By April Enriquez
Women’s Venture Summit 2020 is rapidly approaching, so I sat down with some of our guest panelists in advance of the event to discuss one sought-after topic: how women-owned startups can earn media coverage.
Our wonderful panelists including Fred Grier, startup, technology and venture capital reporter for the San Diego Business Journal, Dr. Cheryl Robinson, founder of Ready2Roar and ForbesWomen contributor, and Annie Brown, founder of Lips and Forbes contributor, provided a few pointers that they’ll build on at Day Two of the Summit on Sept. 19.
Let’s get started!
- Keep your pitch concise. You should be able to convey your story idea in 2-3 sentences. You can include background info at the bottom of your email.
- Don’t just send an email about your company without a clearly stated goal. It is OK to send an introductory email without an ask, but say that!
- Do not follow up in 24 hours. Give it a few days or even a week. When you follow up, can you add a new and interesting nugget to the pitch?
- If you’ve never read their work or don’t know what they cover, don’t send them a pitch. Do your research and demonstrate that you know what they cover. Only offer a story idea that is relevant to them and their readers.
- Do not expect national coverage right away. Try to earn local coverage first. Once you’ve done so, you can include links to local stories in your pitch to a national reporter.
- Know the difference between a contributor, freelance writer and full-time reporter.
- If you own a startup and your product or service isn’t ready to launch, you can earn press as a thought leader first. Provide helpful insight and connect reporters with other thought leaders in your circle.
- Get the reporter’s name right. Seriously.
- Email is the preferred method of communication. It’s okay to connect and build rapport on social media, too.
- Don’t tell a reporter things like, “this is a great opportunity for you,” because really, it is a great opportunity for your startup.
- Understand what’s going on in the world. Don’t try to force a connection between what’s going on and your startup.
- Have high-quality photos, product photos and action shots in horizontal and vertical formats available.
- Don’t ask a reporter if you can go back and change a quote or if you can proofread an article before it’s published. If something is incorrect, you can ask for a correction.
- Don’t go back and ask for a link to your website. That’s considered free advertising. If you get a link, you’re lucky.
- Keep trying! Press coverage doesn’t happen overnight. Start to build relationships (Twitter is a great place to start), add value, then present your pitch.
Be sure to snag a ticket RIGHT NOW to Women’s Venture Summit taking place on Sept. 18-19 where you can hear more from these experts.
In the meantime, follow our panelists on social media:
Cheryl Robinson
https://twitter.com/ProfessorCR
https://www.instagram.com/embracethepivot/
Annie Brown
https://twitter.com/andreafrancesb
https://www.instagram.com/gr0ssannie/
Fred Grier
https://twitter.com/fredmgrier
https://www.instagram.com/fred.grier/
Women’s Venture Summit committee member and founder of Southern California-based company WordPop Public Relations, April Enriquez is a dedicated communications expert focused on real estate and women-led startups. The “Top 40 Under 40” business professional is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego. Connect with April on Twitter at @apriltypes or Instagram at @wordpoppr.
