERS ON TWITTER AND ENGAGE WITH THEM
CREATE YOUR OWN CONTENT (ALL FOUNDERS SHOULD
BLOG)
BE FRIENDLY WITH REPORTERS, BUT NOT A CREEP
*ALWAYS* BE RELIABLE, RESPONSIVE, AND AVAILABLE