Why Start Ups Don't "Get" Press
"I can't tell you how many times we've met with early-stage companies, and they start by telling us their big vision. They say, 'This is what we're about and what we want to change.' But when we ask them what they actually do, they can’t tell us. If you can’t answer that question, don’t do anything else until you can. Nothing else matters."
This is Brooke Hammerling, unfiltered. Her company Brew Media Relations match-makes young companies with journalists, influencers and anyone else who can help propel them to stardom. Today, her roster includes Wordpress, Charity:Water, Wealthfront, Oracle and About.me — all known for bold, creative communications strategies. She also happened to make the cover of The New York Times’ Sunday business section a few years ago as the poster woman for doing tech PR differently.
When it comes to whether startups need help in this area, she has a somewhat subversive opinion: they don’t. Even while at Brew, she’s helped hash out PR plans for a number of entrepreneurs who can't afford full-time agencies or in-house support. And she’s got a playbook of tactics for those who want to do it on their own.
When To Go It Alone
No matter how many PR agencies or
freelance consultants say otherwise, a small startup can pull off a solid media relations strategy without shelling out for help, Hammerling says. In fact, there are only three reasons an early-stage company should consider retaining the services of a firm:
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If none of these three are true, then relax. "Everybody else should focus that budget on development of the product and building a team internally."
by Brooke Hammerling