How To Contact Journalists
A friend emailed me the other day asking if I had any recommendations for how he could connect with a journalist from the tech site Mashable.
This is what I told him
(As a note, this is from my experience writing for VentureBeat).
1. Identify why you want to contact a journalist: The journalists you contact are very busy people (I would receive up to a dozen emails from PR reps every day).
You should never, under any circumstance, email a journalist asking an open ended question that will take a long time to answer. This is a sure way to guarantee that you will not receive a response.
If you ask a precise question that can be answered in under 10 seconds, you may receive a response (I am referring to emails, it is different in person). Journalists are bombarded with emails every day. If they do not know you and it is a long question, you will be ignored.
2. Write to a journalist as if they are your friend: Once you begin receiving emails every day from PR, the emails begin to look the same. When I was writing for VentureBeat, I would receive emails throughout the day with the same generic start:
“Dear Conrad, We thought this might be of interest to you.”
Literally dozens of emails would have this same beginning. If you receive 10 of these emails in a row, they become very easy to ignore. The formality and lack of human touch become off-putting.
My advice is to write to journalists as if they are your friends. Treat them like people. As an example, an email with the beginning line is much more effective than any generic sentence:
“Hey Conrad, saw we had a mutual friend and wanted to reach out.”
(I received this email earlier today. This was not an email regarding writing an article, but I did not know this person and I took the time to respond).
3. Respect their time: If you do not know the journalist personally, never ask to meet for a coffee (coffee does not only take 30 minutes, it disrupts someone’s day and with commuting can take over an hour). In fact, I would not even recommend asking for a phone call unless it is important. The best way I have found to connect with journalists and busy people in general is to show that you understand that their time is valuable and that although you would like to meet, you do not want to burden them at all. As an example, here is the email I wrote Steve Cheney (contributing writer at TechCrunch).
“I know you are very busy so I don’t want to take your time to grab a coffee, but I’m pretty involved in the NYC entrepreneurial scene and if you’re planning on attending an upcoming event in the future, it’d be great to hear just so I could introduce myself in person.
Hope to keep in touch and best wishes Steve.”
Fortunately for me, Steve and I were able to grab coffee the next day.
4. The second best way to meet a journalist is through an introduction: The site that is most effective in helping with this is LinkedIn. It is very easy to type in a journalist’s name and see if you have any mutual connections. If you do, it is just as easy to ask the person to make an introduction. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, you can ask to use their name in an email. As an example:
“Hey X, I saw you were connected to my friend Adam and he recommended I contact you regarding X.”
Through LinkedIn, I have 2 degrees of separation with over 200,000 people (and this is not unusual for people who actively use the site). There are a lot of people you can reach out to.
As a note, remember that you need to have a legitimate reason for connecting with journalists. If you have an inquiry that you can find the answer to online, you should not waste anyone’s time. It is really important throughout this process that you respect everyone’s time (not only the journalist, but also your friends’ if they are helping ).
5. The best way to meet a journalist is in person: This is a lot easier to do than most people believe, particularly in the highly connected tech community. I took the elevator with TechCrunch editor Erick Schonfeld at one of the first NYC Tech events I attended and Michael Arrington sat in front of me at this year’s Tech Crunch Disrupt event in New York. An important part about networking is that it’s something you need to constantly do. If you just start one day and say, I need to connect with this person, then you put yourself in a much harder position than if you had been meeting and following up with people the entire time.
Media publications hold a lot of events; they are more common than you think. At every one of these media events I have attended, a high percentage of journalists at the company have attended. As an example of an upcoming media event, here is a posting by VentureBeat: http://venturebeat.com/2011/06/21/reminder-venturebeat-and-demo-in-vancouver-thursday.
Another way to find events which journalists frequently attend is to ask well connected entrepreneurs. These people tend to enjoy helping others and are happy to recommend events where they have encountered journalists.
Resources
1. Great article on how to set up meetings with busy individuals by Marketing.fm http://www.marketing.fm/2009/10/22/how-to-setup-an-appointment/
2. Tip for what you should not do in arranging meetings by Vinicius Vacanti http://viniciusvacanti.com/2011/01/24/stop-saying-let-me-know-when-works-for-you/
3. Great video by Mark Suster and Michael Robertson on how to build relationships with reporters (about halfway through the video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMPnB0uxKTo&feature=related
A Marketing Tactic That Works
A few years ago, while browsing the web for GMAT blogs, I was drawn to identical banners on multiple blogs. The banners were not advertisements; they were something different.
The banners were “Best of Blogging Awards” from ClearAdmit, which is an MBA admissions firm (the banner is to the right). Year after year, legions of popular GMAT and MBA bloggers were awarded these banners, which were then proudly plastered on the blogs as a sign of achievement and social proof.
I thought this was a brilliant tactic from ClearAdmit. These popular bloggers were not only willing, but rather felt privileged for the opportunity to promote ClearAdmit through these banners.
In addition to the SEO benefit from these websites linking back to ClearAdmit, the rewards from the brand awareness were priceless. Despite the effectiveness, I have not seen this strategy used by many companies.
There is no reason why this strategy should not be used throughout all industries. As an example, here is how VentureBeat, a tech publication, could use this tactic:
VentureBeat Best of Blogging Award
VentureBeat would award the best Technology bloggers of each year (Best blogger of 2011, best upcoming blogger, etc.) and could potentially include some of their postings into weekly articles.
Bloggers selected would proudly post a “VentureBeat Best of Tech Bloggers 2011”, or a “Rising Tech Star Blogger” badge, which would help promote the VentureBeat brand. VentureBeat would also increase the content on their websites without diluting the quality of writing.
Bloggers would be happy because if their articles were reprinted on the VentureBeat website, a larger audience would read them, and they would also be proud to show the VentureBeat badge. VentureBeat would benefit from the growth in brand awareness and the increase in in-links.
Steps to Take
If you are interested in implementing a similar strategy, here are the steps I recommend:
1. Establish your company and blog as a thought leader in your respective market. Focus on creating quality content on your blog and on growing your audience. The strategy outlined will not be as effective if your company’s name is not easily recognized by bloggers.
2. Create an attractive banner that can be placed on a blogger’s website
3. Gather the emails and and communicate with potential bloggers. Ideally you would already have a connection with this group. Outline a set of benefits the blogger would receive. Perhaps the bloggers would receive coverage on your blog, Facebook Page, etc.
4. Maintain consistency with the program year after year. As with all marketing, the effort will take time. Fortunately, the time needed to manage this is very minimal.
Resources
1. Clear Admit’s Best of Blogging page: http://blog.clearadmit.com/2009/04/best-of-blogging-2008-2009-results/
What I Learned From 3 Months Of Writing At VentureBeat (Part 1/3)
I served as a contributing writer at VentureBeat for 3 months and had a view into reporting that most entrepreneurs do not have. There is a lot of information on PR (particularly with startups), but most information is written from an entrepreneur’s point of view. This article is written from the other side of the table.
This is Part #1 in the series about what I learned in those 3 months as a writer:
Part #1: How I ended up writing for VentureBeat and thoughts for those looking to get involved with writing/entrepreneurial ventures.
Part #2: How to pitch reporters (on developing a story, writing a press release, identifying how reporter’s find leads, etc.) I will include good and bad examples of press releases (we were bombarded every day).
Part #3: How to meet and interact with reporters and what it is like being on the other side. I’ll end with some additional tips that can curry favor (Ex: Always send a thank you if an article is written on your company. The entrepreneur should do this, not the PR person).
As a note, I was a contributing writer, not an editor, and though my time was limited, I hope the following provides insight.
Old VentureBeat Writer's Photo: Recognize MG Siegler in the back
Also, although I no longer am affiliated with the company, I have nothing but positive things to say about VentureBeat. The company has amazing people who I learned so much from. If you do not know, VentureBeat (http://www.venturebeat.com) is one of the largest tech media websites and has syndications with the New York Times and Reuters.
At the bottom of each article there will be a list of resources that helped me at each point in the process.
Part #1: How I joined VentureBeat
I did not have a writing background going into VentureBeat. In fact, when I first contacted Owen Thomas, who was the executive editor at the time, he let me know he knew this right away.
I had been introduced to Owen by Matt Marshall, founder and CEO of VentureBeat. Matt and I had met in NYC, where he was promoting the tech conference DEMO. Trying not to take up too much of his time, I told him I enjoyed the site and if there anything he ever needed (introductions, etc.), that I would be happy to help. To my surprise, he talked to me about writing positions that were opening and gave me his business card.
After following up through email the following night, I was relieved when he responded and I was forwarded to Owen Thomas.
Owen was the celeb-writer of VentureBeat and was infamous for his bold articles. He had been involved in a very public feud with Elon Musk (of Paypal, Tesla, and SpaceX), and was known for ruffling the feathers of billionaires. At VentureBeat, Owen cared tremendously about the quality of writing. He was the leader of the writer-pack.
After reviewing my blog, Owen let it be known that (I am summarizing): “I was not the right fit” and “Probably wasn’t talented enough at the time.” Despite his direct words, he gave me a chance. He always ended his emails with “I don’t think this will work out, but if you really want, you can send an article for me to review.” I will always be grateful to Owen for this.
Sitting at my computer, I knew I had to pursue the opportunity. However, I did not know where to start, as I had never written for a newspaper or publication before. I had no choice but to do as all entrepreneurs do; I was as relentlessly resourceful (from Paul Graham), as I could be.
I looked up recommended books on writing (Tim Ferriss and other popular bloggers recommended “On Writing Well”—listed at bottom). I reached out to a TechCrunch reporter I was in brief contact with (Steve Cheney of TechCrunch), and I began writing.
Soon after my first lesson was learned: The key to good writing is rewriting.
Every day onward I would write until 4:00AM, and immediately after waking the next morning would call close friends for a review. The entrepreneurs at the incubator I work out of became my extra sets of eyes, and with the help of friends my writing improved faster than I could have expected. I would make revisions in the afternoon, and would send the article to Owen at night. A few hours later I would receive a response from Owen.
(Summarizing here): “Tone isn’t right”, “This is not the type of article we are looking for”.
And as always, “But if you really want, I’m not really sure this is going to work, but you can send another article.”
This process of writing articles, receiving the review from Owen, and creating new articles, continued. The other entrepreneurs in the incubator were concerned at the little sleep I was receiving, and asked whether I should continue. My mind had been made up though: As long as Owen gave me the opportunity, I was going to continue.
Looking back, it was at this time that I truly appreciated the culture of entrepreneurship that I was a part of. With startups (and VentureBeat is absolutely a startup), meritocracy rules. It may not rule with an iron fist, but it does to a far greater degree than in any other industry. It did not matter to the VentureBeat team that I did not graduate with a degree in English from Harvard. What the team wanted to see was that I would hustle, that I was responsive, and in the end, that I could add value.
By the end of the second week, I received an email from Owen asking me to take on a larger role, and soon after I began writing daily for VentureBeat.
Reading the email that night, I happily went to sleep early.
If you are interested in pursuing a career in writing or are an entrepreneur looking to write for a publication on the side
If I were looking for writing positions in the future, this is what I would do:
1. Attend events hosted by publications/media companies: When a publication hosts an event, the management team and reporters will attend (these are also great opportunities for entrepreneurs to network with reporters). Although it may be difficult to pay for a TechCrunch Disrupt ticket, there are a number of smaller and free events held throughout the year. A great way to keep updated with these events is through StartupDigest and through Charlie O’Donnell’s website if you are based in NYC (Listed at the bottom). Face to face contact is critical, as editors prefer to take on people who they have met and like.
2. Create a blog: Regardless of who you are writing for, the company will want to see the quality of your writing and ideally will want to see an audience. Steve Cheney started his blog and, after his audience skyrocketed to 100K monthly uniques, was recruited to write for TechCrunch.
3. Look at the job boards of publications: This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised about the number of opportunities.
Resources
1. On Writing Well http://amzn.to/llweSu
2. Great PR article from Vinicius Vacanti http://bit.ly/h5LTly
3. Tim Ferriss has some great videos about how he developed his writing style (one of his many videos) http://bit.ly/lNjxdM
4. Startup Digest: Great resource for Tech events. Every Sunday you will be sent an email with the upcoming week’s events http://bit.ly/5PBJe4
5. Charlie O’Donnell (for NYC): Great resource for weekly Tech events in NYC http://bit.ly/2Nhz4K
How To Use The Internet To Win A Political Campaign
A friend recently ran for political office (State Senator in a district in Connecticut) and watching her experience made me see the similarities between running a political campaign and building a startup. There are online marketing strategies that businesses, particularly startups, use today that political campaigns have not yet adapted. Although certain ones have, for example the Obama presidential campaign in 2008, the majority of campaigns are not leveraging the internet to their advantage. This is particularly true at the state political level. This isn’t a matter of whether political campaigns will begin leveraging the tools available online, but when.
Global Marketing: What About India?
“The market is too large to ignore.”
Most entrepreneurs I know are only focused on selling their product or service to American consumers and companies. However, there is a large and growing potential consumer base internationally. In this post, I’m going to discuss the profitable opportunities in India. This is particularly applicable if you are selling digital goods.
To begin, there will be unexpected challenges if you sell to Indian consumers. Cultural barriers, conversion rates, and willingness to purchase are only 3 of these barriers. However, there is also a tremendous and untapped market.
The 2 primary reasons I am focusing this article on India are because of the rising middle class and the number of shared interested that Indians have with citizens of the US. As a note, in this article I am referring to citizens of India and not Indian-Americans. Here are the reasons why I believe India is an attractive market: Read more
Discover How Client Referrals Can Double Your Business
How many companies habitually follow a process of reconnecting with former clients and asking for referrals? For smaller companies, particularly startups, the percentage is startlingly low. Particularly with companies providing expensive products, referrals can be the largest driver of new business. As an example, partners at McKinsey, the renowned consulting firm, do not sell the firm’s services. These partners rely solely on their reputations and referrals from former clients for new business.
So how should you go about asking for referrals? Read more
How To Approach Guest Postings On Popular Blogs
Once you have a significant amount of content on your blog, guest posting on other blogs can be a very effective way to grow your blog. If you guest post on a very popular blog, one with hundreds of thousands of loyal readers, you can bring a piece of your writing to that audience. The ability to do this is very valuable. Guest posting also benefits the blog you are posting on because bloggers are busy individuals and can always use a break from writing.
Before I write this post, I want to say that is surprisingly easy to connect with popular blogs and have them post your content. I’ve used this several times; even by sending an email, explaining to the blog that you are a big supporter and created a post you believe would be of interest to them. What usually follows is the blogger will respond with some changes they would like to the article, you will make the changes, and the article will then be shown to a number of fans.
Ramit Sethi does a great job of explaining how he likes to be approached for his blog, I will Teach you to be rich. I am going to summarize his article (which is here http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/write-a-guest-post-for-i-will-teach-you-to-be-rich/#) and will add some additional remarks.
1. What is most important is that you create original content that tells the blog’s readers something new. Read more
How To Build An Online Community Part #1
This is the first post in a series of articles I am writing on how to build an online community. It is notoriously difficult to build an online community. I have done a lot of research in this area and spoken to a number of thought leaders for insight (Alexis Ohanian from Reddit.com, etc). No one I have spoken to appears to understand the dynamics and intricacies of building an online community from the start. Most people understand how to manage a community, but not how to build one.
As Steve Huffman, co-founder of Reddit, said: We never knew how to build an online community; we just figured out how to not screw it up. (I am paraphrasing his words from a Youtube interview)
The question of how to build an online community is one I have long sought to answer given one of my companies is focused on building hyper-local communities for universities. The following are some insights I have gathered in my quest for an answer: Read more
Marketing To Notoriously Difficult Students
It is hard to market to students; this has been well documented. Student’s attention tends to be limited and well sought after. It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to say that students are only focused on partying and sex.
Regardless, there are a number of benefits that companies can reap if they successfully market to students. Students belong to tight knit communities and have a significantly higher rate of sharing. Students can also become long term customers.
Companies can successfully market to students. I would recommend companies who are interested in this to take the following steps: Read more
Why Tim Ferris Succeeds
“Measuring Your Marketing Strategies”
Although Tim Ferriss is often referred to only by his best seller “Four Hour Work Week”, he should be recognized for his true talent: His ability to measure. Unlike many companies that make the mistake of not measuring the results of their strategies, particularly in marketing, Tim makes sure to measure everything so he can accurately determine what is most effective.
As an example, and this perhaps may be a bit extreme, Tim has measured and recorded almost every work-out he has participated in since he was in high school. I’m not saying you should do that, but continue reading:
If you want to have the results Tim has had (I am particularly referring to his success as an author and marketer), you’re going to need to measure and then analyze where you should be spending your time. Read more
