Media Relations for Startups

In 5 Easy Steps

Step 1: Define Media Targets

• Which media are you trying to reach?• Identify the journalists, editors,

wire writers and bloggers that cover your industry

• Prioritize your top 10-20

• Research the background of each target• What they cover• Their typical story angles• How often they write about your

industry• Have they covered your product

or company previously?

Step 2: Determine Timing

• Research publishing schedules • How often does each of your

targets publish?• Do they follow an editorial

calendar? (If so, editorial calendars can

usually be found inside a media outlet’s online media kit)• Respect the schedules of your

targets(For example, if an outlet publishes every Monday – you probably need to reach out early in the preceding week)

Step 3: Build Relationships

• Here’s how to build beneficial relationships with your “wishlist” of reporters:• Research and understand their backgrounds• Read everything they write• Comment on their articles, when appropriate• Follow them on social media• Reach out personally and offer non-self-

serving information and story ideas

Step 4: Pitch

• Don’t rely on a press release to capture media attention

• Instead, send a pitch to explain why your news should matter to each individual target

• There are two kinds of pitches:• A product or announcement pitch

that links to a formal press release• An Introductory or proactive pitch

that offers up your experts to comment on industry news or trends

Pitching: In Detail

• Ideally, your pitch will include these three elements:• Timeliness: Does your pitch tie into the

news cycle or contain a sense of urgency?

• Relevance: Will your targets consider the content of your pitch newsworthy and relevant to their respective fields?

• Third-Party Validation: Can you offer up a customer or analyst who can back up your claims or add to the story?

TimelinessRelevanceThird-Party Val-idation

Step 5: Follow Up• Don’t harass, but do follow up• If you still don’t get a response –

diagnose your pitch• Could the title be improved?• Did you meet the three components

of timeliness, relevance and validation?

• Were your targets distracted by other industry news?

• Recognize that it’s not unusual to be ignored

• Perseverance is critical for a successful media relations program, and it may take several pitches before you get a response

Need More Information?• Download our

“Starter Guide: Do-It-Yourself Media Relations”

(bit.ly/Hf5B0y)

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