As a NYC-based tech PR pro, I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the tech community here. One way to do this is via the NY Tech Meetups (see my post about the NY tech scene and the December 2011 NYTM). I also follow their email ListServ, which features discussions about the state of tech, and about challenges, opportunities and resources for startups.
This week, someone posed a question about PR. A new app developer had been burned by an agency, and was looking to the list for advice on what do next.
Silicon Alley’s Miles Rose rose to the occasion with what I thought was a very eloquent definition, and good advice on next steps.
I am featuring his comments bleow as a guest post. Thanks Miles! it is great when someone truly gets it, and can communicate the value of PR, and how to work with an agency.
PR is both an art and a science.
What do you want to see accomplished from a PR campaign?
There a many stories which will interest the media from your activities. You should find a firm which can help develop and get them placed with the media.
There is always too much expectation given the reality of PR.
- You have to develop a story
- You have to share the story with a writer
- The writer has to sell the story idea to the editor
- The writer has to write the story
- The story has to be edited
- The story has to run, lots of stories dont run with the attention we feel they are deserving.
Successful PR is a dance between serving their clients’ needs and solving the problems of the media.
I think you have a lot of really good potential stories and many media outlets that would be of interest. If you knew the market, knew the writers, knew the story, you could do this yourself, You probably don’t have time, and its not your prime activity.
I would suggest that you create a small PR project, interview a few PR firms, and see which one gets it. Unfortunately, selecting professional service organizations is like dating, it’s both time consuming and expensive. But if you know what you want, and that reality is the reality of the marketplace, you will do fine.
