5 PR Hacks for Tech Companies Without the right marketing and publicity efforts, target audiences may never learn about products and services companies are offering.
By Zach Cutler Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Tech companies may be experts in innovation and engineering, but when it comes to publicizing their products, many are left in the dark. Without the right marketing and PR efforts, target audiences may never learn about products and services tech companies are offering.
Here are the top five things for tech companies to know about PR:
1. Do a reporter's homework.
Journalists and editors are looking for stories, and a nicely packaged story with relevant metrics, case study examples or other interesting information will make a reporter's job much easier and significantly boost the chance of being picked up.
Related: 3 Horrible Press Release Habits to Break
Although it may sound obvious, editors are more likely to use well-researched stories that will interest their readers than content that will take more work on their part to research.
2. More pitches do not equal more placements.
Pitches to reporters shouldn't be broadcasted, but rather narrowcasted. Each story is relevant to a different audience of reporters, and sending pitches to the wrong reporters can have negative effects.
Sending stories to every media contact, whether the story is relevant or not, creates noise and clutter, and can build a bad reputation among reporters. Instead, think about narrowcasting pitches. Consider which reporters would be the most interested in the story and pitch smartly to those select few. Quality definitely outweighs quantity.
3. One size does not fit all.
Just as journalists should receive tailored pitches, outlets should as well. A thoughtful piece discussing business insights and trends should be targeted to analytical outlets such as the Harvard Business Review, while a funding announcement may work best for a tech news outlet such as TechCrunch.
Related: The Basics of Getting the PR Your Business Needs
Understand what each outlet is looking for. Select a few target outlets and create the pitch based around their specific needs.
4. Stand out to capture a journalist's heart.
Tech reporters want to write about exciting companies that are doing new and different things. They want to be the first one to break the news on an innovative new product, to analyze and discuss upcoming trends, and to speak with industry leaders. They often receive hundreds of pitches every day, and are looking for the ones that stand out.
It's a no-brainer. The more innovative a product, story or pitch is, the more likely it will capture the attention of tech and business reporters.
5. Don't be promotional.
Pitches or articles that are too self-serving are rarely published. To avoid this, offer interesting data, tips, insights on trends and other information editors will deem as interesting and useful to their readers. Quality content is more likely to grab the attention of both reporters and readers, and garner attention for the company at the same time.
What do you think? What PR lessons are the most important for tech companies to learn?
