What's the right type of journalist to pitch our startup story to?

Press release sites have always been so-so for me. I've used PR Newswire in the past and have had success with getting the release picked up. If it's a well-written press release with an interesting hook, you can definitely get traction. The question is what is the traction for and does it actually convert into sales. So I'd say it depends on your goal – if all you care about is eyeballs and your press release is good, go for it. But make sure you've thought about how best you can spend your time/money to make sure there's not a better outbound approach you could be taking.

The honest answer is that it's not hard IF you have a great (remarkable) and cool product. I've placed our products such as DNA11 on csi:NY (entire episode centered around our art), The Amazing Spiderman, Today show and many more. For the most part they contacted us with interest. The way I got us on CSI is by doing something really outside the box. I literally wrote a letter (yes on paper) to the show's creator Anthony Zucker. I simply offered him a free portrait and told him I was a fan. 2 months later the producers contacted me and told me they had written an episode that would feature us. It was amazing to see our idea featured on one of the most watched shows on earth! This was more luck than anything but I had to put myself out there to get the opportunity. The worst thing that can happen is you get a no. Don't be afraid of rejection because 9 out of 10 times you will get rejected. All you need is one yes. Ok. Real tips: 1. Get on LinkedIn. Get a pro account. Many producers are on there and you can simply InMail them. You just have to make sure your pitch is solid. 2. Send free samples. Use research and hustle to find the names and addresses you need. There's no real easy way to get this info but there are several web sites that offer lists. 3. Never pay for placement. Ever. 4. Get on popular product blogs and get traditional PR on top tier blogs. Product researchers are often on these sites looking for the next big / cool thing. Again, you must have a really cool product for this to work. Once you get some momentum on these fronts you will magically begin to get lots of inbound Opportunties. That's when things start to get easy. However there's a reason they call it "earned media" HUSTLE! If anyone wants to brainstorm more or talk about tactics in detail contact me on Clarity.

Hello! First, you're going to have to spend some time researching your targets. You can go for the typical outlets that feature startups, but I think you'll find great traction if you start researching bloggers that are in the healthy food space. I would also spend some time researching who has covered your competitors, who might be healthy snack subscription services such as Urth Box, Healthy Box, Graze, etc. You can use a tool like Buzz Sumo (buzzsumo.com) to see what publications and AUTHORS (this is the most important part) have covered their launch or anything related to them. The authors are extremely important because often times they have their own personal blogs, or they write for multiple places. Once you find the authors you want to target, get to know them and engage with them. I have a lot of tips (and also a research spreadsheet as a resource) that you can find in these two places: Post: http://www.copyblogger.com/stronger-outreach/ Resource For Research/Tracking: http://t.co/89AER7pUBW As far as an example email, something like this might work for a food blogger, customized for each person and in your own voice. Never, ever send the same exact pitch to food bloggers, and make sure you research their temperament before reaching out. You'll want to get to the point, but make sure they know that you appreciate their blog, them, and what they've written about. Also, make sure you're following them on their various networks and that you've engaged in some way with them. This may take some preparation but it's worth having that warm touch before reaching out. Also make sure they're open to accepting pitches. Some explicitly state that they're not, and you should honor that. ---Hi [name] <-- always address by name. I'm [your name] and I'm the founder of [company name], which is a healthy snack food subscription service. We [name competitive differentiator here] and I'm hoping to help spread the news of its launch to the food community. I was looking through your blog/site/publication and I noticed that you've posted about [something related to your area - healthy snacks, healthy recipes, quick bites, etc - share link] and [share why it was important to you - maybe their post talks about one of the reasons you decided to launch the company, etc]. Do you feel as if [company name] would be a good fit to share with your audience? We'd love to share a promotional code with your readers so that they're able to get the first month free and test out the snacks. Thank you so much for your time! ---- As far as reaching out to bloggers that have covered competitors, that's another beast, because you have to be respectful in how you approach it. If you have the resources, you can always write a post that discusses something in the health space related to food, including (proven) scientific facts, with visual "fact cards" that can then be pitched to a bigger news outlet. That's just a very loose, general example as more research is required to figure out what will resonate with that crowd. It's also something that I could brainstorm and cover in depth on a call. I'm always available to chat via Clarity. I've executed outreach for a lot of product launches in the past and I'm happy to chat about this. Have a great day!

Most people -- regardless of their company or product -- go about attracting press the wrong way. The publications exist to provide value to their readers and increase their own readership. Rather than proclaiming how your product is the most amazing thing since sliced bread, think about it from the publication's point of view. How will YOU help THEM solve a problem for THEIR readers? Secondly, do your research on which author/contributor/editor/writer to contact. Not all cover the same topic, nor do they all have the same interests. What may be appealing to one may look like spam to the next. Understand who on staff covers your industry or similar products. Look at what features they highlighted in other product/service reviews; these are the issues they feel are important to their readers. Help them solve THEIR problem and they'll write about you all day long.

Have a great story / hook. Reach out to outlets who 1) are relevant 2) write about Kickstarter campaigns regularly. Determine why you want the press, pre-launch. It should either be for social proof for your "Kickstarter As Seen In Logo Banner" or to drive any traffic to a landing page to gather pre-launch opt-in emails. That is explained more in these blog posts. Enjoy... http://crowdfundinghacks.com/this-kickstarter-project-is-already-funded-and-it-hasnt-even-launched-yet/ http://crowdfundinghacks.com/how-kittyo-used-the-macgyver-trick-to-crush-their-kickstarter-goal/ http://crowdfundinghacks.com/how-kittyo-gathered-13000-opt-in-emails-in-only-5-months-part-1-includes-successful-templates-strategies-etc/