PR Tips for Entrepreneurs

I struck up a nice dialog with Anne Clelland, a dynamo who is the force behind Handshake Media and a number of innovative blogging efforts, namely Handshake 2.0 (I love that name), a blog that showcases tech entrepreneurs, and helps them make connections, and Inside VT KnowledgeWorks, a blog for the VA-based business incubator of the same name.  Please see this link for more info about her various forums.

Over the course of our discussions Anne posed a question to me: what are the top three PR tips I can share that she can bring back to the entrepreneurs she works with for H20 and VTK?

I gave it some thought and came up with these:

1) Before You do Anything Else, Spend Time Honing the Message

With the proliferation of media of all types, it has become increasingly harder to be heard above the noise.  That is why you need to make sure your story is interesting and resonates.

Most focus their efforts on describing the service or product they are marketing - the names, features, benefits etc. You need to also fit this within a story - a narrative that takes into account the marketplace you fit into, and explains how and where you fit, and how you will make a difference.  In  short, you need to describe your position in the market and vision for it.

For further reference, please see my Words that Work in Tech PR series.  Also, in my post Building Better Memes , I referenced the excellent book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, which tells how to craft stories that resonate.

2) Take your Story to the People

Back in the day (just five years ago), coverage was important for the sake of coverage and the vaunted press clipping reigned supreme.  These days it is more about making connections, and knowing where and how to be seen.  Many social media and social networking channels let you bypass the traditional gatekeepers - major media and market research analysts - and take your message directly to the audiences of interest.

See my post on Fusion PR Forum: The Advent of User-generated PR.

Social media such as blogs enable anyone to have their own soapbox.  Social networks make it possible to directly connect with potential customers and influencers.

There are many who can help you understand and utilize these channels.  Anne focuses on this in her work with H20 and VTK.  The agency I work for, Fusion PR, offers a range of social media PR services.  One thing that can't be outsourced is your own genuine voice - your thoughts, ideas and expertise.

So it is important for you, the entrepreneur to be vocal online, and get out there and be seen and heard.

3) Work the Traditional PR Channels

As important as social media is theses days, traditional media still counts, so don't forget major media, radio, TV and the trade media that cover your market in your PR efforts.

Some in the media and PR profession have said that the press release is dead.  Don't believe it for a minute.  Press releases are still a great way to get the word out, assuming you follow my instructions in 1, above, and don't spam people with gratuitous releases that don't say much.

New companies and new products are intrinsically newsworthy, and issuing a press release over one of the traditional wire services is a great way to get attention, boost SEO, etc. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention that there is much more to PR than "sending and praying" - i.e., just issuing the press release over the wires and hoping people will take note.  You need to also directly get in touch with those who are most likely to cover the news, and not leave it to chance that they will see it on the wires.  Ideally, you want to do this before the news goes out, give these people a heads up that the news is coming, and offer to brief them in advance.   News has a very short shelf life these days; after it crosses the wire people will quickly lose interest and move on to the next hot story.

Anne posed some additional questions in the above-referenced link:

What’s happening here, however one defines “here,” is high-tech on fire.  It’s fueled by innovations and inventions at Virginia Tech and Radford University, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, the business accelerator VT KnowledgeWorks, initiatives from economic development organizations such as the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, and other factors.

Here are our tricky local questions:

• If California has Silicon Valley and New York has Silicon Alley, what does Virginia have?
• More specifically, how does the New River Valley, Southwest Virginia, or the NewVa Corridor name and brand its high-tech economy?
• Does it need to?

I am not sure if anyone who reads this blog has suggestions; I am sure Anne would appreciate some good ideas.

I did mention to her that she should get in touch with Near-Time (disclosure, a client of mine at Fusion PR). 

It won't answer all her questions.  But I can say that this hosted Web 2.0 platform has been used successfully around the US, and internationally, to aid regional economic development and  promote workforce innovation.  The platform provides an interactive Web 2.0 hub that can link government agencies, education and economic development organizations, and entrepreneurs, providing users with ways to make contacts and access resources that are key to building businesses, training workers and reinforcing local economies.

Comments

[Anne Clelland]

Bob, thank you so much for your thorough and comprehensive answer to my question. I'm posting your tips on InsideVTKW on Tuesday--my high traffic day!

Your post is so rich with ideas that I had to print it out to study.

While I'm very excited for my readers to see your post, I'm excited for myself as well. I'm a high-tech start-up, too, and I plan to use your post as a PR action list for my own company!

Thank you, too, for your kind words and our exchange. You've given me lots of insights, which I've mentioned, is my favorite present from anyone, ever.

With gratitude,
Anne

[Bob Geller]

Anne, I am glad you enjoyed the post. I have appreciated getting to know more about the great work you and InsideVTKW are doing, and was pleased to have the chance to share with my readers.

[Robert Giles]

I'm stuck between competing recommendations. (1)Several experts tell me to shorten my message, edit the "elevator speech," concentrate on "the pitch," etc. and then add: We're flooded! then you (and others recently) send, among excellent advice, the statement:
(2)"You need to also fit this within a story." I know of no really short stories. I'm missing something important.

[Bob Geller]

Robert, thanks for reading and commenting. Excellent question. My answer is that fitting within a story does not mean needing to tell the whole story to every one, every time. It does mean that your story - your key messages - should fit within the larger story of the space in which you compete.

So, for example, if you are marketing data center automation software, your messages should embrace and spring from some implicit observations:

- Data centers have become way too complex
- They draw a lot of power
- They require many manual processes and lots of IT upkeep

These are generalities and I think few people would argue with them. Your specific messages should describe how you fit within the space, what new things (differentiators) you bring to the table, and why people should care and listen further.

Although you do not need to repeat the first three points (as a very rough and quick example) every time - they describe the frame upon which you are building your narrative. Hope this makes it clear.