This link has been bookmarked by 78 people . It was first bookmarked on 22 Aug 2008, by someone privately.
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12 Dec 08
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22 Sep 08
Tejas Joshi1) Rule number one of interacting with a journalist: you NEVER have to bring up what you're doing, you just have to be a normal person and wait. It is the job of journalists and bloggers to ask questions and they will. They don't need to be pitched.
2) Ev -
10 Sep 08
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05 Sep 08
Ben GodfreyMore PR hints from Calacanis. The bottom line is be a real person, have conversations.
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30 Aug 08
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29 Aug 08
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27 Aug 08
Kami HuyseJason sayys ditch your PR firm than goes on to give some tips, most of which a PR firm worth it's salt would suggest.
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26 Aug 08
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25 Aug 08
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24 Aug 08
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23 Aug 08
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At the industry events I mention above I always set a goal of creating deep relationships with a small number of folks as opposed to running around trying to trade cards with as many folks as possible.
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PR firms cost $5-15,000 a month. Buying dinner at a conference ten times a year will cost you about one month's worth of PR.
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Rule number one of interacting with a journalist: you NEVER have to bring up what you're doing, you just have to be a normal person and wait. It is the job of journalists and bloggers to ask questions and they will.
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you can cut to the front of the line by spending just 30 minutes researching the journalist you're pitching. Before meeting with a journalist it's your job--the job of the CEO--to read their last five stories in full.
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If you have a phone or in-person interview with a journalist there are some basic things you should know and do. First, you should always ask the journalist "are you taping this call, or should I talk slowly so you can take notes?" at the start of the call. 80% of the time they are taping the call, and 90% of the time they will not offer that up to you. If they are taping the call that's a good thing--you're gonna be quoted correctly. If they are NOT taping the call that can suck, because they are going to paraphrase you.
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journalists are like lawyers in a deposition: their job is to keep you talking. The more you talk, the more is revealed. I would teach my journalists at Silicon Alley Reporter to ask short questions and to act confused specfically to get folks to reveal more information.
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Your job as a suspect/subject is to say things concisely and with few words: "Google is our partner in five areas already: search advertising, analytics, YouTube, open social and custom search. They also send us half our traffic--they are NOT our competition, they are our partner." Silence. More silence. If the journalist is good they will say something like, "but certainly on some level you compete?" and you respond "No, we don't."
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find a vertical blog or podcast and talk to those folks. After you speak with them you can send the link to Mossberg or Markoff--or they might find it themselves.
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Dude, you don't need to hire a full time PR guy because you are a PR guy. That's fine, you used to run a news outlet.
If your a technology focused CEO you probably don't have to hire a CTO. If you're a BD focused CEO you don't have to hire a VP of biz dev. Those are your come competencies. In your case you're a PR focused ceo.
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22 Aug 08
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My philosophy of PR is summed up in six words: be amazing, be everywhere, be real.
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ten tips on how to do PR for your startup.
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1. Be the brand
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be in love with your brand and inspired by your brand's mission
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When I started Silicon Alley Reporter in New York City, I had stacks of the magazine with me at ALL TIMES. If you saw me at a party I had 25 copies in my backpack, or 200 on a broken-down luggage cart, and you had one shoved in your face within a minute of meeting me.
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2. Be everywhere
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Every single night I would go out and meet folks in the Internet industry. While other folks went home to their families--and there is nothing wrong with that--I went out and made a family. In this case, the family became known as "Silicon Alley," and the members of the family were the folks in and around the startup companies.
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Your job is to transfer the enthusiasm you feel for your brand to everyone you meet.
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3. Always pick up the check--always.
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At the industry events I mention above I always set a goal of creating deep relationships with a small number of folks as opposed to running around trying to trade cards with as many folks as possible. You can trade cards on LinkedIn, but you can't break bread there. In the real world break bread, don't trade contact information.
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Typically, I would make dinner reservations for six to ten people at two or three different restaurants at two different times when I got to a conference. Then I would try and round up a couple of folks and cancel the reservations I didn't need. This is how I developed friendships with almost everyone I know today,
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That's how I built my network and now that it is built I'm giving one of my best secrets to you.
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Now, as a tip, don't be over aggressive when you invite folks to dinner and don't feel the need to try to get the most important folks in the industy there. Just find a person or two you're friendly with and set up dinner for the three of you. Then, as you meet folks give them your number and let them know you're having dinner. E-mail them the details and if you invite five folks two will come, and they will bring one or two people each.
Everyone remembers who picked up the check. -
I did this when I was brokeas well. My secret then would be to find a family style restaurant that was affordable like a Mexican or Italian restaurant. I would then proceed to order a ton of appetizers and side orders for the table. Folks would get so filled that they wouldn't want a main course later on
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4. Be a human being
The best way to get PR is not to sell someone on your company or product--it's by being a human being. Journalists hate PR people and they hate being pitched. -
It's a much better strategy to just be yourself and develop relationships with people in the industry slowly and organically. If you're a good human being who is capable of both listening to people and engaging them in a dialogue then the "pitch" will just happen. In fact, it won't be a pitch
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Rule number one of interacting with a journalist: you NEVER have to bring up what you're doing, you just have to be a normal person and wait. It is the job of journalists and bloggers to ask questions and they will. They don't need to be pitched.
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5. How to bond with a journalist
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cut to the front of the line by spending just 30 minutes researching the journalist you're pitching. Before meeting with a journalist it's your job--the job of the CEO--to read their last five stories in full. It helps if you take notes on these stories, read the comments under them and look for
reactions to the story around the web. This should take no more than five or ten minutes per story. You should also look at their LinkedIn account and do a Google search to see where else they have worked. -
6. How a CEO should e-mail a journalist
When I was a journalist I would not speak to PR people about my stories, and I would hold a hard line with them: if you want me to cover your company have your CEO e-mail me at jason at calacanis dotcom. -
The best thing for a CEO to do is to stay in regular communication with journalists and bloggers in their own, authentic voice via email.
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You can be sure that after ten years of unsolicited e-mails most journalists know who I am and how to get in touch with me. Some may not agree with me, but they tend to respect my opinion. That's really the best thing you can do: be respected for your views on the industry.
Your job as the CEO/founder is to create direct, honest and personal relationships with journalists. -
You're much better off building a personal relationship by sending a personal email like this:
Saul,
Nice piece on Facebook's valuation. One insight I had: if the value of the company BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH than should Microsoft be thinking BLAH
BLAH BLAH? Thoughts?
best regards,
Jason Calacanis
CEO, Mahalo.com
If you do that once every other day for a year or so you'll develop relationships with 50 to 100 important folks. Of course, you have to have something of substance to say, so don't waste their time and don't write five page e-mails or you'll look deranged. Short, to the point and intelligent. -
7. How a CEO should speak to a journalist
If you have a phone or in-person interview with a journalist there are some basic things you should know and do. First, you should always ask the journalist "are you taping this call, or should I talk slowly so you can take notes?" at the start of the call. 80% of the time they are taping the call, and 90% of the time they will not offer that up to you. If they are taping the call that's a good thing--you're gonna be quoted correctly. If they are NOT taping the call that can suck, because they are going to paraphrase you. I conduct 95% of my
interviews over e-mail because I know I'm going to get misquoted -
if I know there is a chance that I will be spun I am very, very clear to state that.
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Bottom line: assume that the worst sentence in your hour-long conversation is the lead sentence of the article or blog post. If you do this you'll make your worst sentence pretty darn good! Also, don't feel the need to fill the dead air.
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8. Invite people to "swing by" your office
Since I've started my companies I've always taken the position that anyone can swing by our office for coffee any time. When I meet folks I always tell them "if you're ever in Santa Monica swing by." When folks are in Los Angeles they actually do! Journalists and bloggers LOVE to visit a location because it helps them tell your story. -
9. Attach your brand to a movement
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Look at it this way, one boat coasting across a large ocean appears lost and adrift, but ten boats trying to catch the lead boat makes it look like a race. If you're the leader, at least these copycats will make it look like you know where you're going--even if you don't.
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One company that did a "Mahalo of" for a specific vertical actually stole our content, code and entire business process.
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We laugh about this company because we know two things: 1. They will never catch up to us and 2. All they are doing by stealing from us is pushing us up the ladder as the lead company.
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10. Embrace small media outlets
Getting someone at The New York Times, WIRED or The Wall Street Journal to pay attention to you can take years. Small publications, however, don't get their calls responded to by the big companies. This creates two big wins for you:
a) Small publications have more time for you
b) Big publications troll the small publications for stories -
To this day I say yes to almost any small podcast or blog interview request I can
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PR is, by definition, a reflection of what you've done. All the PR in the world will not make a bad business great, and some bad press really kill a great company.
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billybPR firms cost $5-15,000 a month. Buying dinner at a conference ten times a year will cost you about one month's worth of PR.
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Joseph ThornleyMy philosophy of PR is summed up in six words: be amazing, be everywhere, be real.
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Jason Calacanis On How To Get PR For Your Startup: Fire Your PR Company
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For over ten years I've been in the unique position of being both a CEO and a journalist in the technology space. My first company produced Silicon Alley Reporter magazine, where I held the dual titles of CEO and Editor. At my second company, Weblogs Inc., I was a blogger and CEO. Today I'm the CEO of Mahalo, and the editor of an email newsletter (Jason's List--which you're reading right now!).
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Laurent BervasFor over ten years I've been in the unique position of being both a CEO and a journalist in the technology space. My first company produced Silicon Alley Reporter magazine, where I held the dual titles of CEO and Editor. At my second company, Weblogs Inc., I was a blogger and CEO. Today I'm the CEO of Mahalo, and the editor of an email newsletter (Jason's List--which you're reading right now!).
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todd denisa "Mahalo of" for a specific vertical actually stole our content, code and entire business process. As we launch features or ed
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21 Aug 08
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Ian ParkerReally good stuff- except a lot of businesses can benefit from a PR person in-house. I don't agree with his characterization of the PR industry, but this is less an indictment of that industry and more of an awesome look into JC's personal strategy. Rock
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