Demystifying public relations and making it work , all around great guy and product master at , did a mini-tweetstorm about PR from the perspective of a non-marketing person. Craig Kerstiens Citus Data 1/ One of the most foreign things for me to learn coming from working with engineers was how to interact with media As an engineer who eventually found my way to , let’s talk about this. marketing Programming notes: this post is n in a series of indeterminate length on GTM topics mainly for startup people, mainly leadership, mainly coming from non-GTM backgrounds. There’s a list at the end. Being in the media is a job 2/ Speaking with press/media is a very different skill than you’d think, it’s not just tell your message and answer questions The press have agendas. They need to tell stories, with points of view, that generate interest (and eyeballs) than their competition. Consider their incentives. Like everyone else doing a job, they have incentives. better unique more Give them reasons to listen to you. Establish your bona fides. Help them accomplish their goals. Are you advancing their cause? If not, why do you expect them to advance yours? Help the press do their jobs better 3/ Lots of things felt really foreign, but it’s a matter of them being under time constraint and the medium that make it what it is They do better when they’re with a story. Or the one with a story. Or both. A good, story is the best outcome for a journalist of any stripe. first only exclusive Attention spans being what they are, there’s a limit to how much detail and depth they can either consume or write with. Unless you’re a name brand in and of yourself, your airtime will be limited to one or two quotes — so make them good. Long form stories, should you be lucky enough to be the focus of, are a different experience altogether. And finally, most tech press want to be smarter about whatever topic they’re writing about. They’re interested and enjoy learning about technology, decoding the industry, etc. They want to provide more than just facts; going to levels of depth and analysis that make readers smarter. their All under severe time pressure. So make yourself useful and trust-able: Help them get smarter Do it neutrally so they can trust you Be willing to take the time to do that instead of pitch your agenda Tell them something they don’t know, or that no one else knows, without taking credit Know your message 4/ Ignoring the question is never something you want to do, but bridging to the narrative you care about AND that’s relevant is important Media training. Get some. Or the poor man’s version: find your friendly marketer and have them role play interviews so you can get practice. Know the 1–3 points you want to get across Find ways to connect the conversations to your points But don’t derail or ignore the questions Be open about not being able to answer a question, if you can’t or won’t If it’s clearly a pitch/briefing meeting, at the outset, then at the end, and email with them state your points repeat them send a follow up Try not to make assertions. If you’re a brand name, you can get away with it. Otherwise, have reasons grounded in some reality. Practice. Find someone who’s done it before to role play. Focus on being able to direct the conversation, responding without agitation to tough or critical questions, and reading when the other person is/isn’t interested. If you’re cited or quoted in a way that’s not accurate, send polite clarifications afterwards 5/ There’s a lot of small things which are key: know your numbers, know your customers (ones you can talk about), know your product launches Know your numbers Yes please. Know your data well and have it down. Be able to answer questions about your company and market off the top of your head accurately. Things to be armed with: Founding story Problem solved Who the problem is solved for Real life stories (naming names if possible) of your product solving that problem Growth numbers or percentages Market size What factors in the industry, or wider world, create your opportunity Point of view on industry trends relevant to your space, the more iconoclastic the better Market landscape, who your competitors are, where you fit Answer to “what do you do if Amazon/Google/BigCo starts competing with you?” Know your sound bites 6/ Oh, and sound bites! Plan them in your head… what makes sense to quote? Over time this comes more naturally but takes attention early Better yet, have sound bites and quotes from multiple sources, including yourself, that support your points. Our founder always says.. Customer X said.. So and so at Gartner says.. Adrian Cockcroft says in his presentations that.. Such and such VC says.. Know your audience Figure out who the specific, important press and outlets are for you. Which ones cover your space? Which ones have the attention of the same people you want attention from? Read their work, learn their beat. Find mutual ground. Target your pitches, briefings, and commentary to their areas of interest specifically. Build relationships. Be intentional. Treat them like people. Be useful Make yourself available to provide background info and color commentary for their articles, even if they have nothing to do with you, and even if you aren’t cited. Point to useful resources like industry reports, analysts and other people who might provide insight. Pass along leads to stories to them. But don’t break any laws. :) For example, notice something obscure or buried change on someone’s website which suggests they’ve had a legal event of some kind? Point it out. Have a human touch If you don’t know how to treat people like people, learn. If you’re a sociopath, develop the mannerisms. If you’re a severe introvert, get someone else to do it. Find a face for your company that can be the press face. If you’ve got no one, get outside professionals. Agencies and freelancers are aplenty. A word on agencies They mostly suck. Good ones for you will have a few common features: with the press you care about Relationships to other companies, execs, analysts that might be useful Relationships Ability to articulate as well as, or better than, you can — meaning they demonstrably can and will learn your product/technology/language your story Willingness to do the labor of your story into a journalist’s agenda translating Can for increasing your visibility — placement, bylines, content, speaking, and more create opportunities Posts in this series (and templates) Marketing 101 for Engineers: A Functional Introduction Marketing 102 for Engineers: Roughing Out a Funnel Marketing 201 for Engineers: Messaging & Positioning Marketing 202 for Engineers: Launching Marketing 203 for Engineers: Sales Enablement Marketing 204 for Engineers: Generating Demand Marketing 301 for Engineers: Strategy & Planning Sales 101 for Engineers: A Functional Introduction PR 101 for Engineers Analyst Relations 101 for Engineers Basic Messaging Template [Google Doc] Basic Funnel Metrics Template [Google Sheet] Basic Launch Timeline Template [Google Doc] Basic Battlecard Template [Google Doc] Detailed Battlecard Template [Google Doc] Basic Marketing Calendar Template [Google Sheet] Reading List Craig Kerstien’s Guide to PR for Startups First Round Capital’s Why Most Startups Don’t Get Press Mike Maney’s The Case Against Hiring a PR Agency Jason Lemkin’s A SaaS Founder’s Guide to PR Matt Web’s Here’s my PR tip for people (like me) who are terrible at PR a.k.a. the Tick-Tock List Onboardly’s: Weighing the Merits of Embargo vs. Exclusive Thanks to Craig Kerstiens , Mike Maney , and Pam S. Njissang for their feedback!

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