4 Ways to Attract Tech Coverage
A recent survey of tech journalists by leading media distribution company Cision revealed the PR tools tech firms should use if they wish to attract the attention of writers and editors.
For a sector dealing with dynamic communications, the results might appear surprisingly traditional. However it should be remembered that good journalism has always required reliable primary sources, so it should not be that surprising that the preferred tools for receiving information should be quotable and reliable primary sources. It should also be remembered that the best tech journalists and editors are industry experts in the beat they cover, so solid documentation is a basic requirement before a line will be written or an article considered.
Press Release
Despite the annual deluge of articles and blogs proclaiming that ‘the press release is dead’, 77% of journalist and editor respondents to the Cision survey still cited the press release as their preferred method of receiving content from firms. Obviously it is up to the PR professional to make the press release compelling to their chosen sector, so sticking to actual news helps with credibility over time and will help with take up.
Original Research/Reports
Again, a good primary source story will always get traction with writers and editors, and the more specialised the topic, the better where trade media is concerned (without being overly obscure). Sometimes, internal research or data can be repurposed into a media story thereby killing two birds with one stone. Often research or white papers will offer perfect ‘original data’ stories without revealing commercially sensitive information. But a good data source or sample group will add immeasurably to the story’s authority.
Exclusives for Stories
Offering ‘exclusives’ will always attract traction with writers once the subject matter is of sufficient audience interest. There are also pitfalls: offering an exclusive automatically rules out coverage in competing publications and can also damage relationships with competing editors. Therefore, it is important to be sure of the size of event you are offering an exclusive to, and the level of coverage you can expect in advance.
Interviews with industry experts
Every tech firm has an industry expert within its C suite, usually a CTO, or one of the founders. Equally, tech firms may have a technical board guiding their development, or partner or technology standards organisations with whom they cooperate. tech media will always be interested in working with these industry experts, if the opportunity is packaged and pitched correctly.
The key to unlocking these opportunities is ensuring the writers and editors you are pitching to are the people you want to reach, and ensuring the opportunity is correctly prepared and framed. Researching your industry writers is key, and ensuring that the pitch is newsworthy and compelling will help put your firm and its solution in front of its important audiences.
For more information on how to put your story in front of your key audiences, feel free to contact me here for a free consultation.