Sunday, November 29, 2009
A bundle of bad PR
Ouch!! What we all suspected was true has been confirmed. Christmas hampers are way over-priced!
The Sunday flick
Apart from the dust haze it was another glorious day in Sydney so the family headed off to the beach as we often do.
Standard fare is a leisurely flick through both the Sunday Telegraph and its perennial nemesis the Sun Herald. Sadly it was all over in the blink of an eye... literally flicking through each page, through each supplement and through each paper, in a matter of minutes.
Perhaps I'm in a demographic or stage of life that isn't catered for - but I doubt it.
Male, 49, with 2 kids, and right before Christmas... you'd think there would be plenty of articles and even ads that would be of middling interest, but no, it was flick, flick, flick... straight through to the keeper, straight from front cover to back.
Maybe I'm just not typical... the stories on B-list celebs, weird animals, boring finance stories and even more boring political guides, health guides, car guides and form guides just don't interest me... must be just me.
Standard fare is a leisurely flick through both the Sunday Telegraph and its perennial nemesis the Sun Herald. Sadly it was all over in the blink of an eye... literally flicking through each page, through each supplement and through each paper, in a matter of minutes.
Perhaps I'm in a demographic or stage of life that isn't catered for - but I doubt it.
Male, 49, with 2 kids, and right before Christmas... you'd think there would be plenty of articles and even ads that would be of middling interest, but no, it was flick, flick, flick... straight through to the keeper, straight from front cover to back.
Maybe I'm just not typical... the stories on B-list celebs, weird animals, boring finance stories and even more boring political guides, health guides, car guides and form guides just don't interest me... must be just me.
Monday, November 23, 2009
No Bankruptcy - take the first step!
If you're strugging to make ends meet and things are looking financially desperate for you, consider appointing a debt manager like http://www.nobankruptcy.com.au/. They really do help people sort out their massive debts, and get their lives back on track.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Quadrophenia still rocks, even after 30 years!
There are some great classic movies and series being aired by the Free-to-Air (FTA) second digital channels as they scramble to fill the hungry beast that is TV.
The 1979 Mods vs Rockers classic "Quadrophenia" was on FTA TV last night and what a stellar cast! Not to mention the soundtrack by "The Who" - perhaps in their descendancy by 79 - but nonetheless a great match for the electrified atmosphere of this film, set in 1964.
Apart from Sting's cameo, the other cast members represented a virtual who's who of British TV series. Afficionados of The Bill would recognise Mark Wingett (The Bill's longest playing actor Jim Carver) as well as Phil Davis who is more recently known for his roles in the cracking "Rose and Maloney" and also the menacingly manipulative office manager in "North Square", another ripper. His character in Quadrophenia allowed him to show off his great acting skills and was a perfect fit for him.
Another great role played by Leslie Ash best known perhaps for playing the upstairs love-interest in "Men Behaving Badly".
Leading actor of Quadrophenia though was Phil Daniels who I must admit not knowing too much about... however a Google search came up with some juicy roles over the past 20 years. And being just 21 at the time, he was obviously at the top of his game from early on.
Starring: Phil Daniels, Sting, Mark Wingett, Philip Davis
If you get a chance, watch it.
The 1979 Mods vs Rockers classic "Quadrophenia" was on FTA TV last night and what a stellar cast! Not to mention the soundtrack by "The Who" - perhaps in their descendancy by 79 - but nonetheless a great match for the electrified atmosphere of this film, set in 1964.
Apart from Sting's cameo, the other cast members represented a virtual who's who of British TV series. Afficionados of The Bill would recognise Mark Wingett (The Bill's longest playing actor Jim Carver) as well as Phil Davis who is more recently known for his roles in the cracking "Rose and Maloney" and also the menacingly manipulative office manager in "North Square", another ripper. His character in Quadrophenia allowed him to show off his great acting skills and was a perfect fit for him.
Another great role played by Leslie Ash best known perhaps for playing the upstairs love-interest in "Men Behaving Badly".
Leading actor of Quadrophenia though was Phil Daniels who I must admit not knowing too much about... however a Google search came up with some juicy roles over the past 20 years. And being just 21 at the time, he was obviously at the top of his game from early on.
Starring: Phil Daniels, Sting, Mark Wingett, Philip Davis
If you get a chance, watch it.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
FACTual Shampoo TV Ads
Does anyone really digest the facts and figures quoted in shampoo TV ads?
Some of those scientific sounding stats are so out there: "Your hair will be 85% brighter"; "4 in 5 women said their hair was X times, healthier, stronger, bouncier"; "Makes your hair 5 times stronger in just 4 weeks!" etc etc etc!
How do they know, and how can they prove it???
In the past, marketers had to verify all their TVCs' claims, with strict analysis before approval for going on air. So either the ad approvers at FACTS (now FreeTV) have really given up trying, or they've given the shampoo manufacturers carte blanche to have their best shot at boring the viewers into a state of mental lethargy and numbness!
Shampoo is a waste of time and money anyway... Richard Glover got it right on ABC Radio 702 recently when he polled listeners' shampooing habits and unearthed many who no longer used the expensive and ecologically unsound shampoos and conditioners, the bulk of which ended up in the drainage system, and eventually in our oceans.
Most devotees of the non-shampoo regime, reported their hair was as healthy and non-greasy as when they had washed with shampoo... same goes for shaving foam... as reported recently, warm water does a similar if not better job...
The segment had a huge response and ran over several days.
Just think of the money you'll save!
Some of those scientific sounding stats are so out there: "Your hair will be 85% brighter"; "4 in 5 women said their hair was X times, healthier, stronger, bouncier"; "Makes your hair 5 times stronger in just 4 weeks!" etc etc etc!
How do they know, and how can they prove it???
In the past, marketers had to verify all their TVCs' claims, with strict analysis before approval for going on air. So either the ad approvers at FACTS (now FreeTV) have really given up trying, or they've given the shampoo manufacturers carte blanche to have their best shot at boring the viewers into a state of mental lethargy and numbness!
Shampoo is a waste of time and money anyway... Richard Glover got it right on ABC Radio 702 recently when he polled listeners' shampooing habits and unearthed many who no longer used the expensive and ecologically unsound shampoos and conditioners, the bulk of which ended up in the drainage system, and eventually in our oceans.
Most devotees of the non-shampoo regime, reported their hair was as healthy and non-greasy as when they had washed with shampoo... same goes for shaving foam... as reported recently, warm water does a similar if not better job...
The segment had a huge response and ran over several days.
Just think of the money you'll save!
Friday, November 20, 2009
TV Sport Regulation
Foxtel CEO Kim Williams spoke at the Network Insights Conference yesterday (Nov 19) at the University of Technology, Sydney. Some of the key points he made included commentary on the ABC and ending the sports rights “rort”.
Digital economy and the ABC:
“Foxtel has been the digital television innovator and if there is public money for worthwhile new Australian content… we’re more than happy to commission new programs on a contestable basis with the ABC and others.
“And let us remember that while the ABC is a much loved institution and at its best a good broadcaster, Aunty is not Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. The ABC does not have a monopoly on wisdom or commitment to Australian content.
“Unlimited bandwidth, the profusion of new distribution platforms and new channels increasingly call into question one of the traditional rationales for funding the ABC – namely that the market has failed to provide key programming.”
Anti-siphoning list – “It’s time to end the rort.
“On the Anti-siphoning list, the ACCC has found it ‘reduces competition’, potentially ‘reduces the amount of sport on television’, ‘imposes costs on the codes’, means ‘less revenue for the codes’ and is ‘more burdensome than is necessary’.
“The remedy is to shorten the list and include a 'use it or lose it' scheme in legislation where events not broadcast by the old networks would come off the list and sports lovers would be better able to see them (the old networks traditionally do not broadcast 77% of events on the 1,300 long anti-siphoning list).
“Everyone but the free to air networks agree, its time to end the rort and shorten the list.”
Digital economy and the ABC:
“Foxtel has been the digital television innovator and if there is public money for worthwhile new Australian content… we’re more than happy to commission new programs on a contestable basis with the ABC and others.
“And let us remember that while the ABC is a much loved institution and at its best a good broadcaster, Aunty is not Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. The ABC does not have a monopoly on wisdom or commitment to Australian content.
“Unlimited bandwidth, the profusion of new distribution platforms and new channels increasingly call into question one of the traditional rationales for funding the ABC – namely that the market has failed to provide key programming.”
Anti-siphoning list – “It’s time to end the rort.
“On the Anti-siphoning list, the ACCC has found it ‘reduces competition’, potentially ‘reduces the amount of sport on television’, ‘imposes costs on the codes’, means ‘less revenue for the codes’ and is ‘more burdensome than is necessary’.
“The remedy is to shorten the list and include a 'use it or lose it' scheme in legislation where events not broadcast by the old networks would come off the list and sports lovers would be better able to see them (the old networks traditionally do not broadcast 77% of events on the 1,300 long anti-siphoning list).
“Everyone but the free to air networks agree, its time to end the rort and shorten the list.”
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Ten and Seven secure 2010 ad rate increases
Ten, Seven Networks Win Advertising Rate Increases, Review Says
By Madelene Pearson
Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Ten Network Holdings Ltd. and Seven Network Ltd. has secured advertising rate increases for 2010 driven by increasing demand among advertisers for television spots and expectations of growth next year in the television market, the Australian Financial Review said.
Seven may have won a rate increase of 2 percent to 4 percent, while Ten Network may have won a gain of 5 percent and removed bonus spots, the newspaper said, without citing anyone.
By Madelene Pearson
Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Ten Network Holdings Ltd. and Seven Network Ltd. has secured advertising rate increases for 2010 driven by increasing demand among advertisers for television spots and expectations of growth next year in the television market, the Australian Financial Review said.
Seven may have won a rate increase of 2 percent to 4 percent, while Ten Network may have won a gain of 5 percent and removed bonus spots, the newspaper said, without citing anyone.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Free news for a blog virgin
As a news agency employee, what amazed me about seting up this blog was the ease with which I could add news, as both text and video to my blog... it was quite scary!
At Australian Associated Press (AAP) we were always on the look-out for media outlets using our news illegally, mainly because we don't get any SEO benefits out of having linked traffic back to our many sites.
AAP is owned by Fairfax and News Ltd predominantly, and they protect their copyright "to the full extent of the law".
Free news aggregation seems to be the way of the future, though Murdoch has expressed some other ideas recently... Either way it will change the way AAP does business... big time.
At Australian Associated Press (AAP) we were always on the look-out for media outlets using our news illegally, mainly because we don't get any SEO benefits out of having linked traffic back to our many sites.
AAP is owned by Fairfax and News Ltd predominantly, and they protect their copyright "to the full extent of the law".
Free news aggregation seems to be the way of the future, though Murdoch has expressed some other ideas recently... Either way it will change the way AAP does business... big time.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later
View more documents from Marta Kagan.
Newspaper journo assesses Twitter
The news, from Tweet Street
GORDON FARRER - The Age - November 17, 2009
IF YOU'RE reading this column because someone tweeted you a link to it: Hi, thanks for dropping by. You're welcome to read on, but as an active tweeter you probably won't learn a lot from what follows.
If you're reading this in the Technology section of one of Fairfax Media's news sites: It's a pleasure to encounter a user of our online product. Please support the advertisers on this page - they need encouragement to keep giving us money so we can run the website. And, if you don't already do so, please also consider buying the occasional newspaper. Our hungry children will thank you.
If you stumbled across this page while flicking through the business section of The Age and after three paragraphs are still trying to work out what tweeting a link means, then stick around - this column is for you (and thanks for buying the paper).
There are countless paths to information in the digital age, many more than the three outlined above. But it's Twitter, the online social media platform that allows users to send 140-character messages to their pool of followers, that is revolutionising traditional media - possibly killing it.
It's a big call to pit the apparently flimsy, shallow Twitter against the might and history of traditional media such as newspapers. And, yes, giving away its product online undercut the newspaper business long before Twitter started nibbling at its foundations. But Twitter's ability to be immediate, local and finely tuned to a user's specific needs makes it a serious challenger to a range of media.
If you use Twitter wisely, it can be an efficient, invaluable filter for the mass of information that washes around the internet. Forget celebrities who tweet their slightest thoughts, the inanities of the posts delivered on Twitter's public timeline and the day-to-day musings of friends and family.They're fun and diverting and there's nothing wrong with that. We're talking here about Twitter as a work tool and disseminator of news in its own right.
By setting up a pool of tweeters to follow, you can create your own niche information service. The diversity and reach of the web means that there will be people with similar interests already tracking down and sharing sources of specialist information, whether you're into sport, politics, literature, business, technology or Calathumpian needlework. And it's a two-way street: you share what you find and your community of common interest is enriched. You might not be able to say a lot in 140 characters but you can send links to countless blogs and online articles and discussion forums that do.
That's the new model for how we will source and share information, including news. Newspapers are no longer the first port of call for many of those with access to the internet. More significantly - for newspapers, at least - newspaper editors are no longer the main controllers and disseminators of information.
Digital natives, those who have grown up with the internet in their mother's milk, tend to trust information shared by their peers and by people trusted by their peers.
They've replaced the newspaper editorial board with the community-of-common-interest board.
The challenge and opportunity for all newspapers is to reconnect with the twitterati by proving their value as useful, trustworthy filters of information, to engage with the digital generation on a more personal level, through not only Twitter but all avenues of social media. The alternative is a rapid decline into irrelevance.
If you think that's a point worth making, feel free to tweet it.
Follow this column on Twitter: untanglingweb
GORDON FARRER - The Age - November 17, 2009
IF YOU'RE reading this column because someone tweeted you a link to it: Hi, thanks for dropping by. You're welcome to read on, but as an active tweeter you probably won't learn a lot from what follows.
If you're reading this in the Technology section of one of Fairfax Media's news sites: It's a pleasure to encounter a user of our online product. Please support the advertisers on this page - they need encouragement to keep giving us money so we can run the website. And, if you don't already do so, please also consider buying the occasional newspaper. Our hungry children will thank you.
If you stumbled across this page while flicking through the business section of The Age and after three paragraphs are still trying to work out what tweeting a link means, then stick around - this column is for you (and thanks for buying the paper).
There are countless paths to information in the digital age, many more than the three outlined above. But it's Twitter, the online social media platform that allows users to send 140-character messages to their pool of followers, that is revolutionising traditional media - possibly killing it.
It's a big call to pit the apparently flimsy, shallow Twitter against the might and history of traditional media such as newspapers. And, yes, giving away its product online undercut the newspaper business long before Twitter started nibbling at its foundations. But Twitter's ability to be immediate, local and finely tuned to a user's specific needs makes it a serious challenger to a range of media.
If you use Twitter wisely, it can be an efficient, invaluable filter for the mass of information that washes around the internet. Forget celebrities who tweet their slightest thoughts, the inanities of the posts delivered on Twitter's public timeline and the day-to-day musings of friends and family.They're fun and diverting and there's nothing wrong with that. We're talking here about Twitter as a work tool and disseminator of news in its own right.
By setting up a pool of tweeters to follow, you can create your own niche information service. The diversity and reach of the web means that there will be people with similar interests already tracking down and sharing sources of specialist information, whether you're into sport, politics, literature, business, technology or Calathumpian needlework. And it's a two-way street: you share what you find and your community of common interest is enriched. You might not be able to say a lot in 140 characters but you can send links to countless blogs and online articles and discussion forums that do.
That's the new model for how we will source and share information, including news. Newspapers are no longer the first port of call for many of those with access to the internet. More significantly - for newspapers, at least - newspaper editors are no longer the main controllers and disseminators of information.
Digital natives, those who have grown up with the internet in their mother's milk, tend to trust information shared by their peers and by people trusted by their peers.
They've replaced the newspaper editorial board with the community-of-common-interest board.
The challenge and opportunity for all newspapers is to reconnect with the twitterati by proving their value as useful, trustworthy filters of information, to engage with the digital generation on a more personal level, through not only Twitter but all avenues of social media. The alternative is a rapid decline into irrelevance.
If you think that's a point worth making, feel free to tweet it.
Follow this column on Twitter: untanglingweb
I love typos in headlines...
This from a SPAM email today... not a great first impression!
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Now apply for job ads from you mobile.
Announcing a revolutionary new way for those looking for work to receive and importantly apply for jobs from their mobile phone by simple sms.
A new job ad system is attracting great interest and threatens to to do for web based job advertising what the internet did for old fashion print ads. Job Seekers can now register once at www.smsthejob.com.au , choose their job preferences and upload their resume. They then receive job ads broadcast directly to their mobile phones free of charge.
If one of the sms job ads is of interest then a simple "reply" sms, quoting the job reference sent with the ad, will cause the job seekers resume to be professionally forwarded to the advertiser's email address as an application for their role.
On and on it went, oblivious that they lost me from the headline onwards...
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Now apply for job ads from you mobile.
Announcing a revolutionary new way for those looking for work to receive and importantly apply for jobs from their mobile phone by simple sms.
A new job ad system is attracting great interest and threatens to to do for web based job advertising what the internet did for old fashion print ads. Job Seekers can now register once at www.smsthejob.com.au , choose their job preferences and upload their resume. They then receive job ads broadcast directly to their mobile phones free of charge.
If one of the sms job ads is of interest then a simple "reply" sms, quoting the job reference sent with the ad, will cause the job seekers resume to be professionally forwarded to the advertiser's email address as an application for their role.
On and on it went, oblivious that they lost me from the headline onwards...
Some great PR insights
Jason Calacanis is founder and CEO of Mahalo, and founded and ran both Weblogs Inc. and the Silicon Alley Reporter. This post was originally distributed via Jason's email list; subscription information available here.
1. Be the brand
As the founder of your company you must be in love with your brand and inspired by your brand's mission if you have any hope of getting press for your product.
If you don't *really* believe in your product on a deep, intrinsic level, it's going to come across *immediately* to the bloggers and press you're pitching.
When I started Silicon Alley Reporter in New York City, I had stacks of the magazine with me at ALL TIMES. If you saw me at a party I had 25 copies in my backpack, or 200 on a broken-down luggage cart, and you had one shoved in your face within a minute of meeting me.
My excitement level about the magazine was so great that at a Knicks game I climbed down from my seat in the 300s to hand a copy to John Kennedy Jr. who was sitting courtside.
From the corner of my eye I could see security making a beeline for me, so I acted quickly: "John, I'm a magazine publisher just like you! Here's my magazine... it's about the internet." He looked at it, said thank you and--I'll never forget--"I think it's gonna be big." At that moment I felt security on my shoulder and I left with a huge smile on my face thinking "Wow, JFK Jr. thinks my magazine is going to be big!"
After telling the story a couple of times people pointed out that he was referring to the Internet being big, not my magazine--but they don't know the look he gave me. I'm 100% sure he was talking about the magazine. Additionally, if you met me in the last 90s, chances are I was wearing a tight black Silicon Alley Reporter shirt. Stacks of them littered my loft on 26th street, and I would toss them only if they started to fade on the edges.
I had no problem wearing them seven days a week--I was on a mission. So proud of my little brand was I, that if people didn't like my marketing I never noticed. People called me P.T. Barnum behind my back and I called myself P.T. Barnum when I looked in the mirror.
All I cared about was that you had heard the name Silicon Alley Reporter.If you look at any of the successful brands out there, chances are their leader is banging the drum: Mark Cuban lives for the Mavs, Kevin Rose lives for Digg, and you can't get Loic to shut up about Seesmic. That's how it should be. If you don't love your brand why should anyone else?
2. Be everywhere
If you and your team have committed to being the brand, the next step is being committed to being everywhere. When I was running Silicon Alley Reporter I was essentially a beat reporter. Every single night I would go out and meet folks in the Internet industry. While other folks went home to their families--and there is nothing wrong with that--I went out and made a family. In this case, the family became known as "Silicon Alley," and the members of the family were the folks in and around the startup companies.
This is why Silicon Alley Reporter grew to 5-10x the size of our competitors in terms of reach and revenue: we were the community. Other folks reported on the companies, but we were one of the companies.
This is why Mike Arrington has taken such a huge place in the Web 2.0 marketplace: TechCrunch is a startup company--warts and all--just like their subjects.
When we launched Weblogs, Inc. I told my partner Brian Alvey--who did have a family and was a homebody--that his job was to hold the fort and my job was to go out and spread the gospel. During the Weblogs Inc. years I attended every possible event I could. At these events I acted as a speaker AND as a blogger covering the event. This meant we were getting and giving press--which is a virtuous thing to do.
At these events folks would see an Engadget, HackADay, Joystiq or Weblogs, Inc. sticker on my laptop, or me wearing a T-shirt, and say "hey, how's it going?" I'd give the stump speech about a) what we've accomplished, b) what's working, c) what's NOT working, and d) how exciting it all was.Your job is to transfer the enthusiasm you feel for your brand to everyone you meet.
3. Always pick up the check--always.
At the industry events I mention above I always set a goal of creating deep relationships with a small number of folks as opposed to running around trying to trade cards with as many folks as possible. You can trade cards on LinkedIn, but you can't break bread there. In the real world break bread, don't trade contact information.
Typically, I would make dinner reservations for six to ten people at two or three different restaurants at two different times when I got to a conference. Then I would try and round up a couple of folks and cancel the reservations I didn't need. This is how I developed friendships with almost everyone I know today, including Robert Scoble, Evan Williams, Mike Arrington, Steve Gillmor, Chris Andersen, Steven Levy, John Markoff, and Esther Dyson. If you're not a social person, learn to be, because it's your job if you're at a startupcompany.
This technique of setting up dinners and being inclusive I learned from Yossi Vardi, Linda Stone and John Brockman.
These three always seemed to be hosting a dinner at the conferences I was attending, including TED, PC Forum, and The WSJ D conference. Every time I went to these conferences I attended their dinners--and I took notes.Yossi, Linda and Brockman are the most connected people I know, and following their lead I've probably hosted over 100 dinner parties at conferences.
These parties have an average price of $1,000 each. That's $100,000 in dinners--probably around $10,000 a year--and it's the best money I've ever spent. That's how I built my network and now that it is built I'm giving one of my best secrets to you. That's why you subscribe to the newsletter right?
PR firms cost $5-15,000 a month. Buying dinner at a conference ten times a year will cost you about one month's worth of PR.
Now, as a tip, don't be over aggressive when you invite folks to dinner and don't feel the need to try to get the most important folks in the industry there. Just find a person or two you're friendly with and set up dinner for the three of you. Then, as you meet folks give them your number and let them know you're having dinner. E-mail them the details and if you invite five folks two will come, and they will bring one or two people each.
Everyone remembers who picked up the check. My dad picked up every check he could knowing that the folks he hosted would at some point come back to his bar, and some percentage of them might become regulars.
This reciprocation effect is a natural part of our existence, and there is nothing wrong with it. Just this week someone who attended a tech meet up at Mahalo met me in a bar and bought me and my father a drink. We talked for 30 minutes, and now for the cost of $15 in drinks I would take that guy's call any time.
How could I not--it would be rude!Now, before you say "oh you're blown out, you can afford to buy dinner for everyone," let me state clearly that I did this when I was broke as well.
My secret then would be to find a family style restaurant that was affordable like a Mexican or Italian restaurant. I would then proceed to order a ton of appetizers and side orders for the table. Folks would get so filled that they wouldn't want a main course later on. This was the best "poor man" hack I ever came up with: order for the table and let folks start networking. It's cheaper, it's more fun and it saves a lot of time.
4. Be a human being
The best way to get PR is not to sell someone on your company or product--it's by being a human being. Journalists hate PR people and they hate being pitched. They do. It's just a fact. Journalists and bloggers despise PR people, and if they say otherwise they are lying, placating you or just being diplomatic.
It's a much better strategy to just be yourself and develop relationships with people in the industry slowly and organically. If you're a good human being who is capable of both listening to people and engaging them in a dialogue then the "pitch" will just happen.
In fact, it won't be a pitch. It will happen when you're walking back from the restaurant and the journalist or blogger asks "How's it going at Mahalo?"
It will happen when you're sitting outside during a break at the conference having a cup of joe and a blogger will walk up and say "What are you up to?"Rule number one of interacting with a journalist: you NEVER have to bring up what you're doing, you just have to be a normal person and wait. It is the job of journalists and bloggers to ask questions and they will. They don't need to be pitched.
5. How to bond with a journalist
It's important for CEOs/founders to realize that journalists and bloggers are, in fact, humans. They long to be heard, to be admired and to belong--just like you do. When I was a journalist I was always amazed by the number of unfocused pitches I would receive.
For example, when I was covering the internet I would frequently get pitches like "You have to check out this new nanotechnology company" or "we're launching a new technology to make shipping more efficient!" Ummm... great, but I've never covered the nanotech or shipping industries--why would I start now?!
You must realize that journalists are constantly getting banged by lazy, clueless PR folks who fire first and don't understand what the word "aim" even means.This inefficiency leads to an opportunity: you can cut to the front of the line by spending just 30 minutes researching the journalist you're pitching.
Before meeting with a journalist it's your job--the job of the CEO--to read their last five stories in full. It helps if you take notes on these stories, read the comments under them and look forreactions to the story around the web.
This should take no more than five or ten minutes per story. You should also look at their LinkedIn account and do a Google search to see where else they have worked. If you know that Om Malik was at Red Herring, Business 2.0 and then started his own company, you can bring that up when you meet him.
He will appreciate this in light of the fact that half the folks who e-mail him don't even know what beat he covers or how to pronounce his name!I've gotten so obsessive about this that my liaison Tyler, whom anyone who's met with me in the last year knows, keeps tabs on our journalist and blogger contacts. He not only reads their work, he always stays in contact with them. This means we are in constant research and dialogue with the folks who are covering us.
This means when we meet about a story we know as much about the journalist as they know about us--sometimes more! Tyler will hand me a stack of stories and background information on the people we're meeting with on the flight to another country so I can play catch up.
This is, from my point of view, a simple matter of courtesy and good manners. If you want a journalist to be interested in you, take some interest in them. At the very least you'll have something to talk with the journalist about.
6. How a CEO should e-mail a journalist
When I was a journalist I would not speak to PR people about my stories, and I would hold a hard line with them: if you want me to cover your company have your CEO e-mail me at jason at calacanis dotcom. They would reply, "ok, let's do a call about your story and i can put you in touch with the right person over there..." and all I heardwas "blah blah blah."
The CEOs and founders of the companies who had direct relationships with me got more direct coverage of their company, as well as more quotes in stories about other companies and issues.Journalists and bloggers are very busy and PR people are, by and large, considered an inefficiency in the system by them.
The best thing for a CEO to do is to stay in regular communication with journalists and bloggers in their own, authentic voice via email. I frequently email journalists I know and give them unsolicited comments on stories that have nothing to do with me.
Sometimes these comments are positive, sometimes they are not. I've emailed New York Times journalists to let them know when they missed the real issue and what trees they may want to shake.I recently e-mailed Dan Lyons of Fake Steve Jobs fame to tell him what a low-rent slug he was being for attacking Steve Jobs over his health. You can be sure that after ten years of unsolicited e-mails most journalists know who I am and how to get in touch with me. Some may not agree with me, but they tend to respect my opinion.
That's really the best thing you can do: be respected for your views on the industry.Your job as the CEO/founder is to create direct, honest and personal relationships with journalists. The truth is that PR people are selling you a share of their relationships with journalists, and their relationships are typically on shaky ground. You're much better off building a personal relationship by sending a personal email like this:
Saul,
Nice piece on Facebook's valuation. One insight I had: if the value of the company BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH than should Microsoft be thinking BLAHBLAH BLAH?
Thoughts?
best regards,
Jason Calacanis
CEO, Mahalo.com
If you do that once every other day for a year or so you'll develop relationships with 50 to 100 important folks. Of course, you have to have something of substance to say, so don't waste their time and don't write five page e-mails or you'll look deranged.
Short, to the point and intelligent. If you're not smart enough to send something insightful, well, than I can't really help you and you might want go work for someone smart for a couple of years. :-)
7. How a CEO should speak to a journalist
If you have a phone or in-person interview with a journalist there are some basic things you should know and do.
First, you should always ask the journalist "are you taping this call, or should I talk slowly so you can take notes?" at the start of the call. 80% of the time they are taping the call, and 90% of the time they will not offer that up to you.
If they are taping the call that's a good thing--you're gonna be quoted correctly. If they are NOT taping the call that can suck, because they are going to paraphrase you. I conduct 95% of my interviews over e-mail because I know I'm going to get misquoted, so I tell folks in my email "don't worry... I'll give you nice blunt, honest responses that don't look like PR speak in the email. :-)"This increases the probability that the journalist will a) quote you correctly and b) that they will accept an e-mail interview.
There are a handful of journalists I will speak to on the phone or in person because I know they are not going to spin me.
Also, if I know there is a chance that I will be spun I am very, very clear to state that. For example, when launching and running Mahalo, everyone wants me to say we're a Google killer. When that question comes up I immediately say "let me be very, very clear--and please don't misrepresent me in your story--that Google is a partner and we don't see ourselves as a replacement for Google but rather a complement forthe following reasons."
You have to take control of your message when speaking to the press and know that many of them are looking for a little conflict in their piece. If you want to pick a fight than go ahead--it's not a bad strategy--but if you don't want to mix it up, be really clear about that. It's your job to make sure your points get across, not the journalists.
Many new CEOs/founders tell me they were spun in a story, saying things like "I spoke for 20 minutes about how we're not replacing Google and only mentioned why we might replace them for two minutes and they made that the title of the story!!!" Let me be clear about something, journalists are like lawyers in a deposition: their job is to keep you talking. The more you talk, the more is revealed. I would teach my journalists at Silicon Alley Reporter to ask short questions and to act confused specfically to get folks to reveal more information. This is an age-old strategy.
Columbo is the best model for a journalist: "oh, one more thing fella... I'm a little confused, you said your revenue model was e-commerce, but I don't see anything for sale on the site.... my wife, she says I'm a little slow... any chance you could explain that to me?"Your job as a suspect/subject is to say things concisely and with few words: "Google is our partner in five areas already: search advertising, analytics, YouTube, open social and custom search.
They also send us half our traffic--they are NOT our competition, they are our partner." Silence. More silence. If the journalist is good they will say something like, "but certainly on some level you compete?" and you respond "No, we don't."If the journalist is really good they will point out an example: "But you're human powered search and they are machine search... if you reach scale some users will choose right?
If human-powered search is that much better like you say folks will switch right?!?" Now they've got you... what do you do? Sometimes you can just say "hmmm... that's an interesting point," then enjoy the silence. Another method might be to just say "I've never really considered that. They really are our partner and that's how we treat them."Bottom line: assume that the worst sentence in your hour-long conversation is the lead sentence of the article or blog post. If you do this you'll make your worst sentence pretty darn good! Also, don't feel the need to fill the dead air.
8. Invite people to "swing by" your office.
Since I've started my companies I've always taken the position that anyone can swing by our office for coffee any time. When I meet folks I always tell them "if you're ever in Santa Monica swing by." When folks are in Los Angeles they actually do! Journalists and bloggers LOVE to visit a location because it helps them tell your story. Your location should be interesting--fascinating, in fact. This really helps tell your story.
Silicon Alley Reporter had a dirty old loft that looked like a sloppy newsroom. It was charming in a scrappy startup way. No one who does a story on TechCrunch can help but mention that Arrington is running the most influential technology blog in the world out of a house with a dozen folks sprawled out across halls and extra bedrooms. The fact that he sleeps six feet from the news pit speaks to his dedication.Gawker Media has a well designed, open-office plan that looks like something out of Design Hotels. In fact, a design hotel would be good to knock it off (as would Starbucks). Denton knows this and he has an open door policy for his office.This all goes back to my core belief that you have to live your brand and be everywhere. Part of being everywhere is having folks visit you.
9. Attach your brand to a movement
Silicon Alley was a movement to showcase the amazing technology companies in New York City. My magazine had the name Silicon Alley in it, but I never tried to limit the use of the name. Lots of loser types rushed in and created Silicon Alley SOMETHING and "Alleycat" type brands that drafted off my brand. However, my brand was the best and was the most out there--all their drafting did was secure our slot as the leader of the pack.With Weblogs, Inc. we were one of two companies trying to make blogs into a business. We were, in fact, the lead example of blogs as a business for a couple of years--and still to this day. Sure enough folks knocked off our idea all around the world. Some even used the exact name, like Weblogs SL in Spain.
Now, Julio, who ran Weblogs SL, was always nice enough to say he was inspired by Weblogs, Inc. which I found very classy. Others just stole the concept and ran with it.At the end of the day what all these knock-off blog networks did was lift the leaders: Gawker Media and Weblogs, Inc. Most of the smaller networks crashed and burned, or worse--just went sideways. Welcome your competitors to the race, because no one is going to tune into a one-horse race.
Look at it this way, one boat coasting across a large ocean appears lost and adrift, but ten boats trying to catch the lead boat makes it look like a race. If you're the leader, at least these copycats will make it look like you know where you're going--even if you don't.
Today, we watched with delight as companies knock off the concept for Mahalo's human-powered search left and right. Many of these companies release press releases saying they are the "Mahalo of INSERT VERTICAL HERE." The press then refers to our brand every time they do a story on this company.
One company that did a "Mahalo of" for a specific vertical actually stole our content, code and entire business process. As we launch features or editorial standards they copy them *exactly* from our site. When their CEO goes to speaking gigs--and I sat in the audience for one of them--he actually lifts my lines about the value of humans in search! Like word for word!We laugh about this company because we know two things:
1. They will never catch up to us and
2. All they are doing by stealing from us is pushing us up the ladder as the lead company.
When I meet with VCs, if they know this company I show them the examples of them stealing from us. The VCs ask why we don't sue them.I respond that it would be like Michael Jordan complaining about playing against a sixth grade basketball team.
The VCs get a huge laugh out of this, and I get the satisfaction of knowing a) the thieves are looked at as the dogs they are and b) their dog-like behavior just reinforces our leadership position.
10. Embrace small media outlets
Getting someone at The New York Times, WIRED or The Wall Street Journal to pay attention to you can take years. Small publications, however, don't get their calls responded to by the big companies.
This creates two big wins for you:a) Small publications have more time for youb) Big publications troll the small publications for storiesIn fact, you might not want to waste too much time getting to Walt Mossberg or John Markoff--those guys are jammed up big time. Great guys, and they know a great story when they see it, but the amount of incoming traffic they have is insane. Your best bet might be to find a vertical blog or podcast and talk to those folks. After you speak with them you can send the link to Mossberg or Markoff--or they might find it themselves.
To this day I say yes to almost any small podcast or blog interview request I can. As a nanopublisher for many years I know how hard it is to get a "brand name," and now that I've got a modest brand name I like to help those folks leverage it. It's good for karma, and it's good for keeping your ear to the street.
These smaller, veritcal publications sometimes have great information they can share with you.
Summary of part one:PR is, by definition, a reflection of what you've done. All the PR in the world will not make a bad business great, and some bad press really kill a great company.
Getting press is a great way to accelerate the adoption of your brand, but truth be told, your brand is going to rise and fall based on how valuable it is to your customers.
That being said, your ability to hire people, get meetings, raise money and form partnerships will be tied to your "PR footprint." Everyone wants to be involved with MySpace, Facebook, digg and Apple. Folks will do business deals with these companies that lose money because of the halo effect the association brings.
When a startup hits it's not one thing that does it, it's typically many things working in concert.
Getting your PR right is important in the way the decor of a restaurant is important: folks like a nice-looking restaurant, but they are only going to go to it once if the food sucks.
What you put on the plate--your product--is the most important.John Brockman summed this up to me: always measure your press by the pound. ;-)
1. Be the brand
As the founder of your company you must be in love with your brand and inspired by your brand's mission if you have any hope of getting press for your product.
If you don't *really* believe in your product on a deep, intrinsic level, it's going to come across *immediately* to the bloggers and press you're pitching.
When I started Silicon Alley Reporter in New York City, I had stacks of the magazine with me at ALL TIMES. If you saw me at a party I had 25 copies in my backpack, or 200 on a broken-down luggage cart, and you had one shoved in your face within a minute of meeting me.
My excitement level about the magazine was so great that at a Knicks game I climbed down from my seat in the 300s to hand a copy to John Kennedy Jr. who was sitting courtside.
From the corner of my eye I could see security making a beeline for me, so I acted quickly: "John, I'm a magazine publisher just like you! Here's my magazine... it's about the internet." He looked at it, said thank you and--I'll never forget--"I think it's gonna be big." At that moment I felt security on my shoulder and I left with a huge smile on my face thinking "Wow, JFK Jr. thinks my magazine is going to be big!"
After telling the story a couple of times people pointed out that he was referring to the Internet being big, not my magazine--but they don't know the look he gave me. I'm 100% sure he was talking about the magazine. Additionally, if you met me in the last 90s, chances are I was wearing a tight black Silicon Alley Reporter shirt. Stacks of them littered my loft on 26th street, and I would toss them only if they started to fade on the edges.
I had no problem wearing them seven days a week--I was on a mission. So proud of my little brand was I, that if people didn't like my marketing I never noticed. People called me P.T. Barnum behind my back and I called myself P.T. Barnum when I looked in the mirror.
All I cared about was that you had heard the name Silicon Alley Reporter.If you look at any of the successful brands out there, chances are their leader is banging the drum: Mark Cuban lives for the Mavs, Kevin Rose lives for Digg, and you can't get Loic to shut up about Seesmic. That's how it should be. If you don't love your brand why should anyone else?
2. Be everywhere
If you and your team have committed to being the brand, the next step is being committed to being everywhere. When I was running Silicon Alley Reporter I was essentially a beat reporter. Every single night I would go out and meet folks in the Internet industry. While other folks went home to their families--and there is nothing wrong with that--I went out and made a family. In this case, the family became known as "Silicon Alley," and the members of the family were the folks in and around the startup companies.
This is why Silicon Alley Reporter grew to 5-10x the size of our competitors in terms of reach and revenue: we were the community. Other folks reported on the companies, but we were one of the companies.
This is why Mike Arrington has taken such a huge place in the Web 2.0 marketplace: TechCrunch is a startup company--warts and all--just like their subjects.
When we launched Weblogs, Inc. I told my partner Brian Alvey--who did have a family and was a homebody--that his job was to hold the fort and my job was to go out and spread the gospel. During the Weblogs Inc. years I attended every possible event I could. At these events I acted as a speaker AND as a blogger covering the event. This meant we were getting and giving press--which is a virtuous thing to do.
At these events folks would see an Engadget, HackADay, Joystiq or Weblogs, Inc. sticker on my laptop, or me wearing a T-shirt, and say "hey, how's it going?" I'd give the stump speech about a) what we've accomplished, b) what's working, c) what's NOT working, and d) how exciting it all was.Your job is to transfer the enthusiasm you feel for your brand to everyone you meet.
3. Always pick up the check--always.
At the industry events I mention above I always set a goal of creating deep relationships with a small number of folks as opposed to running around trying to trade cards with as many folks as possible. You can trade cards on LinkedIn, but you can't break bread there. In the real world break bread, don't trade contact information.
Typically, I would make dinner reservations for six to ten people at two or three different restaurants at two different times when I got to a conference. Then I would try and round up a couple of folks and cancel the reservations I didn't need. This is how I developed friendships with almost everyone I know today, including Robert Scoble, Evan Williams, Mike Arrington, Steve Gillmor, Chris Andersen, Steven Levy, John Markoff, and Esther Dyson. If you're not a social person, learn to be, because it's your job if you're at a startupcompany.
This technique of setting up dinners and being inclusive I learned from Yossi Vardi, Linda Stone and John Brockman.
These three always seemed to be hosting a dinner at the conferences I was attending, including TED, PC Forum, and The WSJ D conference. Every time I went to these conferences I attended their dinners--and I took notes.Yossi, Linda and Brockman are the most connected people I know, and following their lead I've probably hosted over 100 dinner parties at conferences.
These parties have an average price of $1,000 each. That's $100,000 in dinners--probably around $10,000 a year--and it's the best money I've ever spent. That's how I built my network and now that it is built I'm giving one of my best secrets to you. That's why you subscribe to the newsletter right?
PR firms cost $5-15,000 a month. Buying dinner at a conference ten times a year will cost you about one month's worth of PR.
Now, as a tip, don't be over aggressive when you invite folks to dinner and don't feel the need to try to get the most important folks in the industry there. Just find a person or two you're friendly with and set up dinner for the three of you. Then, as you meet folks give them your number and let them know you're having dinner. E-mail them the details and if you invite five folks two will come, and they will bring one or two people each.
Everyone remembers who picked up the check. My dad picked up every check he could knowing that the folks he hosted would at some point come back to his bar, and some percentage of them might become regulars.
This reciprocation effect is a natural part of our existence, and there is nothing wrong with it. Just this week someone who attended a tech meet up at Mahalo met me in a bar and bought me and my father a drink. We talked for 30 minutes, and now for the cost of $15 in drinks I would take that guy's call any time.
How could I not--it would be rude!Now, before you say "oh you're blown out, you can afford to buy dinner for everyone," let me state clearly that I did this when I was broke as well.
My secret then would be to find a family style restaurant that was affordable like a Mexican or Italian restaurant. I would then proceed to order a ton of appetizers and side orders for the table. Folks would get so filled that they wouldn't want a main course later on. This was the best "poor man" hack I ever came up with: order for the table and let folks start networking. It's cheaper, it's more fun and it saves a lot of time.
4. Be a human being
The best way to get PR is not to sell someone on your company or product--it's by being a human being. Journalists hate PR people and they hate being pitched. They do. It's just a fact. Journalists and bloggers despise PR people, and if they say otherwise they are lying, placating you or just being diplomatic.
It's a much better strategy to just be yourself and develop relationships with people in the industry slowly and organically. If you're a good human being who is capable of both listening to people and engaging them in a dialogue then the "pitch" will just happen.
In fact, it won't be a pitch. It will happen when you're walking back from the restaurant and the journalist or blogger asks "How's it going at Mahalo?"
It will happen when you're sitting outside during a break at the conference having a cup of joe and a blogger will walk up and say "What are you up to?"Rule number one of interacting with a journalist: you NEVER have to bring up what you're doing, you just have to be a normal person and wait. It is the job of journalists and bloggers to ask questions and they will. They don't need to be pitched.
5. How to bond with a journalist
It's important for CEOs/founders to realize that journalists and bloggers are, in fact, humans. They long to be heard, to be admired and to belong--just like you do. When I was a journalist I was always amazed by the number of unfocused pitches I would receive.
For example, when I was covering the internet I would frequently get pitches like "You have to check out this new nanotechnology company" or "we're launching a new technology to make shipping more efficient!" Ummm... great, but I've never covered the nanotech or shipping industries--why would I start now?!
You must realize that journalists are constantly getting banged by lazy, clueless PR folks who fire first and don't understand what the word "aim" even means.This inefficiency leads to an opportunity: you can cut to the front of the line by spending just 30 minutes researching the journalist you're pitching.
Before meeting with a journalist it's your job--the job of the CEO--to read their last five stories in full. It helps if you take notes on these stories, read the comments under them and look forreactions to the story around the web.
This should take no more than five or ten minutes per story. You should also look at their LinkedIn account and do a Google search to see where else they have worked. If you know that Om Malik was at Red Herring, Business 2.0 and then started his own company, you can bring that up when you meet him.
He will appreciate this in light of the fact that half the folks who e-mail him don't even know what beat he covers or how to pronounce his name!I've gotten so obsessive about this that my liaison Tyler, whom anyone who's met with me in the last year knows, keeps tabs on our journalist and blogger contacts. He not only reads their work, he always stays in contact with them. This means we are in constant research and dialogue with the folks who are covering us.
This means when we meet about a story we know as much about the journalist as they know about us--sometimes more! Tyler will hand me a stack of stories and background information on the people we're meeting with on the flight to another country so I can play catch up.
This is, from my point of view, a simple matter of courtesy and good manners. If you want a journalist to be interested in you, take some interest in them. At the very least you'll have something to talk with the journalist about.
6. How a CEO should e-mail a journalist
When I was a journalist I would not speak to PR people about my stories, and I would hold a hard line with them: if you want me to cover your company have your CEO e-mail me at jason at calacanis dotcom. They would reply, "ok, let's do a call about your story and i can put you in touch with the right person over there..." and all I heardwas "blah blah blah."
The CEOs and founders of the companies who had direct relationships with me got more direct coverage of their company, as well as more quotes in stories about other companies and issues.Journalists and bloggers are very busy and PR people are, by and large, considered an inefficiency in the system by them.
The best thing for a CEO to do is to stay in regular communication with journalists and bloggers in their own, authentic voice via email. I frequently email journalists I know and give them unsolicited comments on stories that have nothing to do with me.
Sometimes these comments are positive, sometimes they are not. I've emailed New York Times journalists to let them know when they missed the real issue and what trees they may want to shake.I recently e-mailed Dan Lyons of Fake Steve Jobs fame to tell him what a low-rent slug he was being for attacking Steve Jobs over his health. You can be sure that after ten years of unsolicited e-mails most journalists know who I am and how to get in touch with me. Some may not agree with me, but they tend to respect my opinion.
That's really the best thing you can do: be respected for your views on the industry.Your job as the CEO/founder is to create direct, honest and personal relationships with journalists. The truth is that PR people are selling you a share of their relationships with journalists, and their relationships are typically on shaky ground. You're much better off building a personal relationship by sending a personal email like this:
Saul,
Nice piece on Facebook's valuation. One insight I had: if the value of the company BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH than should Microsoft be thinking BLAHBLAH BLAH?
Thoughts?
best regards,
Jason Calacanis
CEO, Mahalo.com
If you do that once every other day for a year or so you'll develop relationships with 50 to 100 important folks. Of course, you have to have something of substance to say, so don't waste their time and don't write five page e-mails or you'll look deranged.
Short, to the point and intelligent. If you're not smart enough to send something insightful, well, than I can't really help you and you might want go work for someone smart for a couple of years. :-)
7. How a CEO should speak to a journalist
If you have a phone or in-person interview with a journalist there are some basic things you should know and do.
First, you should always ask the journalist "are you taping this call, or should I talk slowly so you can take notes?" at the start of the call. 80% of the time they are taping the call, and 90% of the time they will not offer that up to you.
If they are taping the call that's a good thing--you're gonna be quoted correctly. If they are NOT taping the call that can suck, because they are going to paraphrase you. I conduct 95% of my interviews over e-mail because I know I'm going to get misquoted, so I tell folks in my email "don't worry... I'll give you nice blunt, honest responses that don't look like PR speak in the email. :-)"This increases the probability that the journalist will a) quote you correctly and b) that they will accept an e-mail interview.
There are a handful of journalists I will speak to on the phone or in person because I know they are not going to spin me.
Also, if I know there is a chance that I will be spun I am very, very clear to state that. For example, when launching and running Mahalo, everyone wants me to say we're a Google killer. When that question comes up I immediately say "let me be very, very clear--and please don't misrepresent me in your story--that Google is a partner and we don't see ourselves as a replacement for Google but rather a complement forthe following reasons."
You have to take control of your message when speaking to the press and know that many of them are looking for a little conflict in their piece. If you want to pick a fight than go ahead--it's not a bad strategy--but if you don't want to mix it up, be really clear about that. It's your job to make sure your points get across, not the journalists.
Many new CEOs/founders tell me they were spun in a story, saying things like "I spoke for 20 minutes about how we're not replacing Google and only mentioned why we might replace them for two minutes and they made that the title of the story!!!" Let me be clear about something, journalists are like lawyers in a deposition: their job is to keep you talking. The more you talk, the more is revealed. I would teach my journalists at Silicon Alley Reporter to ask short questions and to act confused specfically to get folks to reveal more information. This is an age-old strategy.
Columbo is the best model for a journalist: "oh, one more thing fella... I'm a little confused, you said your revenue model was e-commerce, but I don't see anything for sale on the site.... my wife, she says I'm a little slow... any chance you could explain that to me?"Your job as a suspect/subject is to say things concisely and with few words: "Google is our partner in five areas already: search advertising, analytics, YouTube, open social and custom search.
They also send us half our traffic--they are NOT our competition, they are our partner." Silence. More silence. If the journalist is good they will say something like, "but certainly on some level you compete?" and you respond "No, we don't."If the journalist is really good they will point out an example: "But you're human powered search and they are machine search... if you reach scale some users will choose right?
If human-powered search is that much better like you say folks will switch right?!?" Now they've got you... what do you do? Sometimes you can just say "hmmm... that's an interesting point," then enjoy the silence. Another method might be to just say "I've never really considered that. They really are our partner and that's how we treat them."Bottom line: assume that the worst sentence in your hour-long conversation is the lead sentence of the article or blog post. If you do this you'll make your worst sentence pretty darn good! Also, don't feel the need to fill the dead air.
8. Invite people to "swing by" your office.
Since I've started my companies I've always taken the position that anyone can swing by our office for coffee any time. When I meet folks I always tell them "if you're ever in Santa Monica swing by." When folks are in Los Angeles they actually do! Journalists and bloggers LOVE to visit a location because it helps them tell your story. Your location should be interesting--fascinating, in fact. This really helps tell your story.
Silicon Alley Reporter had a dirty old loft that looked like a sloppy newsroom. It was charming in a scrappy startup way. No one who does a story on TechCrunch can help but mention that Arrington is running the most influential technology blog in the world out of a house with a dozen folks sprawled out across halls and extra bedrooms. The fact that he sleeps six feet from the news pit speaks to his dedication.Gawker Media has a well designed, open-office plan that looks like something out of Design Hotels. In fact, a design hotel would be good to knock it off (as would Starbucks). Denton knows this and he has an open door policy for his office.This all goes back to my core belief that you have to live your brand and be everywhere. Part of being everywhere is having folks visit you.
9. Attach your brand to a movement
Silicon Alley was a movement to showcase the amazing technology companies in New York City. My magazine had the name Silicon Alley in it, but I never tried to limit the use of the name. Lots of loser types rushed in and created Silicon Alley SOMETHING and "Alleycat" type brands that drafted off my brand. However, my brand was the best and was the most out there--all their drafting did was secure our slot as the leader of the pack.With Weblogs, Inc. we were one of two companies trying to make blogs into a business. We were, in fact, the lead example of blogs as a business for a couple of years--and still to this day. Sure enough folks knocked off our idea all around the world. Some even used the exact name, like Weblogs SL in Spain.
Now, Julio, who ran Weblogs SL, was always nice enough to say he was inspired by Weblogs, Inc. which I found very classy. Others just stole the concept and ran with it.At the end of the day what all these knock-off blog networks did was lift the leaders: Gawker Media and Weblogs, Inc. Most of the smaller networks crashed and burned, or worse--just went sideways. Welcome your competitors to the race, because no one is going to tune into a one-horse race.
Look at it this way, one boat coasting across a large ocean appears lost and adrift, but ten boats trying to catch the lead boat makes it look like a race. If you're the leader, at least these copycats will make it look like you know where you're going--even if you don't.
Today, we watched with delight as companies knock off the concept for Mahalo's human-powered search left and right. Many of these companies release press releases saying they are the "Mahalo of INSERT VERTICAL HERE." The press then refers to our brand every time they do a story on this company.
One company that did a "Mahalo of" for a specific vertical actually stole our content, code and entire business process. As we launch features or editorial standards they copy them *exactly* from our site. When their CEO goes to speaking gigs--and I sat in the audience for one of them--he actually lifts my lines about the value of humans in search! Like word for word!We laugh about this company because we know two things:
1. They will never catch up to us and
2. All they are doing by stealing from us is pushing us up the ladder as the lead company.
When I meet with VCs, if they know this company I show them the examples of them stealing from us. The VCs ask why we don't sue them.I respond that it would be like Michael Jordan complaining about playing against a sixth grade basketball team.
The VCs get a huge laugh out of this, and I get the satisfaction of knowing a) the thieves are looked at as the dogs they are and b) their dog-like behavior just reinforces our leadership position.
10. Embrace small media outlets
Getting someone at The New York Times, WIRED or The Wall Street Journal to pay attention to you can take years. Small publications, however, don't get their calls responded to by the big companies.
This creates two big wins for you:a) Small publications have more time for youb) Big publications troll the small publications for storiesIn fact, you might not want to waste too much time getting to Walt Mossberg or John Markoff--those guys are jammed up big time. Great guys, and they know a great story when they see it, but the amount of incoming traffic they have is insane. Your best bet might be to find a vertical blog or podcast and talk to those folks. After you speak with them you can send the link to Mossberg or Markoff--or they might find it themselves.
To this day I say yes to almost any small podcast or blog interview request I can. As a nanopublisher for many years I know how hard it is to get a "brand name," and now that I've got a modest brand name I like to help those folks leverage it. It's good for karma, and it's good for keeping your ear to the street.
These smaller, veritcal publications sometimes have great information they can share with you.
Summary of part one:PR is, by definition, a reflection of what you've done. All the PR in the world will not make a bad business great, and some bad press really kill a great company.
Getting press is a great way to accelerate the adoption of your brand, but truth be told, your brand is going to rise and fall based on how valuable it is to your customers.
That being said, your ability to hire people, get meetings, raise money and form partnerships will be tied to your "PR footprint." Everyone wants to be involved with MySpace, Facebook, digg and Apple. Folks will do business deals with these companies that lose money because of the halo effect the association brings.
When a startup hits it's not one thing that does it, it's typically many things working in concert.
Getting your PR right is important in the way the decor of a restaurant is important: folks like a nice-looking restaurant, but they are only going to go to it once if the food sucks.
What you put on the plate--your product--is the most important.John Brockman summed this up to me: always measure your press by the pound. ;-)
Monday, November 16, 2009
My first blog post
Well I set this blog up this afternoon, on the advice of Miguel D'Souza, and so here it is Miguel!
What should I write about I asked? My new job? Our new puppy? My faithful old 1988 300E Mercedes (its just done 300,000kms!)? That's all fairly pedestrian and mundane though.
(I do need a new job as I have been made redundant 3 weeks ago and still have this week to complete my hand-over to the person replacing me... feels like I'm Sean Penn in "Dead Man Walking".)
Tonight my wife and I saw "Mao's Last Dancer" and enjoyed it thoroughly. http://www.licunxin.com/ and we were lucky enough to meet the man himself for a chat. We both have a child with a cochlear implant, so we had quite a lot to discuss!
He is a marketing genius, with great vision. His book is a best seller, and now the movie has been test-marketed in Australia, and wil be rolled out to the US in 2010.
Well done and good luck to him. A brave person, both as a child and now as a father himself. He took on the oppressive and brain-washing Chinese Government in the 70's and won.
What should I write about I asked? My new job? Our new puppy? My faithful old 1988 300E Mercedes (its just done 300,000kms!)? That's all fairly pedestrian and mundane though.
(I do need a new job as I have been made redundant 3 weeks ago and still have this week to complete my hand-over to the person replacing me... feels like I'm Sean Penn in "Dead Man Walking".)
Tonight my wife and I saw "Mao's Last Dancer" and enjoyed it thoroughly. http://www.licunxin.com/ and we were lucky enough to meet the man himself for a chat. We both have a child with a cochlear implant, so we had quite a lot to discuss!
He is a marketing genius, with great vision. His book is a best seller, and now the movie has been test-marketed in Australia, and wil be rolled out to the US in 2010.
Well done and good luck to him. A brave person, both as a child and now as a father himself. He took on the oppressive and brain-washing Chinese Government in the 70's and won.
Pet Marketing with Rusty
We got our family's first puppy about 3 weeks ago - "Rusty" the cavoodle (Cavalier X Poodle) from Chevromist Kennels http://www.chevromist.com/ in Melbourne. He's a little champ, the kids love him and he's won all our hearts!
We chose ProPlan dry puppy food as that's what the kennel fed him, and he initially rejected Eukanuba puppy food, even though its a similar product. We also give him chicken necks (a bit yukky!) and left-over spag bol etc.
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