The Holy Grail of PR: A Cover Story
October 27, 2009 | Great PR, Tech Worth Talking About, Today's Headlines | 0 Comments
A few weeks ago, Barron’s featured my client TheInfoPro as the leading source in a story about M&A activity in 2010. The reporter Mark Veverka is a really great guy to work with. I imagine TheInfoPro got the most ink because we were flexible in terms of going out on a limb, utilizing our resources and making valid statements about potential tech targets in 2010 that could become M&A targets.
I love to lead by example so when this once in every so often opportunity occurs it’s important to reflect on what made it so great.
Here’s the article:
By Mark Veverka, 10/26/09
Nearly a month later, I’m still getting questions from local tech companies about how to achieve such a PR win.¬† It’s really basic: be timely, be smart and build relationships.
The story occurred because we routinely communicate valuable data to reporters and act as a resource for their reporting. True to form, even if you’re not a data house like TheInfoPro, be a thought leader in your space.¬† If you’re a SaaS company providing app platforms to the cloud, don’t just rely on your homepage, rely on building a network.¬† One local company is doing just that — see Apprenda.com and SaaSblogs.com.
Also remember Capital Region to think outside the four publications in your backyard. A successful launch isn’t limited to the newspapers in a 100 mile radius.¬† Write press releases and news pitches that are robust and resourceful, offer specifics that you can provide to the reporter and think long and hard before trying the SPAM approach. Pitching is NOT a numbers game no matter what PR people tell you.¬† Read, read, read and then react.¬† Reporters will respect you, and more important, use you time and time again.