public relations basics for start-ups: how to fuel growth and generate new business

PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented to Absolute Soware | May 29, 2009 © Affect Strategies

PUBLIC RELATIONS BASICS FOR START-UPS: How To Fuel Growth & Generate New Business

© Affect

America Means Business June 15, 2012

Sandra Fathi President Affect

Email: [email protected] Twier: @sandrafathi www.affect.com www.techaffect.com

PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL © Affect Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONS

BENEFITS

Why Start-ups Need PR

•  FREE*

•  High ROI

•  Reach: new audiences and existing audiences

•  Objective: third-party endorsement

•  Rapid Results

PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL © Affect

PUBLIC RELATIONS

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Typical PR goals and objectives:

•  Raise awareness for company, products and services

•  Drive demand for products and services

•  Generate sales leads

•  Increase website traffic

•  Change/improve/maintain public perceptions

•  Strengthen brand/customer loyalty

•  Enter new market

Presented at AMB | June 2012


Typical PR strategies:

•  Establish unique and sustainable messaging and positioning

•  Develop compelling content for media consumption

•  Build and maintain strong relationships with the media

•  Secure positive media coverage for company, products and services

•  Increase share of voice in market (against competitive offerings)

•  Position company spokespeople as industry experts and thought leaders

PUBLIC RELATIONS

STRATEGIES


PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

SERVICES PUBLIC RELATIONS

Public Relations

Analyst Relations Award Programs Blogger Relations Content Development Customer Relations

Media Relations Positioning & Messaging Speaking Programs Thought Leadership

Presented at AMB | June 2012 © Affect


MEDIA RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS

Foundation Materials

•  PR Plan/Roadmap

•  Press Kit

•  Company Backgrounder/Overview

•  Company Fact Sheet

•  Executive Bios

•  Product/Services Overview

•  Media Lists

•  Press Release Matrix

•  Editorial Calendar



TACTICS

PUBLIC RELATIONS/MEDIA OUTREACH

Keys to Understanding Media:

•  Audience – Readers

•  Responsible – Editor

•  Motivated by - Scoop

•  Deadline – Always On

•  Knowledge – Mile Wide, Inch Deep

•  Deals with Information, Sort Facts Later

•  Needs Good Sources



Finding Relevant Media:

•  Media list services (i.e. Cision, Vocus, My Media Info, Bulldog Reporter)

•  Read the ‘byline’ on articles/newspapers

•  Read the ‘masthead’ on magazines

•  Review competitive coverage

•  Look online for editorial staff listings/news submission pages

MEDIA LIST PUBLIC RELATIONS



MEDIA RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS



TACTICS

MEDIA RELATIONS: MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE

•  Air Force Magazine

•  Aol Defense

•  Army Times

•  Defense News

•  Defense Tech Briefs

•  FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin

•  Homeland Security Today

•  Military.com

•  National Defense Magazine

•  Navy Times



•  Evidence Technology Magazine

•  Government Computer News

•  Law Enforcement Product News

•  Law Enforcement Technology

•  Officer.com

•  Police

•  Police and Security News

•  PoliceOne.com

© Affect

TACTICS

MEDIA RELATIONS: LAW ENFORCEMENT



EDITORIAL CALENDARS PUBLIC RELATIONS

Editorial Calendar Snapshot



EDITORIAL CALENDAR PUBLIC RELATIONS



Market

Customers

Employees

CEO

STORY GENERATION PUBLIC RELATIONS



Prospects

Customers

Influencers

Media

STORY GENERATION PUBLIC RELATIONS



PRESS RELEASE MATRIX PUBLIC RELATIONS



THOUGHT LEADERSHIP PUBLIC RELATIONS

•  Trending topic in news cycle

•  Long shelf life

•  Has time for commentary

•  Breaking news

•  Short shelf life

•  Needs immediate reaction/analysis



TREND INTERVENTION PUBLIC RELATIONS

Industry Trend Action Mobile Apple vs. Android Compile balecard, develop

infographic Mobile HTML 5 vs. Native Apps/HTML 5

Myths Establish company POV, offer media spokespersons

Media Monetization of Mobile Content Create tip sheets/press release

Banking Mobile Payments & NFC Develop byline article abstracts on topic

Retail Holiday 2012/2013 Forecast Develop research survey/gather statistics for media



TREND INTERVENTION PUBLIC RELATIONS



In April 2010 a volcanic eruption in Iceland le thousands of travelers on standby in airports, many of whom were on business travel. As part of its strategy to

communicate with professionals around Regus’ flexible workspaces, Affect conducted a story hijacking campaign to offer tips to business travelers on how to

work effectively while stranded.

Affect garnered more than 200 placements in Regus’ target publications as a result of the media relations program during the volcanic eruption. Additionally,

Regus identified a 9% spike in its U.S. video conferencing services during this time.

STORY HIJACKING PUBLIC RELATIONS



PR STRATEGY

BYLINE ARTICLES

Sample Byline Topics:

•  Taking the Mobile Leap: Five Things Every Small Company Should Know

•  Agile in the Cloud: What it Means and How to Achieve Success

•  Top 10 Characteristics of a Highly Successful Agile Team

•  So You Want to Adopt a Continuous Delivery Model, Now What?

•  Outsourcing vs. Insourcing: Finding a Development Partner That Can Adapt to

Your Company Culture & Deliver Stellar Work

Keys to Success:

•  Relevant/Topical

•  Objective

•  News-worthy



PUBLIC RELATIONS

BYLINE ARTICLES

Process:

•  Read editorial section or FAQ on website

•  Search for the topic ‘byline articles’

•  Examine other articles and their authors

•  Just ask

•  Write an abstract on the topic/s you can provide expertise on

•  Secure the opportunity

•  Write (According to guidelines)

•  Get published!



Date Award March BlackBerry World Wireless

Leadership Awards

March The American Business Awards

April Mobile Merit Awards

May WSJ Technology Innovation Awards (Submied)

June Mobile Star Awards *Antenna won in ‘mobile banking’ & ‘success story’ categories in 2010

September Mobile Excellence Awards

November Andrew Seybold Choice Awards *Antenna named finalist in 2010

December Crunchies Awards

Sample Industry & Business Awards

PUBLIC RELATIONS

AWARDS PROGRAM



PUBLIC RELATIONS

AWARDS PROGRAM

Process:

•  Review Editorial Calendars for key industry publications

•  Review competitor websites/awards

•  Internet searches for business awards

•  Develop calendar/matrix

•  Establish a budget

•  Submit according to exact criteria

•  Bask in the glory of your new award! (i.e. Leverage it for sales and marketing)



Process:

•  Search for industry conferences (1 year prior)

•  Develop calendar of deadlines/submission process

•  Develop Speaking Abstracts (Typically 100-250 word descriptions)

Types of Sessions:

•  Workshops

•  Panels

•  Educational

•  Case Studies

•  Develop speaker bio

•  Submit according to process and follow up

PUBLIC RELATIONS

SPEAKERS PROGRAM

Event Date & Location

Computerworld Open Source Business Conference (OSBC)

May 21-22, 2012 San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Agile June 4-6, 2012

San Francisco, CA

Better Software Conference West June 10-15, 2012

Las Vegas, NV

Agile Business Conference October 11-12, 2012

London, UK

Agile Development Conference East November 4-6, 2012

Orlando, FL



PUBLIC RELATIONS

INDUSTRY ANALYST RELATIONS

Keys to Understanding Analysts:

•  Audience – Clients

•  Responsible – P & L

•  Motivated by - Fame

•  Deadline – Has Time

•  Knowledge – Mile Deep, Inch Wide

•  Deals with Facts, Statistics, Data

•  Needs Good Information

•  Provides industry feedback and insight into competitive offerings/pain points



Process:

•  Identify relevant analyst firms (Internet searches, quoted in articles)

•  Identify relevant individual analysts within each firm

•  Examine website/speak with sales to understanding briefing request process

•  Prepare analyst deck/briefing materials according to analyst firm guidelines

•  Request/establish briefing (typically 6-8 weeks advance notice unless breaking news)

•  Understand how information will be used/published

•  Understand future ‘rules of engagement’ with the firm

PUBLIC RELATIONS

ANALYST RELATIONS



PUBLIC RELATIONS

STRATGIC PLACEMENTS

Advertising or PR?

•  Payment for services not for real-estate

•  Media must ‘agree’ to accept content

•  Content is editorial in nature – not commercial

•  Spokespersons positioned as ‘experts’

•  Product placement in context

Radio, Television, Print & Online



Benefits:

•  Guaranteed** coverage

•  Significantly cheaper than advertising

•  Immediate impact

•  Beer control of message/content

© Affect

Types:

•  SMT – Satellite Media Tour (Broadcast Television)

Dedicated or Co-op

•  RMT – Radio Media Tour

•  Feature Release

PUBLIC RELATIONS

STRATEGIC PLACEMENTS



Considerations:

•  Financial and human resources

•  Expertise in the arena

•  Product knowledge

•  ‘Connections’

•  Strategy, ideation, content creation and execution

•  Dedicated program

PUBLIC RELATIONS

DIY OR PR FIRM



PUBLIC RELATIONS BASICS FOR START-UPS: How To Fuel Growth & Generate New Business

© Affect

America Means Business June 15, 2012

Sandra Fathi President Affect

Email: [email protected] Twier: @sandrafathi www.affect.com www.techaffect.com