Grow Authority by Getting in the Right Conversations in Top-Tier Media
For most startups, it’s possible to land company profiles and it’s possible to get top-tier coverage. But it’s often unrealistic to expect a combination – at least in the early days.
That’s why it’s so important to identify your goals for media coverage at the start of a PR program.
Deft, a full-spectrum IT management partner based in Chicago, wanted the visibility that came with top-tier mentions but also wanted coverage that highlighted the company’s value props for the people most likely to need its services.
During a three-year engagement, Propllr helped Deft do both. Here’s how.
Challenge: Earning a Place at the Table Among B2B Tech Giants?
At the start of its PR program, Deft faced a challenge familiar to B2B tech startups: most reporters are writing for consumers, but the topics Deft has most expertise in – shifting from on-prem to cloud infrastructure, choosing from among third-party cloud providers – are decidedly in the B2B realm.
We started our program focusing on trade publications tailored to business and IT leaders, building up a reputation for Deft’s executive team as knowledgeable thought leaders in their space.
As we did that, we reached out to reporters who covered AWS to offer these thought leaders as sources on the cloud giant’s ecosystem. The contributed articles offered credibility to our claims that the thought leaders were eloquent and knowledgeable.
“This is a wonderful company full of stand-up people who work hard, are true to their words, and always have their clients’ best interests at heart and hand.”
– VP of Marketing, DEFT
Strategy: Offer a Thoughtful, Relevant Critique of Big Names
Before long, we secured conversations between Deft’s executives and reporters who cover AWS stories. Like many of the business leaders Deft works with, these reporters understood AWS broadly, but didn’t always have the time or technical knowhow to parse the company’s announcements and policy changes.
Because Deft’s leaders weren’t afraid to critique the cloud leader, reporters included their interesting, nuanced comments.
Soon, these reporters were reaching out to the Deft team for commentary on the latest AWS developments.
Here’s the playbook we suggested Deft use to earn coverage in places like WSJ, Markets Insider, and more.
1. Be helpful
When we connected AWS reporters to Deft’s leaders, they didn’t try to change the conversation to be all about themselves. They acted as helpful resources for the topics they knew best, answering reporters’ questions and providing context they didn’t have. This helped build long-term relationships that led to additional coverage opportunities.
2. Take a stand
Deft is an AWS partner, but its leaders were honest in on-the-record conversations with reporters about the program’s shortcomings. This isn’t to say Deft openly antagonized or even outright criticized AWS; rather, its comments reflected the complexity of real life (not the feel-good fluff of some press releases).
3. Know your audience
In contributed articles for an IT audience, Deft’s leaders went into detail about complex technical topics. But for interviews with top-tier reporters writing for a less specialized audience, Deft’s leaders combined technical know-how with practical insight on how partners navigate the complexities of the AWS partner program to implement the technology in the real world.
Results: Top Tier Coverage and Lots of Exposure
During our three-year partnership with Deft, Propllr’s team secured nearly 200 placements, including mentions in Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and Markets Insider.
Thanks to our established media relationships, we also landed Deft a rebrand feature in CRN.
“I just have to say how much I respect Propllr and how impressed I’ve been with you all since day one. You deliver — every damn time. Always with a cheery attitude, and always like we’re your only client.”
– Senior Marketing Manager, DEFT
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