July 15, 2003
How to put the media at the top of your customer list:
A PR primer for software CEOs
by Bruce Hadley, SoftwareCEO
The topic for today, boys and girls, is media relations.
The discussion that follows may strike some as self-indulgent,
but we'll risk it. It's one of the very, very few pieces —
maybe the only one — in which I'll not interview outside executives
and experts. I won't name-drop, appeal to higher authorities, or
cite third-party research.
But, judging from my experience in dealing with Software CEOs from
the editor's side of the fence for the past five years, I think
it's one of the most important articles you as the CEO of a software
company will read all year.
(If you're not the CEO, read it anyway — then, please figure
out a way to get it on your CEO's reading list, too.)
Remember, I was a suit in the software industry for 16+ years,
so I do understand the business perspective. In fact, most of my
work was in marketing, which means I was the primary point of contact
for dealing with the media.
I was the guy who hustled for coverage, sold stories, prepped execs
for interviews, and handled damage control. Now, I am the media.
I'm the guy who gets hustled by hundreds of software industry vendors
and consultants every week.
During my tenure on the business side of the fence, I met plenty
of idiot journalists: People who didn't understand what my software
company did, and, worse, didn't care. Some were simply stupid; some
were OK in the IQ department but couldn't write; and others —
the worst kind — were smart and could write but had their own
agendas.
My point? You can't control the media, and you may not even like
them, but they can control your corporate future.
The analogy and by far most important lesson is this: Treat the
media exactly as you would treat a potential significant customer.
Why? Because they are. OK, I know, most of you will never sell
copies of your software to members of the media. But your prospects,
customers, partners, and investors will read what they publish.
Just as you must sell software to your customers to survive, you
must sell your story, your brand, and your vision to the media if
you want to succeed.
PR Point #1: Respect the power of the press.
This is the first hurdle: Get over the "us versus them"
mentality. The cliché about picking fights with someone who
buys ink by the barrel is absolutely true; in a different medium
one might say, "Use the force, Luke."
To return to the analogy: Would you argue with a customer?
Like it or not, there are some sub-standard people in the media,
just as there are in any industry, even — heaven forbid —
software. But any individual within the media has the power to make
your life miserable, regardless of competency level.
Tactical Tip 1A: Return their phone calls and respond to their
e-mails. OK, this is so obvious as to be painful. But, you'd
be amazed how many people — and I'm talking about CEOs of tiny
companies that could really benefit from the publicity — do
not return calls and e-mail inquiries.
I realize that SoftwareCEO is not The
Wall Street Journal; but did you ever consider that some
people at The Wall Street Journal read SoftwareCEO?
With the media, you never know where influence starts and stops.
Not only do journalists read (and steal from) each other, they also
change jobs often, and many are freelancers who write for multiple
publications. Offend one, and you're at risk with dozens more.
Here's an example: At one of my software companies, I got a call
from the local weekly business journal — circulation 8,000
— shortly after we'd done successful deals with ABB
and IBM.
Now, I knew that coverage in that tabloid wasn't going to bring
us any immediate gain, and, as is the case in all startups, at that
moment I had a hundred so-called crises brewing, many of them involving
paying customers. I would have preferred to deal with any of them
rather than this reporter I'd never heard of.
But I was nice to this guy. I gave him 30 minutes on the phone,
I patiently explained what our software did, and I gave him a bit
of a personal "spin" regarding our CEO: — local boy
makes good, that kind of thing. As it turns out, that got us a photo
along with the story.
True, it brought us no immediate business whatsoever. In fact,
the CFO complained to me because that local article about our financial
success with ABB and IBM brought every copier salesman, insurance
rep, and real estate peddler to our door. (It also brought several
good job applicants, but that's another story.)
A few weeks later, however, that tabloid story was picked up by
the leading newspaper in the state — circulation 400,000. We
didn't get a photo with that one, but we got a nice brief.
A few weeks after that, Fortune
magazine called — circulation 1,000,000. Our PR guy had shown
them the local articles, and they were impressed; could we make
our CEO available for a photo? Within a week, we had a quarter-page
"companies to watch" mention in Fortune, complete with
color photo.
That Fortune piece was an enormous boost to our credibility in
the marketplace, not to mention nice for our partnerships with ABB
and IBM. And it all started with one "little" reporter
whom many of you would be inclined to blow off.
I know, because I am now one of those "little" journalists,
and I don't always get call-backs. Sorry if that sounds like a whine;
I only mean it as an illustration: When a caller identifies himself
or herself as a journalist/writer/editor/reporter, you or someone
from your company must call them back.
Tactical Tip 1B: Do so quickly. The media is driven by deadlines,
and we're always up against them. You probably think that if you
return a call within 24 hours you're OK; well, you're wrong.
At many publications, and in many circumstances, that reporter
who called you is looking for a quote or some quick background on
a story that he must file within a few hours. He cannot wait. If
you are not available, he will move on.
And if you don't give him the answer he needs, guess whom he will
call next? Right: Your competitor.
Once again, think of the sales analogy: A prospect calls. You don't
know who he is, and maybe you've never heard of his company, but
he's left you a message that he wants to buy your software. Are
you going to ignore that call? Are you going to let your competitor
rake up this lead?
Tactical Tip 1C: Set up a media succession list. I realize
that the CEO cannot always be available for every media whim —
but someone can.
If you're smart about sales, you send out some kind of response
within an hour or so of every inquiry: It may be an auto responder
or it maybe an admin who calls to say, "I'm sorry, but Mr.
Jones is traveling today, and won't be able to phone you until tomorrow.
Will that be OK, or should I find someone else to get you the information
you need?"
Exactly the same response will work with the media — honest.
Often, we don't care whom we talk to, as long as we can talk to
someone there with the answers we need. Exactly like sales.
Tactical Tip 1D: Make sure your entire company understands Tips
A, B, and C. Your best-laid plans are meaningless if others
in your company don't understand that a) all media coverage is important,
b) media people need immediate responses, and c) you've got designated
pinch-hitters if you're not available.
Again, back to the sales analogy, point by point:
- When prospects call for more information, do you ignore all
those whom you've never heard of?
- When a potential customer wants some of your time, do you wait
until it's most convenient for you?
- When your VP of sales is on the road or on a holiday, do you
shut down the sales process?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above, you've either
got an incredibly well-defended market niche with very generous
customers, or you've got serious problems that that not even PR
will fix.
But if you're like most of us, the answer to all of the above is
"no" — which returns us to the point of treating
the media as you would customers.
PR Point #2: Build relationships.
No one likes to feel they're the victim of a hit-and-run hustle;
sales prospects will shun you, and media people will cross you off
their lists.
Tactical tip 2A: Do your research before you talk. Would
you call a potential customer and ask, "So, what is that you
guys do over there at Acme Widgets?" Of course not — or
we hope not.
If Acme wasn't in your database, you'd go online to Acme's Web
site, you'd snoop around Hoover's and D&B, and if Acme is publicly-traded,
you might even dig into SEC fillings to understand Acme's financials,
ownership, and strategy.
This puts you in a position of knowledge when you call: "So,
I read that Acme Widgets recently forged a partnership with Zenith
Industrial — that sounds like a wonderful coup for you guys."
Or, "Say, I noticed that Acme just released the new Blue Widget;
that looks like a real market winner."
More than fodder for small talk, this kind of research provides
the first step for understanding a) what Acme needs and b) how you
can satisfy it.
Ditto the media: Before you call, uncover the basics. Find out
who reads or views the publication, get a feel for their business
model — are they supported by advertisers or subscribers? —
and, perhaps most important, find out what role the person you're
talking to plays.
Tactical Tip 2B: Don't assume that you are the topic. You
would not, I pray, walk into a prospective customer's site and regale
them with a 30-minute history of your company, followed by a dog-and-pony
about your application.
No, if you're smart, you'd spend the first 30 minutes — or
30 days — understanding what problem they're trying to solve.
Then, and only then, would you explain why your software is a fit
— if indeed it is.
The media, remember, is probably not in the market for your software;
that isn't what you're selling to them. They called because they
want the benefit of your industry expertise, your business insight,
your technical acumen.
If the writer/editor asks about your product, you may of course
answer — as long as you can do so in non-technical terms. But
keep in mind, even writers at technical journals may have a hard
time keeping up, and resist the urge to hold this against them.
OK, they may not be über-geeks like you, but they are in
a position (usually) where they have to crank out thousands of words
every week on dozens of different topics throughout the year. Most
don't have the luxury of specialization in a particular area long
enough to become true experts; that's why they called you.
Tactical Tip 2C: Find out what will make them winners. Again,
the sales analogy: Unless you're the most ruthless and short-sighted
sort, your job is not to churn out purchase orders; your job is
to help the customer succeed.
Look at media relations from the same perspective: How can you
help this writer/editor succeed? What does he or she need? How can
you provide it?
And, be prepared for the fact that what that writer needs may have
nothing to do with you. E.g., he may be writing about your niche
market, needs to understand the trends, and pulled your name from
a Google search.
This happened to me often at my second company, because we spent
a lot of time trying to educate buyers about a particular new and
little-understood accounting methodology. Because our company name
mirrored the name of the methodology, we got a lot of calls from
writers who were simply trying to get up to speed — and that
was fine with me.
Tactical Tip 2D: Be a resource rather than a figurehead.
Your top-of-mind goal with all media relations should be this: You
want to be the first person that journalist calls next time (and
every time).
In your conversations with the media, you will undoubtedly find
yourself in situations where you recognize that you are not the
best person for this reporter to be talking to — and that's
perfectly OK.
Tell them whom they should be talking to, along with the necessary
contact information, and this will have four tangible results:
- The writer will be grateful that you've turned him on to a source
he didn't know about, and will make a note in his Rolodex next
to your name that reads, "Good resource."
- The writer will be pleasantly surprised by your honesty and
humility — the fact that you didn't try to puff up your own
feathers — and will make a note in his Rolodex that says,
"Good person."
- The person whom you told the writer to talk to will be thankful
for the opportunity to speak to the press and further polish his
or her own star — and if they're smart, they'll return the
favor someday.
- You now have a legitimate reason for a proactive follow-up call
and a continued relationship with that writer. It's very difficult
— and seldom successful — to call editors out of the
blue; it's exactly the same as cold-calling prospects from the
telephone directory.
But with this first call under your belt, you have the beginning
of a bond. In your travels, your reading, and your conversations,
when you come across an interesting new twist or idea, feel
free to share it with the writer, even if it's simply an e-mailed
"FYI."
Now, keep in mind that writers rarely re-visit exactly the
same topic without some breathing time. E.g., all you marketing
consultants out there don't need to contact me with your PR
wisdom, because I won't address this subject again for at least
six months.
And, also keep in mind that Tip 2B still holds; in fact, it's permanent.
You should not use your tenuous and budding relationship with an
editor or writer to spam him with product releases, your company
newsletter, sales e-mail, and the like. Show a little class.
PR Point #3: Invest for the long haul.
This runs in parallel to my Point #2: You're building relationships
here, not one-night stands. Done right, PR is enormously valuable,
and I personally believe it has the greatest payback potential of
any marketing activity you will ever undertake.
However, there's a big qualifier on that grandiose statement: "Done
right." The trouble is, most software companies don't do PR
very well, so they can say, "Yeah, we tried that, and it didn't
deliver diddly-squat."
The second problem is impatience. Marketing departments have always
been under the gun to deliver sales-oriented results — read
LEADS, in flashing neon letters — and PR never appears to do
very well in that regard.
There are two reasons for this poor showing: People who respond
to articles via the traditional route — those blow-in bingo
cards where they circle company names or numbers for more info —
are among the weakest, least-qualified leads on the planet.
Second, PR by its very nature doesn't have a built-in call to action.
E.g., a truly useful, respected magazine article isn't going to
loaded with "Call Now!" imperatives with offers of free
CDs and 50% savings.
Your ads and your direct mail and your trade show graphics do that,
and PR reinforces all of these things, but it rarely gets the credit
in a lead-tracking system.
I.e., the article I read today about Acme Widgets convinces me
they're worth knowing, so when I see them next Fall at the annual
Widget World conference, I'll stop by their booth. But when Acme
scans my card for their prospect database, "trade show"
is entered as the lead source.
Tactical Tip 3A: Pick your top-tier relationships. Don't
attack the media en masse, choose the targets that will best benefit
you.
Whom you choose will vary by industry, by market awareness, and
by your company's game plan. E.g., it could be that the trade pubs
in your vertical have enormous value for product acceptance. Or,
if you're interested in attracting investors, it could be you're
better off with coverage in IT industry press.
Here's the rule: Be realistic in size and scope. If these are to
be meaningful relationships, no one person can handle more than
about 10 at a time. There simply isn't enough time in the workday,
and if you're really following all the rules of a relationship —
doing your research, being proactive, all the things that keep the
"romance" alive — you don't want to spread yourself
too thin.
And, you must be realistic about the relationships you can actually
have. I read a great quote from a woman who was talking about how
differently men and women view physical fitness; while many women
are insecure, she said, "Most men think they're about four
crunches away from sitting in a hot tub with Cindy Crawford."
Well, the same goes for software CEOs: I've not met one yet who
doesn't think that The Wall Street Journal, Forbes,
Fortune, and CNN
would fight to the death for the CEO's story — if only they
(the media) were not so dense/prejudiced/preoccupied with movie
stars.
Dare to be different. Dare to be realistic. Neither The Wall Street
Journal nor Cindy Crawford are likely to pick you up soon.
Tactical Tip 3B: Create internal depth, too. The more media-savvy
people you have, the more relationships you can handle — it's
that simple.
This is a proactive version of Tip 1C: Not only do you need to
have people in place to respond to media inquiries, your PR program
should be looking to create mini-"stars" to your center
of the universe.
While it's true that most of us on the media side want to talk
with the CEO, we mainly want to talk with someone — anyone.
And when you're setting up your media targets, you can do so on
the basis of experience, skill, and talking points.
E.g., CIO magazine
probably won't be too interested in your VP marketing, but they
could become best friends with your CTO or VP engineering. And your
VP sales — why not let him or her make the inroads with Selling
Power? You get the idea.
In fact, if it were my software company, I'd put this is the quarterly
performance review: One of the metrics I'd use to judge the success
of every officer in the company is his or her ability to nurture
and maintain a fruitful relationship with one to five publications.
(I say one to five, because in most cases I'd expect more for my
marketing VP and fewer for my CTO — but that's somewhat stereotypical
thinking on my part.)
One more brief aside: I've run into some CEOs who won't let their
employees speak to the media for fear that they'll lose the employees.
I.e., a rival will read about your oh-so-clever VP sales and steal
him or her away from you. My answer: Grow up.
If you think you can hold the throttle back on eager employees,
and you choose to deny them public recognition for their wins, you
will succeed at only one thing: You will remain at the head of a
mediocre and unmotivated team.
Tactical Tip 3C: Use press releases very, very sparingly.
Again, the sales analogy: If your sales or marketing VP suggested
dropping flyers out of an airplane over Chicago, you'd have him
committed, we hope. Why would you take a similar approach to the
media?
Unsolicited press releases are not relationship builders. Generally
speaking, I'm against them. Generally speaking, you should only
send press releases to editors who have specifically asked for your
release.
There's just one exception: Many trade publications run "products"
or "people" news, usually in the back of the book, and
they have specific contacts (and sometimes formats) for those
sections. As long as you play by each pub's rule, you can send
your releases uninvited.
Otherwise, skip it. Nowadays, thanks (or no thanks) to the Internet,
this isn't mild advice — it's an emphatic imperative. If you
send your releases out unsolicited, you are, in the eyes of all
editors, a spammer.
In the old days, if Acme Widgets sent me releases I didn't want
and never asked for, I'd just toss the paper envelopes in the wastebasket
unopened. Nowadays, I'll now set up my spam filter to reject all
mail from Acme, regardless of topic or sender.
And, on a deeper and more dangerous level, I will have made a mental
note that Acme is a schlock-ridden company, meaning that a) I probably
don't want them in my publication, and b) their CEO is clueless.
Tactical Tip 3D: Transform media coverage into sales tools.
This can be as simple as reprints or copies (with the publisher's
permission, of course) that your reps use as sales collateral.
They like this stuff, and it helps both in making them aware of
what you're trying to accomplish, and in bridging the gap between
marketing and sales.
I know, it sounds odd, but until you show people — CEO and
sales included — how this can benefit the sales process, PR
will get no respect. Which means no budget. Which means no PR —
unless the CEO of your company happens to be one of about a dozen
software celebrities (Allen, Ellison, Gates, Kahn, McNealy, et.
al.)
OK, that's the big stuff, and that's the end of today's lecture
— my apologies if I've been preaching.
But, if I promise to stop the harangue, maybe you'll let me offer
some final "bonus tips." This list of 11 actionable items
is intended for marketing people — or whoever's running your
PR program — more than it is the CEO.
11 bonus tips for your troops
These are assorted ideas, suggestions, and gripes related to the
daily practice of media relations. Now that I'm on the media side
of the fence, it's a lot easier for me to spot — and tell you
about — the things that make our lives easier.
Bonus Tip #1: Create a press-friendly section on your Web site.
We don't necessarily need a full-fledged press kit with electronic
brochures and backgrounders, but we do need contact information.
This means clearly identified titles, phone numbers, and e-mail
addresses.
Bonus Tip #2: Put contact names and all contact info in your
press releases. OK, I already admitted that I don't like press
releases. But when I do read them, it's doubly aggravating when
there's only a phone number — especially when there's a time
zone lag and I'm on a deadline.
Bonus Tip #3: Learn the definition of "news."
This one may come off as a bit surly, but I'm really tired
of being led down blind alleys when I'm trying to create meaningful
content.
E.g., I'm doing research on your company, I find a section on your
site for press releases, and the first three I open up tell me about
a) your hire of a new marketing manager, b) your CEO's speaking
engagement at the local Lions Club luncheon, and c) your release
of software version 5.68c, which adds report module support for
Lexmark printers. Yawn.
Bonus Tip #4: Don't make us fill out forms. For "normal"
customers, I understand that you want to capture company size, purchase
timeline, etc. etc. — all that stuff that your sales people
say is necessary to qualify leads.
We could argue about whether or not that's a good idea for prospects
— yet another story for another time — but it's definitely
a bad idea for journalists. We'll give up on you and look for someone
friendlier.
Bonus Tip #5: Do not send unsolicited attachments. I don't
care if it's .doc, .zip, .pdf, or magic pumpkin format. We despise
them all. Not only will we not read them, your company name will
be filed away permanently under "A" for "annoying."
Bonus Tip #6: Build a list of referable customers. If we're
going to write about — or even mention — your company,
one of the first things we're going to ask is, "Who's using
your software?" And as soon as you pop off with a few names,
we're going to pick one that means something to us, and say, "Whom
could I talk to there?"
I realize that you don't want to hand out customer phone numbers
without prior clearance from the customer, and that's
OK — we'll wait. (A little while, anyway.) But without customers
who'll talk, you've got no clout with us, because we know that our
readers want real-life examples.
Bonus Tip #7: Do follow through. CEOs make all kinds of
grand promises, and have the best of intentions. Unfortunately,
they're not always the best at follow-through. E.g., they may forget
to send me the name of that customer.
Bonus Tip #8: Don't follow up. After an interview, or after
you've mailed an article, resist the urge to call or write every
few days to ask when it's coming out. Sorry, but we are god-like
in this regard. It will appear when we want it to appear. Over-anxiousness
on your part will not help, and it may even cause damage —
back to the "A" file for "annoying."
Now, it is OK to follow up an interview with a simple, very brief
e-mail to ask if we got everything we need. But that's all. We don't
need another reminder about how cool your CEO is and how your software
is going to save Western Civilization.
Bonus Tip #9: Never ask for a preview. Nothing raises editorial
hackles faster than a request to look at the article before it comes
out. Sorry, but it's against our religion, and it only creates bad
blood when you ask.
Once again, a polite offer is OK: "If you'd like me to supply
anything additional or check any facts for you while you're writing
this, I'll be happy to help any way that I can." Just remember
that our polite demurral is also OK.
Bonus Tip #10: Nothing is off the record. Personally, I've
never been burned in this regard; I've spoken off the record with
journalists hundreds of times, and they've always respected my wishes
to keep "not for publication" items unpublished.
However, I have heard stories. The general rule: Unless you have
a long-standing relationship with the writer, you should not say
or reveal anything that you don't want published.
By the way, these problems aren't always the result of unscrupulous
reporters; sometimes they're just the result of carelessness.
E.g., a junior writer conducts an interview, and includes in his
notes a couple of things that you said are off the record, with
some shorthand to indicate they're not to be published. (E.g.,
I use "DND," for "do
not disclose.")
The junior writer hands in his story, then goes off on another
assignment or holiday. The editor working the story decides it he
wants to lengthen it, so goes back to the writer's notes, and fails
to understand or heed the "off the record" code. I've
seen it happen. Oops.
Bonus Tip #11: Read "The
Care and Feeding of the Press." This is the single
best how-to manual on media relations I've ever read. Published
by the Internet
Press Guild, it started out as a piece by Esther Schindler
and has since gone through many updates with many contributors.
It's funny, it's free, and it's spot-on.
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