One of the EU Startup Summit events was a discussion panel in which participants talked about their experiences in the media, dealing with the subject of innovation technologies and startups, and how to effectively pitch in the media.
Speakers of the panel “Navigating startup media: who are the players and how to be distinguished?” former representatives of portals such as Silicon Canals, TechCrunch, EU Startup (event organizer) and CEW Communications.
The panellists pointed out that, first of all, companies and their founders have a wrong idea of what the media is, how they function and how much they are needed for the development of a startup. Many of them pales in trying to reach the media, for example by simply sending them a press release asking for publication. In order not to make basic mistakes in establishing contact with the media, the panellists presented some pieces of advice:
The most important thing for a journalist is to see a good story because, as they said, a good idea will not sell itself. Each idea or concept should be wrapped in an appropriate story and only such a product has a chance of success. First of all, it is necessary to show the media why the product or solution we offer is important at a given moment, why it is worth talking about it and why it has a chance to become a product that will revolutionize the sector.
Media specializing in startups are looking for real innovations, not modernized products that have already appeared on the market. Therefore, in ideas sent by startups, they look for an answer to the question:
-Why do you really matter?
-What is special about your company?
-What problems does it solve?
-Why will it change the world?
The speakers also paid attention to issues such as: who to address and how to do it. It is important, among others to look for journalists who deal with topics related to your company. It is easier to interest a specialist in a given field than an ordinary journalist.
In addition, they told you to pay special attention to the email titles that companies put out to the media. It is the title that is the first contact on the company-editor line, it encourages or discourages reading the news. It also announces what is in the content, sometimes it can be a sign of your creativity.
The last, equally important point is: “Don’t give up at the shoulder of the answer.” As the editors mentioned, there are thousands of companies that try to reach the media, so getting into the media is not that easy. If it fails this time, you may reach them in a few weeks or months. “The more patient you are, the more likely you are to be published.”
If your company wants to appear on the llamas of well-known international titles, be sure to stick to the rules and advice presented at the EU Startup Summit.
