[Hidden-tech] Sorry...didn't realize the Gazette only allows subscribers to view e-mailed articles

[Jeanne Yocum]

Hi, all,

Amy Zuckerman just alerted me that those of you without Gazette
subscriptions could not view the article I wrote about in my previous
e-mail.  Sorry about that; why they let people e-mail articles directly from
the site without telling you only those with subscriptions will be able to
view them is unclear to me!  Anyway,
here is the article pasted in below.  Thanks.


-- Jeanne Yocum
Tuscarora Communications, Ltd.
413-467-9470
www.yourghostwriter.com


Getting your tech firm in the news
 BY JEANNE YOCUM 

For technology firms, especially start-ups or small firms working with
limited marketing budgets, a key tool in their marketing arsenal should be
publicity. 

 Often, the leaders of these smaller firms, while skilled at developing
technology products and services, are less adept at knowing how to get news
coverage for their companies and products.

As a result, they make mistakes that significantly lessen the odds that
their news will make it into print or onto the airwaves - or that their
message will have the desired impact on customers, even if it does manage to
squeeze through the newsroom filter.

Here are common errors to avoid when pursuing publicity for your technology
company:

Too much tech talk

While you may find the technological intricacies of how your latest gizmo
works fascinating, that doesn't mean that editors or reporters will
understand or appreciate a press release drowning in tech talk that is
unfathomable to the ordinary reader or even to reasonably savvy technology
reporters.

If it's a consumer product, this is a particularly egregious error.

The vast majority of consumers don't really care how something works; they
do care about why it will make their life easier or better. Talk more about
the benefits of the product to the user and less about the technology.

And instead of talking about how great the technology of your product is,
you should put the product in the context of the customer's lifestyle and
how that will be improved with your product. If it's a business product, the
message should be about the business problems your product or service
solves.

Playing the numbers game

Too many technology companies try to build their reputation on the size or
speed of their product. This presents a couple of problems. First, you're
fighting an ever-accelerating news battle with your competitors in which
your news is soon trumped by someone else's news. Here's how it goes: You
announce this week that your widget goes at 10-warp speed; next week someone
else announces their widget goes at 12-warp speed and the following week yet
another company has a 15-warp widget. Media members find all of this fairly
boring unless you truly have achieved some enormous breakthrough in speed or
size.

The second problem is that instead of being dazzled by technology numbers,
consumers are just dazed by them and have long ago given up paying attention
to this type of thing. Here again, you're better off going with a news story
about how the product fits into the user's world.

Using industry buzzwords

Getting caught up in industry buzzword mania leads to press releases that
make your company and its products sound just like every other company and
product out there.

What you want is language that clearly describes what you can do for your
customers, not language that makes editors and reporters yawn because
they've seen it in a 100 other press releases that day.

Coming up with messages that make you stand out from the crowd takes careful
crafting. If you have a limited marketing budget, this is one area where you
might want to use some money to have a public relations professional help
you develop a great Media Message Guide.

This is a document that captures how you'll talk to the media about your
company and its products in a way that is unique and compelling. Such a
guide can then become the ''bible'' for your future press materials.

Ignoring media basics

I had an opportunity last year to ask a roomful of editors and reporters
what irritated them most about the press materials they receive from
companies or their PR firms. While the laundry list was long, the top
irritant appeared to be press releases that don't have basic information
such as the company contact, phone number, and e-mail address.

The reporters also said that frequently the person listed on a release as
the contact turns out to be incapable of answering questions about the news
story. This means reporters have to wait for someone who actually knows
something to call them back. Not only does this annoy reporters, it can lead
to missed opportunities if return calls aren't made by the reporters' often
tight deadlines.

Don't be guilty of this error. If you make it hard for a busy reporter to
contact someone at your company who can give informed quotes, that reporter
is likely to drop your material into the circular file. In effect, you're
building a wall between you and the media, which is never a good idea.

By avoiding these mistakes, your press materials have a better chance of
getting the attention they deserve in the newsroom and eventually from the
public. In a world where advertising is increasingly ignored, publicity is a
priceless marketing tool. Make sure you use it wisely.

Jeanne Yocum is principal of Tuscarora Communications, Ltd., a public
relations firm in Granby. She is co-author of New Product Launch: 10 Proven
Strategies, published in October 2004 by Stagnito Communications.



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