
Why Most Startups Don't 'Get' Press - ca98am79
http://firstround.com/article/why-most-startups-dont-get-press
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replicatorblog
I'm a writer for Wired.com and this article is pretty spot on. I'd just add a
few things from my experience:

\+ Think "fun" not "functional"

The press, and tech press especially, isn't academia. Editor's aren't trying
to be encyclopedic. They're looking for things that are entertaining that will
generate page views and respect from peers/advertisers. If you're in a
"boring" market, focus on your bio or the amazing things your product allowed
a user to do.

\+ Optimize your company/product for press

You can do a lot to improve your chances of coverage by the way you develop
and position your product.

\- Look at how Buzzfeed and Upworthy write their headlines and practice
pitching your product and its features that way. e.g. Look at a product like
"Zombies, Run!" They're in a hugely crowded segment of the market, but a
unique concept and catchy branding have helped them vault to the top of their
part of the app store.

\- A friend developed a game for cats. It seems silly at first glance, but
it's catnip to producers/editors/writers. Go after some crazy market segment,
or serve them in some crazy way. Uber pulled a fun stunt over the summer where
you could summon an ice cream truck and it got huge pickup. Even if your
product is pedestrian, there's probably a way to optimize it for attention.

\- Have a compelling design — Visuals are huge. If you're making hardware,
hire a pro photographer. If you're developing apps, have some unique UI
features. Writers get a lot of pitches and having good art is a great way to
grab attention.

\+ Press coverage does NOT equal "worthiness"

Don't feel bad if you're not resonating with the tech media. I've pitched
stories about startups that have $100MM+ revenue run rates and millions of
users that get rejected instantly. And when stories like that make it through,
they often end up flopping in terms of page views. Contrast that with
Foursquare who as of a year ago has ~$2MM and revenue and no shortage of ink.

\+ Focus on your market

Every startup wants the row of impressive logos on its homepage, but you'll
often get better qualified leads by focusing on more niche publications in
your market. They may not have the heft of the NYT or TC, but are a great way
to actually drive your business.

~~~
dannowatts
thanks for adding this, it's great to get some insider advice.

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austenallred
When we were planning our launch I was blown away at how easy it was to get on
some fairly major publications; most of them actually reached out and made
contact with us. Granted, we had a very compelling story (I lived in my car,
our product democratizes breaking news), but in my excitement I made a huge
mistake, which I'm glad the author focused on. We got too much press too long
before our product went live.

We were a couple months away from launch, and all of the sudden BBC, Yahoo and
San Francisco magazine are asking us if they can feature us. Do you really say
"no" to BBC?"

Yes. You do. While it was cool to watch signups come in at a rate of 1 per
minute (to an empty landing page), now when we actually _do_ launch it will be
an uphill battle. Getting press isn't hard if you have a compelling product,
but it also should be a part of your overall launch strategy.

Make press happen the way you want it to, and time things right. I found
reporters are by no means offended if we said, "We're not ready yet; we're
heads-down focusing on product. It will be a much better story in a month when
we launch, can we circle back then?" You're the founder; make it happen how
you need it to.

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justzisguyuknow
I left this article as soon as the page dimmed out to ask me to subscribe.

~~~
Cthulhu_
I like how the comments to your legitimate complaint are telling you there
isn't a problem.

Remember popups from the 90's? This is a popup. And it's both annoying and
unjustified; offer people to keep updated or fill in a survey once they've
visited your site a couple of times, kthx. And don't do popups. Never do
popups.

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kaa2102
Want press? Leverage your relationships with the press and tech bloggers.
Sounds fantastic; but, what if you don't have any relationships with the
press?

~~~
ohjeez
Get to know us, then. That doesn't mean you have to schmooze with us or, god
forbid, do cold-calls. (Really, that doesn't work.)

But follow us on Twitter or Google+. Comment on what we write, even
(especially) when it isn't about your product category. (You can like a cat
video, y'know. Or tell me about one.)

Let me get to know you as a person, and then when you send me a note telling
me about your imminent launch, you aren't a stranger asking for something.

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krmmalik
Definitely market positioning is a key factor, but I think the "me, me, me"
attitude is also a large part of it. Most start-up founders looking to "raise
awareness" (as one start-up founder told me) are interested in getting
attention for their product rather than providing something of real value to
the market. Ultimately when you have a message that has value, it will spread
on its own (for the most part).

~~~
selmnoo
What is the typical approach to advertising things that are very new? For
example, Twitter. Back to the days when it was starting out it was not really
offering a solution or a value... what do you do in this kind of situation?

~~~
krmmalik
Perhaps we differ on our definition of the term value. Twitter had to have
some inherent value right from the get go otherwise it wouldn't have had the
ability to capture users. Why would you sign-up to something if it didn't have
some sort of value to you even if it was only entertainment through curiosity?

Most Start-ups that grow well focus on creating value for a small user base.
acquiring a small user base isn't hard. we're only talking 10-50 people. Even
your contact list is probably bigger than that. once you've optimised your
value proposition, have some social proof and can readily demonstrate your
ability to create value for a larger audience, it gets easier.

I saw Buffer go through this firsthand (nr enough)

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andrewhillman
This sounds like a response to this article
[http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Marketing-guru-Margit-
Wen...](http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Marketing-guru-Margit-Wennmachers-
new-venture-4833221.php) on Andreessen Horowitz marketing PR guru.

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bsullivan01
Simple, so many start-ups so little ink. And certain connected VCs take over
Techcrunch, Panda Daily, BI etc for their dozens of start-ups, leaving even
less room for the rest.

