Startup Press Releases Don’t Have to Suck
Every company has top clients, customers, partners, investors, friends, etc. And everybody loves a secret. So let those friends of your startup in on your news the day before. Tell them you’re sharing it early because you value your relationship and wanted them to be the first to know – but make sure they know not to share the news before the release is out!
Let reporters see your news early
The worst thing to do when you have news is to wait until the day of the announcement to get the word out.
What if your top-priority reporter is out sick that day? What if there’s bigger news that they need to cover? What if they decide they’re just not that interested, but don’t tell you that until late in the day? Then where are you?
This is why you should always get reporters your news several days ahead of the actual release date.
This can get a little tricky, because you don’t want the news leaking, but done right, it’s easy to offer reporters a sneak peak. It’s a simple three-step process:
- Email them with the gist of the news – but no details – and say, “I’d like to share it with you under embargo. Can I?” When the reporter says yes, what they’re agreeing to is to NOT running the news until the date and time that you set.
- When the reporter says yes (they almost always do), ship the release.
- Give it a day and then follow up to gauge their interest.
Pro tip: If there’s a reporter you really really really want to have cover your news, you should still reach out early but do so only to that reporter, offering your news as an exclusive. While this isn’t always important or advised, every reporter wants exclusive access – to be the one who gets the scoop – so promising it might be what it takes to get them to bite. The one caution here is not to let this process drag more than a day. Get a firm commitment or move on.
Don’t forget about your boilerplate
The boilerplate is that “About Us” section at the bottom of your press release. It often remains the same from one release to the next, even as your startup rapidly evolves. Be sure to read it closely every time and update it as necessary. And if you’re not in love with your current boilerplate and want to find a more timeless one, here’s a post on the topic we wrote some time ago[8].