| |
Corporate Ink Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary by Giving Back
Painting a School Replaces Press Releases - At Least
for a Day
Just before Labor Day, we marked our anniversary in a
fitting way: in the trenches at The MATCH School,
which was days away from opening the doors for its
fifth school year.
Our assignment: Get four classrooms, two study rooms
and a large science lab ready for the kids, with a fresh
coat of paint.
The Boston charter school helps more than 200 kids
with an interest in media and technology create a
future for themselves, with a combination of courses,
tutoring, intensive hands-on guidance for the college-
bound, and an insistence on personal responsibility.
It's a great fit for our team, of course, because media
and technology is certainly where our worlds converge.
More than anything, we're grateful for the opportunity
to give back. Much like a first coat of paint, there is
always a starting point - and in many ways our
experience with the MATCH school helped us reflect on
our "first day" 15 years ago. Even with a front-row
seat on the economic roller coaster, it has been an
incredible ride. We've launched dozens of extremely
successful companies, many of which created new
markets; we've placed thousands of stories, both in the
U.S. and overseas; and we've worked with many smart
and exceptionally creative clients, who've made us part
of their team, and who continue to challenge us in
ways that keep us from standing still.
We thank you for giving us our first brush, and for the
opportunity to paint another successful 15 years.
Working With The Dailies
Riding the wave of breaking news is an ideal way for
technology companies to get mainstream business
press coverage. Here's how to get more than your
share of ink:
Help reporters see why you're a good source - even
if the connection isn't obvious.
Establish
a link
between the headlines and your expertise. Sometimes
this means shifting perspective - packaging your
benefits for consumers, for instance, even if you
normally sell to the B2B market.
The day after former President Bill Clinton's
bypass surgery, a handful of firms that provide rankings
for hospitals found themselves covered in the Wall
Street Journal. It wouldn't have happened any other
day.
Move quickly.
Daily reporters have
voracious
appetites for news, and need to be fed
constantly.
Last week we pitched a
story to the Boston
Globe, and the reporter bit within minutes. She needed
the entire story - including users, third-party
references and photos - arranged within hours. We
scrambled; and the result was an extremely positive
feature, on the cover of her section, that Sunday.
Don't waste time on the wrong reporter.
It's often not obvious who covers your story.
If one reporter appears uninterested, try elsewhere.
And it's fine to call the city desk, or the business desk,
to speak with an assignment editor, to see who would
be most interested. Sometimes, the person answering
the phone will assign it, or even write the
story.
Click
here to see some daily coverage that we just
landed for the Landmark School.
Corporate Ink newsletter returning in January
Just a note: We'll be revamping our
newsletter over the
new few months, and shifting to quarterly issues
starting in January. We welcome any feedback and
look forward to seeing you then!
|
| |
Making Your Online Press Room a Valuable Resource
If your company's #1 goal (like most companies) is to
drive visibility to increase sales - invest in your online
pressroom. It's often the first place people go to when
they enter a Web site, and the quality, content, and
even the layout can play a crucial role in how the
visitor perceives your company.
Best practices for your online pressroom:
— Make it easy for visitors to find what they're
looking for. Include visible links to background on
the company and the executive team, news, coverage,
awards, events and company and media contacts. It's
always best to have after-hours contact information for
your media relations team as well.
— Keep your pressroom fresh.
One of
the
biggest mistakes companies make is leaving up out-of-
date events, and not immediately posting company
news.
— Drive ongoing interest.
Offer a way
for
visitors to register - and special information
that
reporters will value, including updates on the company,
market overviews and whitepapers, and e-mail updates
on company activities. (It's worth vetting these
requests, of course, to avoid briefing competitors.)
— Leverage time and effort already invested.
For example, when an event date has
passed,
archive it with a snapshot on how your company
participated. If someone from your company spoke at
the conference, allow visitors to register to download
the presentation.
— Know your audience.
Be sure your
pressroom meets the needs of all of your constituents:
investors, customers, prospects, analysts, reporters,
employees, etc.
|
|
