Getting your tech story covered by a journalist isn’t easy. Not only do you have to make it relevant to their publication’s readers but you also have to make sure the story is exciting enough to catch their eye in the first place.

Unfortunately, journalists receive hundreds of emails from companies like yours every single day, so standing out from the crowd isn’t easy. Businesses need a PR strategy that cuts through this noise and places them front and centre of the conversation.

For tech vendors and brands attending Technology for Marketing and eCommerce Expo, there are a few tips and tricks that Propeller can provide to help you build awareness and craft strong pitches and press releases based on your show activity and beyond.

1. Don’t spray and pray

One of the biggest annoyances for industry journalists are so-called ‘spray and pray’ tactics. This is where pitches, press releases and other emails are sent out in their hundreds to a long list of people in the hope that they are relevant to a handful of them.

These types of mass-distributed mailings mostly end up doing more harm than good. Journalists know when they’re receiving the same cookie-cutter email as hundreds of others. They also like to build relationships but can’t do it with a machine. In a world where editors and reporters increasingly value exclusive news stories, treating them as VIPs is essential.

Muck Rack’s 2023 State of Journalism report found that offering an exclusive look at the story is the best way to pitch your company news. By taking a personal approach, businesses can increase their chances of success.

2. Do keep it relevant

Another downside of spray and pray tactics is that, a lot of the time, the target media list you might be using will include a lot of journalists who don’t write about your specialist offering.

Not only is this a sure-fire way of putting yourself on a journalist’s blacklist, but it’s also a huge waste of everyone’s time. Relevancy is key - you must show your understanding of the focus of the publication and where your story fits in with this.

Before pitching your news, research the key journalists who write about that topic area. Taking the time to understand the types of stories that your target journalists cover can help in the short- and long-term - increasing your chances of getting coverage now as well as building a working relationship with the media in the future.

3. Don’t just sell your product

There are some great businesses out there with truly ground-breaking technologies. But that doesn’t mean journalists want to hear exclusively about them all of the time. When selling your business, remember that journalists want to hear about more than just how your technology works and why you’re so successful.

A great analogy is like going to a cocktail party and only talking about yourself - eventually, everyone’s going to stop listening to you. You can’t always create the conversation around yourselves. Instead, you have to listen to what’s currently being said and figure out how you can add value to it.

Any successful PR strategy involves creating more creative angles and ideas which you can weave your company messaging into. For example, having a unique point-of-view on breaking industry news or a company’s financial results can help widen your scope in terms of coverage. It’s important to be able to have many different conversations, not the same one over and over again.

4. Do connect yourselves to the wider conversation

As a follow-up to this, it’s important to outline the most important topics and angles that your business can weigh in on and who is best placed to speak on these.

A big part of success is being able to connect the current conversation with subject matter experts who can add value to it. Major news headlines can make for a great hook to pin your company spokesperson to a certain topic, while industry reports, company results, and market research can also offer more creative ways to create stories that have a wider context.

Before pitching, make sure you have a good grasp of the topics and news stories to which your company spokespeople can contribute. Being armed with a couple of interesting angles and a short media bio is also recommended, as journalists are looking to make quick decisions on who is best to interview - not just now, but for future opportunities too.

It’s also worth noting that the media are increasingly looking for, and prioritising, diverse voices when choosing which company to feature. No one wants a ‘manel’ panel session on stage, and it’s the same when journalists compile reactions and commentary on breaking stories.

Tips and tricks for success

Propeller Group is a Global B2B PR & Marketing Agency which specialises in partnering with leading businesses in eCommerce, media and technology to deliver a joined-up approach to building reputation and driving growth.

I will be hosting a panel debate on the 18th September featuring retail and brand experts from ASOS, John Lewis and the Co-op at eCommerce Expo 2024 on the challenges and pitfalls of implementing a Retail Media strategy and how to overcome them. More details here: https://www.ecommerceexpo.co.uk/conference-programme-2024/retail-media-whats-next

My colleague Branwell Johnson, Group Director of Content at Propeller, will be chairing a separate panel session on the 19th September during the show on what Gen Alpha’s want from eCommerce, featuring executives from Boots and Snapchat. More details here: https://www.ecommerceexpo.co.uk/conference-programme-2024/what-is-gen-alphas-big-ask-of-ecommerce

We’ll both be in the press lounge (booth D10) on both days of the show, so stop by if you’re looking for any more do’s and don’ts on PR!