If you’re looking to get published as a startup in the EU, you’ve got hundreds of platforms to choose from. From large digital platforms to smaller, niched print publications; the choices are vast. The real decision, however, is choosing the right publication and platforms to suit your message and business.
What to do before you start pitching?
#1: Find out if your story is really newsworthy? Before you go full steam ahead, you should ask yourself these four questions:
- Is your story trending, and does it include any of the elements of newsworthiness?
- What’s in it for me?
- Does your announcement showcase you as the hero?
- What is your intention?
#2: Have a clear message. Ultimately, whatever story you are pitching needs to form part of your overall communication strategy. It should speak to your goals. It is critical to refine your message before you send out press releases to publications. The worst thing you can do is send out disjointed information to the press.
Download this PR starter pack for startups before you start pitching here.
#3: Know your audience. It is critical to know how you are positioning your story. Choosing a platform is essential here. You will see how the story must be relevant for the publication. Sending a press release to a journalist who exclusively writes about celebrities and lifestyle won’t make sense if that is not your target audience. Tailor your press release and emails to the media to fit their publication.
Download this press release template for expert help on your next pitch.
Here are 4 tech publications that are relevant for almost all EU Tech Startups & how our pitches resulted in an article.
#1 EU startups: The key to getting published in most publications is finding relevance in your pitch and story. During this pandemic, the rise of working from home and needing close physical proximity to get work done is a thing of the past. We pitched EU Startups with Happeo. Our pitch focused on the changes in the remote work industry rather than just focusing on the product. This focal point made Happeo relevant during a crowded news cycle. Evaluate the story and why it is relevant to the audience.
See the featured article here: https://www.eu-startups.com/2020/06/needing-to-be-physically-close-to-get-good-work-done-is-a-thing-of-the-past-interview-with-happeos-co-founder-and-ceo-perttu-ojansuu/
#2 Silicon Canals: Another focal point during the pandemic has been the cash crisis for charities. Our pitch focused on leveraging insights for the industry. Mathys van Abbe, Kinder founder, offered this insight by commenting; “Due to COVID-19, fundraising events got cancelled so offline donations have dipped, says Van Abbe. However online donations in the charity sector as a whole have increased, accelerating business for Kinder.”
When pitching in this way, ensure the insights you provide leverage information that makes sense for your product or service and position it in line with the publications/journalists angle.
See the featured article here: https://siliconcanals.com/news/fintech-amsterdam-growth-mollie-ginger-kinder-payaut/.
#3 Sifted: Scaling beyond borders requires a focus on the problem you solve and the relevance in the country you want the story to be published in. For BUX’s country launch in France, we pitched Sifted on the need for neobrokers. This pitch highlighted the problem with French youth have with banking problems not offering opportunities for travelling and investing simultaneously. This positioned BUX as a relevant solutions provider while highlighting the pain points our target audience is feeling.
See the featured article here: https://sifted.eu/articles/youth-banking-france/
#4 TechCrunch: When your solution is one of many competitors, one way to differentiate yourself in the media is to pitch an entirely new way of doing something and focus on that relevance. When pitching to TechCrunch with bunq, we need to add relevance through the industry and why this is different. The angle needed to be clear and concise; the fintech industry is crowded, and bunq’s offers a completely new kind of metal card – one that benefits the environment and takes going green one step further.
“Fintech startup bunq is launching a metal card called the Green Card. While some banks offer a cashback program with premium cards, bunq is offering a special kind of “cashback”. For every €100 spent, Bunq plants a tree. The company has partnered with Eden Reforestation Projects to finance reforestation around the globe.”
See the featured article here: https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/28/bunq-launches-metal-card-and-plants-a-tree-for-every-e100-spent/.
Positioning your pitch is essential. See how we turned failure into excellent press coverage for this client and how you can do it too: https://blackandwhitecommunications.com/blog/business-failure-gives-startup-great-pr/.
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