The UK’s digital industry is thriving and is set to be worth an impressive £221bn by next year. As it grows, so to will opportunities for related PR and media work. After all, what startup doesn’t want to shout out about its success and attract more users and investors?
Over the past five years, I’ve become increasingly evangelistic after working with a range of tech startups. It seems every week, new companies emerge with revolutionary ideas that will change the way we live, work and play.
On a personal level, I applaud the way they’re successfully challenging two of the least loved old school sectors – real estate and finance. For decades, both have provided a shoddy service while pocketing vast sums of money.
But working with technology startups can be demanding and present a range of challenges for the unwary. Here are some of the issues I’ve faced.
Media virginity
My heart sinks when walking into a kick-off meeting and I am greeted by a sea of super bright 20-somethings that I instinctively know possess little understanding of how the media works. The first task is convincing them it’s unlikely their new app/ product/ service will make the front page of the Financial Times.
And my eyes roll when I am passed the internally drafted press release that starts along the lines of: “The founder of the Shoreditch-based tech startup that’s reinventing the social media platform that will .... blah, blah, blah…”
Diplomacy forces me to remain constructive, but the only question in my mind is how many nano-seconds it’d take for a journalist to hit the delete button if the document was ever to see the light of day.
Solution: Honesty is the best – and most affordable – policy. Be up front and explain how the media works and hence how unlikely it is that they will be “the story”. Otherwise every meeting, email and phone will be Groundhog Day.
Show me the money
Apologies, but with a mortgage and three children to support I don’t just do charity. A worrying emerging trend is being asked to accept either payment on results (the answer is a straight forward no) or equity in the company (a complete minefield – just don’t go there).
Solution: Ensure a potential client has funding before meeting up. And as the only way to guarantee coverage is via an advertisement, I’ve been known to subtly slip national newspaper rate cards into conversations – they tend to provide a healthy financial reality check.
Hipster chaos
Being an ex-pat Aussie, I enthusiastically embrace the casual, non-corporate ethos most tech startups employ but a degree of disorganisation tends to attach itself like a remora. Working with young companies can be like helping university students who’ve left home for the first time. You’ve got to hold their hands, encourage and guide them through every part of the preliminary work that always needs to be done.
Solution: Sit down and explain some PR facts of life. If they don’t do their share of the work, you’ll have to – and be forced to bill them accordingly.
PR cynicism
A surprising number of tech startups have already been burned by PR companies – the media coverage they were promised simply wasn’t delivered. It’s not unusual for your enthusiasm to encounter hard-nosed cynicism.
Solution: There’s no better defence against weariness and suspicion than an informed and enthusiastic pitch. Do your homework and get to know your client, their sector, competitors and key titles and blogs. And if you’re a one man band, emphasise that you’ll be running the account – not an inexperienced (and cheaper) colleague.
Overall, these frustrations are balanced out by the fact that you’re dealing with very intelligent people – some of whom will be running the companies of tomorrow.
The tech sector has successfully defied the wider economic malaise. There’s a lot of challenging and enjoyable work out there, but just as important as being good at your job, is finding the right sort of clients to work with.
Read more stories like this:
• PR blog ghostwriting: it’s time to give up this tired practice
• Treat us with respect: how to become your PR agency’s favourite client
• The dreaded media sell-in: let’s ditch this soul-destroying process
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