How Tech PR Gets Done
It’s really tough to get your clients on the record— we understand. For many of our tech PR clients, it can seem impossible to get their own clients on the record. Over the years, we’ve learned a few secrets about creating great case studies–and it can be done!
See if any of this works in your tech PR campaign:
First, work toward discussing PR at the “engagement” level before you even sign a client. Yes, that’s tough—but it’s a culture of “transparency” that makes a big difference.
Second, ask your clients—often in the small print of their contract—for the favor of mutual promotion. Say something like, “you can mention we work with you, and you can mention you work with us, without infringement.”
Third, ask about doing an engagement or “launch” release to announce your work together. This release is not a testimonial, nor an endorsement. It just informs the industry about both you making leading choices.
When Write2Market is asking our tech public relations clients for THEIR clients to participate in press releases, we have four questions. They are simple and perhaps surprisingly, not about the technology as much as about the emotion behind it—the kind of thing journalists appreciate in a pitch.
Getting Tech Clients On The Record: Essential Questions
1) What are you MOST PROUD OF with your new (fill in the blank) software, system or platform?
So why do Write2Marketeers ask this? It gives us a way into your client’s heart so we can play toward their strengths in resulting media. It helps us craft a quote for them that resonates and doesn’t just read like marketing smaltz. It makes the stories we pitch around your client more authentic and in line with their current reality and feelings. And sometimes, the answer is extremely illuminating and leads us to fascinating stories.
2) How does having a state of the art (name the system) change the game for you now? This is another way of elaborating #1 and also helps us tell the media why it matters for your industry, and your client.
3) Are you worried about anything around your new system?
This question probes for another way into their psyche and also lets us perhaps provide a solution for them. If one of their concerns is user adoption or awareness, media is one of the right answers.
4) Do you have any big campaigns or programs coming up next quarter around this project? (We ask this question so we can further tailor the media to help support your client.)
The goal around using your own clients in publicity is manifold—it helps to strengthen your relationship, potentially solves some problems for them, and tells your story to a larger potential base of clients. It’s a tough path, but well worth it—and in time, each of our clients does indeed learn to engage their own clients in their industry leadership journey. The bigger the mountain, the harder it is to see your progress toward a peak—so get started, and let us know @write2market what kind of horizons you’re spotting in your communication landscape!