How to Get Press for Your Startup
Founders have to figure out lots of black boxes on their entrepreneurial journeys. One of the most opaque for many is how to get media coverage. You’ve spent months/years building your new product, closing a big customer or raising funding from the VC of your dreams. How do you get the media to share your story with the world?
I turned the tables on 6 of North America’s best technology and business reporters and interviewed them to find out.
Sean Silcoff
The Globe and Mail
Kia Kokalitcheva
Axios
Douglas Soltys
BetaKit
Aleksandra Sagan
The Logic
William Johnson
Vancouver Tech Journal
Clark Kent
Daily Planet*
* Ironically, some major U.S. publications don’t want their journalists to be quoted
What’s the best way to pitch a journalist?
Doug Soltys, BetaKit:
Most publications and individual journalists will tell you the best way to get in touch with them. For example, Coindesk has a very detailed intake form. We have a central contact form and our individual journalists share their preferred contact information on their bio pages. You don’t need to guess.
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
Every reporter has their own preference. Our Axios email addresses are listed on our author pages and often in our Twitter bio, LinkedIn profile, etc.
William Johnson, Vancouver Tech Journal:
We keep our contact information public – on our website, in our Twitter bios, and on LinkedIn – because we want to hear from you.
Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail:
I’d say always a direct, tailored pitch starting with a call, email or text.
Aleksandra Sagan, The Logic:
I like to receive an email over a phone call as it lets me read, research and evaluate on my own.
Clark Kent, Daily Planet:
Especially for early-stage startups, the best move is to email, DM, or otherwise reach out directly — not through a PR agency. It establishes a better, more personal relationship and also cuts through the noise of inbox clutter from PR reps.
What are you looking for in a pitch?
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
Actual news! It may sound silly, but pitches that amount to "please write about the awesomeness of our company" are not news.
Doug Soltys, BetaKit:
I’m looking for people who understand what BetaKit is interested in. Founders who have done their homework and understand the types of stories that we publish. You have to present something that’s in line with what we cover.
Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail:
For me, it always boils down to: what would our readers find interesting? That’s not always easy to define and there is no set formula. In fact, I don’t always know what I’m looking for.
But I know a good Globe story when I see it.
Aleksandra Sagan, The Logic:
At The Logic, all of our reporters cover specific beats — e-commerce and B.C. are mine — so something within those areas is a good start.
It's helpful to see that whoever is reaching out understands the type of stories that we write at The Logic (our tagline is Canada's business and tech newsroom) and tailors their pitch to that. It's less ideal to be one of X-number of reporters who receives the same generic pitch.
Clark Kent, Daily Planet:
Generally speaking, I'm looking for the who and the why. Who is doing it (because founder pedigree does matter when you're vetting pre-traction things like funding announcements or company launches) and why does it matter (this should be stated as clearly as possible, not marketing-speak).
How do I know if my story is “newsworthy”?
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
There has to be something very significant about the deal (who is investing, buying, founding the company, etc.), or the company has to be part of a sector or trend that's very timely or important.
There's a whole universe of events that are a big deal to a company but are just not interesting to readers. This includes stuff like redesigning your website (or even a rebrand -- no one wants to read about your company getting a new name unless you're one of the top consumer brands in the world); reaching a particular employee headcount; opening a new office, etc.
William Johnson, Vancouver Tech Journal:
Think about why what you’re telling us matters, for you, for your industry, and for the world. What are the stakes? Think about who is involved and who should care.
Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail:
Lots of companies are very small fry and unproven to point that they just wouldn’t be interesting to our readers. That said, the Mindbridge Series A and and even its Seed rounds were interesting because the idea (AI for auditors) would radically transform the profession if done right.
A new sidekick tool to make ERPs 20% more effective that just raised $9 million has less of a chance of landing a story by me than a snowball does living a day on a Mexican beach, unless Jim Balsillie or Terry Matthews is the CEO.
How can I increase the chances that you’ll respond to my pitch?
William Johnson, Vancouver Tech Journal:
Do your homework. Take time to research the publication you’re trying to pitch and what stories the reporter you want to reach out to has written in the past.
And don’t be afraid to follow up. I get 200-300 emails a day. If I don’t respond to an email within 48 hours it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m not interested – I may not have even read it yet! Following up is an easy way to increase the chances that I’ll see the email from you (tweeting at me is an easy hack to get my attention).
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
There's the logistical stuff: write a clear and concise email without nonsensical jargon or marketing-speak, and include key information like the type of news (funding, M&A, new product, etc.), target date, and so on.
And there's the other stuff, like making sure you're reaching out to the right reporter who focuses on your sector and/or type of news.
Pitching news that would be exclusive to us (meaning, information that no other outlet or reporter would have until after we publish our story) is also a great way to make things more enticing, though not a guarantee.
Doug Soltys, BetaKit:
It helps to be prepared.
Before you engage with media, you should have all the things required to engage with media ready to go, such as your assets, story, and announcement. Just like fundraising, you do not want to build this train as you’re going along — have a storytelling data room ready to go!
We’re inundated with requests, so try to make it very easy for the journalist to opt in and get started immediately.
Aleksandra Sagan, The Logic:
I'm always interested in developing a deep understanding of how the companies I cover operate and am keen to receive updates that are big or incremental. I often tell sources to keep me up to date on any developments because I want to stay informed on what's happening, with the caveat that not everything will be a story for us.
Clark Kent, Daily Planet:
Target specific reporters with pitches catered to them and what they generally cover. Remember: reporters aren't article-writing automatons; they're humans with egos, and if they feel like you respect them enough to work with them directly and not waste their time, that goes a long way.
After you've made positive contact, it can also help to reach out without any immediate agenda, and just talk shop, share info, and generally get to know each other over a beer or coffee — so when you do want something, I'll at least consider it.
How far in advance should I reach out to journalists?
Doug Soltys, BetaKit:
For earlier-stage companies, your biggest asset is time. You worked 6 months to raise your seed round, why are you trying to get your media coverage done in 48 hours?
Time is your ally. It allows journalists to do their job and it prevents your story from being bumped by breaking news or other priorities.
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
If you're reaching out with news that I'd write a whole standalone story about (preferably an exclusive!), about a week is the sweet spot so there's enough time to schedule and get all the necessary interviews and reporting done and to account for everyone's busy schedules. If you're just reaching out to get your funding or M&A news into the newsletter's deal sections, then the day before is best — there's too much going on to keep track of press releases for more than a day.
Aleksandra Sagan, The Logic:
The farther in advance the better, but at least a couple days. We have a thorough editing and fact-checking process, so it's nice to have the time to take it from the reporting stage to a published story.
Will using a PR firm increase the chances you’ll respond to my pitch?
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
The short answer: no. I'd argue that reaching out to and interacting with journalists is not sorcery, and it's just good basic professional communications. So for a small startup, any founder should be able to do it.
The other piece of this is the widely-held belief that reporters only (or tend to) read pitches from PR professionals they know — which is totally not true. While we may be more likely to at least respond to the folks we know (even just to tell them we'll pass on their pitch, which happens a lot), we read, respond, and interact with complete strangers on a daily basis. A good story can come from anyone!
Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail:
I think there are a lot of bad or ineffective PR firms out there and it’s best just to pitch me directly.
William Johnson, Vancouver Tech Journal:
It can. If someone on your team or at the PR firm you’re working with has a relationship with a tech reporter, you’ll probably have a better chance of getting their immediate interest.
Aleksandra Sagan, The Logic:
I don't think so. A well-crafted pitch can come from a number of sources — it doesn't have to be a PR firm.
Doug Soltys, BetaKit:
If you have no professional experience engaging with journalists, it can help. Certain PR firms have proven that they understand our interests and won’t waste our time. Because of that, we are more inclined to open their emails. The problem is, if you don’t do the work to find an agency that fits your needs, you might end up with a firm that just scatter shots pitches across the internet. If you’re going to use a PR firm, make sure to vet them.
Clark Kent, Daily Planet
Possibly, if I already have a strong relationship with that firm and they only send me things they know I'll be interested in (that does happen). But otherwise, it can seem impersonal.
Are there other reasons why I might want to work with a PR firm?
William Johnson, Vancouver Tech Journal:
One of the key benefits of working with a public relations firm is their practical expertise when it comes to media relations – pitching, writing press releases, and crafting stories and narratives.
Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail:
Good PR firms can help with strategy. The best PR folk know the media players and can guide longer term thinking about how and when to pitch particular outlets.
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
If it makes you anxious or for whatever other reason you prefer help with it and don't mind spending the money, it's up to you.
Are there things that would destroy my chances of working with you?
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
Lying: don't do it, we never forget the people who lied to us.
And don’t be overbearing: following up too much, trying to pressure us, trying to control what we write, etc.
Doug Soltys, BetaKit:
Don’t lie to us or feed us a line. It’s pretty easy to tell if someone’s trying to sell us a story that’s not tied to reality. What you tell us has to be true.
Don’t act entitled. Journalists don’t work for you. We’re not your marketing arm.
Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail:
Don’t pitch multiple reporters at the same publication. We talk to each other. Only if one reporter passes and says “but this might be a good one for reporter Y” then pitch reporter Y.
Finding out five Globe reporters got the same pitch is annoying and sometimes can be a deterrent.
Aleksandra Sagan, The Logic:
We have a strong editorial independence policy, which you can see here. We do not accept gifts, for example.
Clark Kent, Daily Planet
Being pushy and/or being an asshole. Or being very cagey and not divulging interesting information. Even if I take a call, that doesn't guarantee coverage. And after publishing a piece, following up with a bunch of nits and minor corrections (or claiming you were misquoted, or otherwise taking issue with the tone of a piece) will basically destroy future coverage.
Any last thoughts or words of advice?
William Johnson, Vancouver Tech Journal:
We’re in the business of crafting compelling stories – so for us to write one, you have to give us some phenomenal raw materials to work with.
Doug Soltys, BetaKit:
We’re a business publication. At the end of the day, we’re more interested in how your innovation will scale your businesses than the innovation itself.
Different publications will see you through a different lens. Understanding which publications care about certain aspects of your story is the first step in getting them interested in telling it.
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios:
The story has to tell our readers something new about the world of dealmaking, your industry, or the world. I know this sounds like a cop-out, but bringing readers information that informs them about movement of capital, an industry, and the world, is the job here.
Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail:
Just because I say no to a pitch doesn’t mean no forever. It just means not at this moment or not now.
Clark Kent, Daily Planet
Remember that you and/or the idea must be interesting. There must be something that hooks me in, even if it's your energy or your genuine nature more so than what you're pitching. The counter to all of this, of course, is that your company is KILLING IT to such a degree that I can't justify not covering you, even if I loathe you or don't particularly like your product (these situations are few and far between).
Huge thanks to Sean, Kia, Doug, Aleks, William and “Clark” for their help with this! 👏👏👏