Aug 26 2008
To PR or not to PR
There has been quite a lot of press lately about whether or not you need a PR firm for your business. At the top of the current buzz is a blog post Jason Calcanis, CEO of Mahaolo, wrote: Jason Calcanis On How To Get PR For Your Startup: Fire Your PR Company. An excerpt:
My philosophy of PR is summed up in six words: be amazing, be everywhere, be real.
You don’t need a PR firm, you don’t need an in-house PR person and you don’t need to spend ANY money to get amazing PR. You don’t need to be connected, and you don’t need to be a “name brand.” Silicon Alley Insider - Jason Calcanis On How To Get PR For Your Startup: Fire Your PR Company
Obviously this post has caused a bit of a storm of PR and marketing folks looking for blood. But the fact is that most small businesses (tech startups or otherwise) don’t have the budget for an expensive PR firm. Jason has some great tips that businesses of any size can put to use - whether or not you use a PR firm. An overview of the ten tips:
- Be the brand
- Be everywhere
- Always pick up the check — always
- Be a human being
- How to bond with a journalist
- How a CEO should e-mail a journalist
- How a CEO should speak to a journalist
- Invite people to “swing by” your office
- Attach your brand to a movement
- Embrace small media outlets
Do you have your own tips for PR? Please share in the comments….
Sphere: Related Content
My father used to have his own business in the 80’s selling fur coats and leather jackets on Delancey Street. He said he never needed PR until he saw a competitor 2 blocks away use it. Today, I hear many smaller businesses are trying it out and seeing good results. For example, the PR agency 5W Public Relations / 5WPR works with doctors and lawyers building their brand name. It doesn’t have to be large corporate companies using a PR firm anymore.