Loading...
Answers
MenuWhich major journalists/bloggers/publications are most open to listening to a pitch about a new "on-demand economy" startup?
This question has no further details.
Answers
I do what's called a simple "reverse journalist lookup".
Step 1: Identify your "sister company". This is what I call a company that is very similar to you but not a direct competitor. Make sure you are different from your sister company. For example You may offer an on-demand snowplowing service (Uber for snow removal), your sister company would be Uber. Make sure your sister company is fairly well known and written about in the media.
Step 2: Go to Google News. Since Google News focused on just news it will only show you results from news outlets. Search for "Uber" (your sister company)
Step 3: All the results you see are journalists who understand your industry because they have written about Uber. Presumably they understand the "on-demand economy" too. No need to explain to them what you do.
Step 4: Using Google Sheets simply research each relevant journalist (name, publication, relevant link to the article you used to find them, email and twitter handle). Try to build a nice targeted list of 20-50 contacts. Takes time but worth it.
Try using different terms in Google news, several indirect competitors, etc.
There are several tools, hacks, and services out there that will help you build targeted email lists. I can teach you how to do it yourself for free. Also your pitch is really important. Happy to chat/help.
That depends on your industry, your product/service, what problem you are trying to solve and who is your target demographic. Answer these questions and do a search on who's writing about this.
Let me know if you would like to chat further about developing an effective PR strategy.
Related Questions
-
What are average profit margins in Ice Cream store business?
Hi! I am owner of an ice crean chain with 45 stores in Chile. We have stores in shopping centers, streets and also karts that you can put in events and parks. The average cost margin of ice cream (depends on the amount of materials you use in producing the ice cream) is around 40%. This is italian gelatto where you serve the ice cream without a specific measurement so your costs can vary due to the size of each portion you serve. About the brand you should focus on your unique value proposition and what kind of ice cream you are selling. We import the pastry from Italy and the fruits and milk from our country. Your ROI depends on your sales price and costs. If you focus on high market ice cream you can charge high and keep costs down.MF
-
How do you get your first customers for a consulting business?
Back when I started LinkedIn wasn't as huge as it is now. I wish it was. I didn't have a large network and those networking sessions NEVER brought me any clients. I used to go to all sorts of them hoping to get clients. There were a couple of nibbles here and there, but never anything serious. The only thing that helped was reaching out DIRECTLY to people in my target market. That meant cold calls and cold emails. I'd sell myself while thinking about their needs. Once I got a few bites I'd build good rapport by keeping in touch, asking questions, repeating back what they were saying so that they knew I was on the same page and kept my promises. If I said I'd call them back next Tuesday at 2:15 I'd do so. Eventually I built trust with them without having a network, or an insane amount of experience. Oh and the most important thing about consulting is to LISTEN. When those first clients notice that you're truly listening and you're not selling the cookie cutter solutions everyone else is trying to sell them that's when you got them hooked. You start to understand their problems, fears, and see through their eyes and not just yours. A network will help, but in the beginning just good 'ol salesmanship will get the ball rolling.JC
-
What is a good scope of work for a marketing and PR department?
Build a body of work in the form of a blog. Much depends on the size and scope of your company, but branded journalism can really make a huge difference.....AW
-
How did Snapchat boast a solid user base within a short period of time, compared to Facebook and Twitter?
I've been in the picture messaging space for a while now with my apps Lutebox (voted one of London's top ten most loved apps) and now Click Messenger. I've written a few articles about the space including a recent post about the Future of Mobile Messaging. Snapchat started out as an app called Picaboo, which pretty much did what it does now (prior to the latest update with chat and video calling). They quickly rebranded but saw a little uptake in user numbers and had quite low downloads for several months. Then around Christmas 2011 one of the founders' mom had told her friend about the app, who told her kid and her kid basically then spread the word throughout their high school in L.A. That was what really blew up their download numbers as it spread across teenagers at local high schools. As far as I know they didn't advertise in the early days, relied solely on word of mouth. Also it is assumed that they have a solid user base. Comparatively speaking, their user base may be in the low tens of millions, which may a great base of users, but nowhere even close to being as big as Facebook or Twitter. I'd be happy to speak about this in more detail or about the picture messaging landscape and what I believe to be the future of mobile messaging.AA
-
What is the most creative way to introduce myself (and therefore my service) to 100 key decision-makers without selling or pitching anything?
You've answered your own question. Reach out to your prospects with the question, such as "How would you...". Ask what people want then give it to them if you can with integrity and thoughtfulness.DI
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.