Keeping Publicity Revved for Product Launch
by Michael Matesic
If you want to learn how to generate publicity for your start-up, there’s no shortage of experts proffering advice on the Internet. Google the words “publicity” and “start up,” and up pop thousands of links that promise to make you a media star in a few easy steps.
Assuming the advice is sound and your execution is flawless, you’ll quickly be flush with customer, media, and investor inquiries. Success. You’re set to sell.
But what happens when the media blitz rolls out before your product or service is ready to follow suit? What happens if Murphy’s law proves true and the launch that was supposed to happen yesterday gets delayed a week, a month…or longer? Or what do you do on those rare, seemingly heaven-sent occasions when the media machine appears without ever even being summoned? What can seem like a windfall of acclaim and attention can turn into a nightmarish missed opportunity if the public is ready for your product but your product’s not ready for the public.
As it is, these “what ifs” happen fairly often.
Part of the solution to this problem is averaging out the sharp drop between publicity highs and lows by creating a media buzz that you manage. A judicious flow of substantive press releases, blog posts, and tweets can generate a steady hum about your business. When unexpected media attention hits, you can funnel the news through the communications channels you’ve already established, creating a ripple effect that you can capitalize on over time rather than a disruptive splash that comes and goes with no gain.
Rebecca Gaynier is founder and CEO of iTwixie, a B2B company that helps ’tween-girl-focused organizations and companies to develop better products and messaging for their target consumer. Her background as a Madison Avenue advertising executive taught her the importance of both generating publicity and maximizing its usefulness by increasing its longevity.
“Publicity not only creates an awareness of your company, but just as importantly, establishes your credibility and validates the integrity of your product. It’s an objective, third party endorsement you can leverage to generate leads, attract business partners, and incite interest from investors,” says Gaynier.
Recently, Gaynier’s iTwixie website, which is tagged “the ultimate hangout for ‘tween girls,” was named one of Disney’s FamilyFun Magazine's top 10 websites for kids. When she received the news she did two very savvy things.
First she delayed dropping the press release for three weeks after Disney published the news. She did this to spawn a second, more targeted PR campaign to connect directly with the kid oriented media outlets that reach her established and potential customers, partners, and advocates.
Second, she took advantage of the free PR machine that social networking provides by following up with a steady stream of tweets and facebook posts, creating a viral effect that cascaded through her network of contacts and took on a life of its own.
Gaynier believes that harnessing that initial media spark is an opportunity to “warm up the world to who you are as a company and what you have to offer. It allows you to fine tune your message and engage inquiring minds in ways that pull them in and keep them coming back.”
While you might not be able to control when publicity strikes, with some planning, prep work, and patience, you can buy time and determine yourself when to step up to the podium with product in hand.
Start Me Up appears monthly in the print edition of TEQ Magazine.