I'm sorry, but this is really basic stuff, and I doubt it will help any startup founder who has done even ten minutes of research on the topic of PR. Founders without famous backers or extensive networks should look at more advanced marketing and communication techniques, and try to create or participate in a movement that resonates with the press, through a marketing story and through a compelling answer to the question "Why is this done". In getting press and customer interest, I strongly feel that answering why should come before answering how or what. This is why great pitches != great products. Also, it's a very hard process, and lots of PR agencies are surprisingly bad at this. This is one of the reasons why a business co-founder is so important for a startup.
With all due respect, those are good points, but it looks like you got your PR coverage mainly because you're a YC-backed company. Am I wrong?<p>P.S. - the links to the press coverages are all broken.
I'd love more coverage of my startup, Improvely, but I don't think I'm going to be throwing any parties on the other side of the country to attract the tech press. Personal e-mails to bloggers that covered similar companies didn't go anywhere either, so my 'launch' consisted of posting to my personal networks on FB/LinkedIn/Twitter/Yammer.<p>I would think snooping around their profiles for phone numbers and cold calling would be seen as creepy. Is that really something people do to bloggers/journalists they don't already know?
One thing to always remember: reporters are people too, so treat them as such. Too many entrepreneurs hurt themselves by treating reporters simply as a means to an end.
Good post. Item number 6. Build Relationships. Tim Ferriss wrote a blog post about how to build relationships with important people. It might complement it. Just check it out: <a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/12/10/how-to-get-george-bush-or-the-ceo-of-google-on-the-phone/" rel="nofollow">http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/12/10/how-to-get-g...</a>
Many thanks for writing this. I enjoyed reading it. Maybe that are basics, for social media guys. But for tech Start-Up guys this blog post is very use full.