Advertising and marketing are only the beginning steps to get your startup the press it needs. Having journalists writing for news sites and respectable magazines cover your startup is fantastic way to show people that you have arrived. Contacting journalists, however, is a bit more involved than sending out an email blitz containing a press release. In fact, if you want journalists to respond and write about you, sending them a press release isn’t the way to go about it at all.
When you contact reporters about your startup, remember that these are busy people who deserve respect for their time. You don’t need to be apologetic for reaching out to them, but you don’t need to badger them. After all, if they’re reporters interested in startups, then hearing from people like you is part of their job. Keep that in mind while writing those emails and getting those introductions, because you want to stand out. That first impression is key to getting the story you desire.
Decide when and why you’ll be writing
You want to contact a journalist because you’re officially launching your startup. Or, your startup is entering a round of funding and you want to generate buzz. Or, you’ve just released an exciting new product, and press coverage will help get the word out.
Whatever your reason for contacting journalists about your startup, you need a timeline. Contact journalists too far in advance and they won’t be able to commit to writing about you. Contact them just a day before you need their writing skills, and they’ve already got too many other deadlines looming. A week is a good amount of lead time. It gives them enough time to learn about your startup and craft a piece about it. But a week isn’t so much time that they’ll forget about you or book more exciting gigs in the meantime.
Learn what they write
Before you think about contacting a journalist, you must be familiar with what they write. Writing for Scientific American or Forbes is, alone, not enough of a reason to choose a journalist to pitch your startup story to. You must seek out their work to find out exactly which topics they cover and how. After all, even two journalists covering very similar beats will have different styles and methods of storytelling. Everything in a journalist’s writing is a clue to how you might pitch your story to them in the most engaging way.
Business social media sites and, of course, news sites are spots where you should search for journalists. You should also use resources like Contactable or Hey Press, which allow you to search journalists by keyword, to streamline your efforts to find someone who will be interested in your startup.
This task doesn’t need to belong to one person. Send your PR person on a mission to find some good journalists. Once your employees have a short list, you can meet with them and learn why each journalist stands out. Then take some time on your own to review the journalists.
Pick the right people
Why should you learn about what journalists write? Because that’s how you pick the journalists who will want to cover news about your startup. Based on short profiles and one or two articles, you’ll probably develop a list of many journalists who you want to talk to. Only after you explore each of their bodies of work will you discover which ones will truly find interest in what your startup has to offer.
Similarly, you’ll figure out how to pitch your story to each journalist. A human interest journalist will appreciate a story about the founder behind the startup. A tech journalist would rather report on the latest technology your startup is pioneering. Craft your pitch based on what they write, and let them know you’ve thought about how they might write about you.
Tell them why your startup matters
Your startup has to stand out from the rest, or journalists won’t see any benefit in writing about it. Whatever it is that makes your startup unique, be it products, culture, or environmental impact, lead with that. Journalists are trying to get their work in front of the eyes of readers, just like you’re trying to get your product in the hands of customers. Show them why writing about your startup will get them readers.
Think beyond press releases. Journalists come across tons of press releases; the really good journalists don’t have time to look at most of those. The information you offer helps a journalist figure out if you’re good reading material. Have you recently done well getting VC funding? Did you lure a software engineer away from Google? Did you start this company in your grandmother’s basement? Why your startup matters is an angle you need to pitch them, so they can pitch it to their readers.
Email in a personal manner
You’re used to writing business emails, which contain a measured amount of formality. While you want to be respectful to the journalists you talk to, don’t address them like they’re bank managers and you’re trying to get a loan. Reach out in a more personal manner, because journalists get a lot of emails every day. The ones that feel canned or like spam might end up in the trash bin without ever getting opened.
Even if you have someone in the PR department writing the email, send that email from the CEO’s or the founder’s account. Journalists appreciate it when the top levels reach out to them, and they would much rather hear from a CEO than someone in the PR department. When you write to a journalist, let them know right away why you’ve chosen to contact them. A mutual friend in common, admiration for their work, or a nod at their style are all good ways to begin.
Get an introduction
Do you know anyone who works in media, advertising, or publishing? Contact reporter friends to ask about the journalists at their papers who cover startups or new technology. Your business friends and colleagues are other resources for gaining introductions to journalists.
A personal introduction will get a journalist’s attention even if it’s as simple as someone e-mailing both of you to introduce you online. You’ll already have a leg up, because someone will have vouched for you as a possible story. Plus, that introduction is likely to get you noticed faster than a cold email.
Meet in person
The best way to make a good impression on someone is to meet them in person. So much about personality and rapport gets lost via on-screen communication. Even phone calls or video chats don’t have the same magic a face-to-face meeting will have. Plus, the story they write might involve interviewing you, so if they see you have the personality and articulation to give them a good interview, you will have made a great first impression.
If you don’t have any contacts who can make introductions, go to business networking events. You can attend journalism events, as long as they have a tie to your industry, too. If you’re developing a new style of smart jewelry, an event for tech journalists wouldn’t be too far out of reach. In the same vein, go to networking events for business people in your industry, too. Journalists often attend looking for the next big story. If you can, check the guest list ahead of time and do a little research on the journalists who will be there.
Always say thank you
When a journalist has written a piece about you after you’ve contacted them, always write a thank you email. Identify yourself, your company, and link to the article in the body of the email so they know exactly what you’re talking about. While you’re at it, send them an invitation to connect on LinkedIn or another business site, so you can stay in contact. This journalist could become someone you go to with great stories about your startup in the future.
As your startup grows, you’ll come in contact with more journalists. Contacting them will become easier, and you may develop ongoing relationships with some of them. Keep researching old favorites and looking for new bylines. Quality pieces in great newspapers and magazines can only improve your startup’s publicity.
