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As a startup, how do we get mention / kudos in the top rated Tech focused Blogs akin those ones listed here http://topblogs.onstartups.com/ Do we have to know someone who knows someone who knows someone (the whole nine)? The writers are not paying any attention to our requests for mention. We have competitors with far less exciting products who easily got several positive mentions in the top rated It blogs How does this work? Help |
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I asked that same question to a panel of journalists from Wired, the San Jose Mercury News and VentureBeat. You can watch their point of view on how to get press at http://thefounderconference.com/video-archives/ Now, for my opinion. The #1 reason why you don't get covered is that you are not news. Your story is boring and uninteresting, at least to that particular journalist. In practice, here's a tip I use: until you can tell me the difference between two writers who work for the same media, don't bother contacting anyone. What do I mean? You will need to build some kind of relationship with a specific writer. Which writer is that? Don't spam "tips@bigmedia.co", it's worthless. Make sure you understand what your target writes about. Some blogs focus on fundraising: if you didn't get VC funding or money from a famous angel, it doesn't matter that a startup with the same technology just got covered. Other writers focus on life stories and would never write about raising money. |
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There are two really great articles about this, they are: I wrote a blog post on Startup Marketing: Getting Your Startup Noticed and Covered By Blogs which links to these articles and provides some additional advice I found useful while getting blog coverage. |
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Here's a paragraph from the page above the list:
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OK, sorry if I misunderstood. You say the writers ignore your request. Most of them write professionally, and not as a hobby. Have you considered commission a writer? I'm not saying they need to write an infomercial for you. Just offer to pay for their time. There are also online sites that offer to blog about your business for money. However, if you 'd like to have others to notice and write about you -- give them a good reason. Apple does not have to pay anyone, but everyone is trying to be the first one to cover any news story coming from them. If you have a budget, Public Relations firms would be able to help with that too. Best of luck. |
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Blasting releases won't get you too far. I've had the same issues, but seem to be making some progress. Try starting small, and working your way up. Usually smaller blogs are more accessible and more willing to write about an "unknown" startup. Try to find something they've written about in the past that applies to your company, and relate your pitch to that article. Think custom-tailored pitching, not blasts. You can also present some options to the blogger - like partnering on a guest post, offering a discount on your service to their readers, etc. Once you get some traction on smaller blogs, the big boys will come, but it takes time and persistence. Good luck! |
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