How To Build Your Pitch Toolkit: Don t Go Unprepared

How to Build Your Pitch Toolkit As much as the old adage be prepared is familiar to us all, more often than not - most of us tend to fly by the seat of our pants in life. I mean, if everything were planned - we d have a pretty boring existence, right? But in PR, a solid game plan can be the difference between consistent press and a lot of frustration. This book ensures you ve got your ducks in a row before beginning the outreach process. As you read through the chapters and complete the exercises, you ll see the value in a solid media list, kit and pre-prepared assets. This isn t a task to outsource, either. If you re going to be managing the outreach - make sure to be the one to do this homework too. It ll help with the authenticity of your conversations down the road. Take your time, read through the attached and don t forget to complete the course worksheet. Building the toolkit may feel like a boring administrative or research-based task, but it s one that will help you time and time again in the long run. Good luck Onboardly, co-founded by Renee Warren and Heather Carson, works with venture-backed startups who build products that their customers love. Our focus is on Demand Marketing, a methodology created by the team in the Onboardly Labs, to help startups like yours drive customer acquisition. Having increased our clients' traffic by over 5000%, lowered acquisition costs by 60%, and increased engagement and sales by 110%, we've helped hundreds of startups get more customers. And now we're ready to show you how. Are you ready?

Table of Contents 4 4 7 8 11 Lesson 1: Media Outreach - What You Should Know Lesson 2: Get Started Early Lesson 3: Vanity Press vs. Customer Centric Press Lesson 4: Making Media Lists That Are a Best Fit For Your Startup Lesson 5: Building Your Press Kit

Lesson 1: Media Outreach - What You Should Know Ok, so you have your company story in hand, and you re well on your way towards making your entrance into the world of pitching to journalists The next thing that you should focus on, is building your pitch toolkit. Your pitch toolkit includes everything that you need to make a (successful) pitch. This includes a list of media to pitch to, journalists contact information, and of course, your press kit with all of your company information. Getting your pitch kit together, and ensuring that all of the prep work is done ahead of time means that when you do pitch, you will be ready. You will have everything together, and your pitch -and follow up conversations with journalists- will be seamless and professional. As a bonus, you ll get to look like you have it all together Perfect Ready? Let s get started Lesson 2: Get Started Early It is important to plan, but it s even more important to have realistic expectations. Note that successful pitches take time a lot of time - and for best results it s important to get started early. Ideally, you should start connecting with journalists way ahead of launch time. It s always good to comment on their stories, send them leads (that have nothing to do with your company), and basically work on becoming someone that s on their radar before you try to pitch to them. We understand that a lot of startups just don t have this luxury of time. Still, it s important to do what you can with the time that you do have, - " 4 -

which means that you should start making friends with journalists ideally before you need them. (More on this later) Timing is Everything The time of week, and day, that you send out your pitch is more important than you might think. While you may think that sending out your pitch late at night or on the weekend will get your email to the front of the line; this will most likely result in your email being buried behind all of the others. Remember, a journalist s inbox is constantly flooded with hundreds of emails, and you don t want to take the chance of yours getting lost amongst all the others. The most effective time for pitching is on weekdays, during business hours -mornings are best. More specifically, early morning -before 9:30am and on Tuesdays have been known to be the most effective time for pitches in our experience. Tip: Wait for Your Cue If the journalist that you are pitching to is on Twitter (most of them are) head over to his or her Twitter account and wait for them to be active before you send that pitch. A journalist who is quiet may be out of the office or in meetings. Set Reasonable Expectations Along with setting reasonable timeframe expectations, it s also important to set reasonable expectations for success. So let s look at the purpose of press coverage, and make sure your expectations are right on track - " 5 -

While you may be tempted to think that landing the front page of the New York Times is a dead sure way for your company to find instant success the fact is that even the best media placement doesn t guarantee immediate customer conversion. It s important to understand that there are different kinds of press coverage. Not all press coverage is created equal -in terms of hits translating into customer conversion. As a general rule, the more targeted your coverage, the most relevant your traffic will be. So that front page feature with the New York Times will result in a spike in traffic, a BIG spike; but more likely than not, that influx of traffic is going to be short lived. Eventually things will go back to normal, and once your story is no longer in the news, it will no longer be at the forefront of the public s mind. Ouch. So what s the point in press coverage? Plenty The purpose of press coverage is to get your company s name out there, and to add to top-of-the mind awareness. It gets you publicity, and gets people talking. It helps to build your reputation. All extremely valuable benefits from a business standpoint. But it s important to have a healthy mix of different types of media coverage for the best long-term results. Also, it s important to note that a slow, steady trickle of traffic doesn t always equal failure. Even though your potential customers may not click through your website, or order any products right away, this doesn t mean that your coverage is ineffective. These potential customers will often find themselves searching you out later. It s also important to remember that press coverage is most definitely not a onetime thing. Press coverage must be relatively consistent, in order to keep that steady stream of new visitors heading to your website a number of which will inevitably convert into real, paying customers. - " 6 -

How much time do you have to invest in your press strategy before your first announcement? Remember, the longer you can invest, the better Lesson 3: Vanity Press vs. Customer- Centric Press This leads us right into our next point: different types of press coverage. What? You mean there is more than one type? Absolutely. And they vary in effectiveness too. Let s take a look at vanity vs. customer centric press Vanity Press We all dream of the day when we will make the front page of Forbes. Unfortunately, though while this type of coverage is oh-so glamorous, it s often less-thaneffective. Why? While the coverage from major publications like Mashable or TechCrunch may be monumental, and will reach a huge readership base, this kind of promotion doesn t always translate as well into actual customers. This is because while these publications often have a huge readership, they are less targeted, which means that your message, in large part, may fall on deaf ears. Yikes This isn t to say that TechCrunch coverage isn t valuable, it has its purpose, but it s important to remember that often, the little-known publications can lead to a bigger influx of new customers. Customer Centric Press This type of coverage could also be known as targeted coverage. This is coverage in publications that your target customer base actually frequents, and is the kind of - " 7 -

coverage that you really want to get, since it translates better into customer conversion This coverage is often-overlooked, but it s important to remember that many times, this coverage will be your diamond in the rough. Which publications does your target customer read? Now it s time to start making a list of media that s the right fit for your startup. Lesson 4: Make a List of the Media That Will be the Best Fit for Your Startup Your media list is a compilation of publications, journalists, and influencers that you plan to connect with about your news. Why, exactly do you need a media list? Simple, because a media list allows you to KNOW the audience that you re pitching to an essential part of pitching. Building a media list involves outlining every publication that you plan to connect with, allowing you to develop a unique approach for each company a far more effective approach than shooting in the dark. It also allows you to ensure that you haven t forgotten anyone, prevents you from emailing the same person twice, and makes a handy point of reference for future correspondence, and follow up. Categorize Your Outlets Choose your target outlets based on your desired audience. While the homepage of TechCrunch will get you publicity and hits, coverage in your industry s niche outlets is more likely to directly translate into actual customers. - " 8 -

Choose broad if you are looking for time in the spotlight and looking for recognition in outlets that fans, friends, and family will recognize. Choose niche if you are hoping for high quality leads and looking to reach out to your target demographic. Categorize your contacts into three tiers to keep track of them easily: A, B, and C. Tier A Mainstream Media: Tier A can be for the top-tier coverage options -Forbes, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, etc. These publications have a huge readership base, but will often result in less targeted traffic. These publications are also difficult to get coverage through. Tier B Industry Specific Publications: Tier B is for publications that are specific to your industry, publications that your target customers are likely to read, and websites that they tend to frequent. For a company that s launching some nifty new bike lights, this would be BikeRadar, Bike Magazine, Triathlon, etc. Coverage from these publications will result in slightly less traffic than an article in Forbes would generate, but the traffic will be much more relevant, since the readers of these publications are largely from the company s target customer base. These publications are easier than mainstream media to get coverage through. Tier C Local Media : Tier C includes local media local news, magazines, even radio. These publications are way more niche, but these guys are often your best allies. They re local you re local, and the readers are most likely from your hometown. - " 9 -

As a bonus, these publications are typically the easiest to get coverage through. Tip: It s Good to Be Picky You don't want to be featured in just any publication. It s important to be strategic when choosing publications that you want to get coverage through. When making your list, remember to avoid publications that aren t worth your time. Here are some scenarios that you will want to avoid: Publications that have an audience that is vastly different from your target customer base Publications that get very little traffic Places that you ve posted, that haven t generated any traffic or interest When you sense an ulterior motive Tip: How Can You Make Sure Your Story is Relevant to Journalists? Consider your startup relevant to a journalists if he or she has written about the industry/topic at least three times in the recent past. Get Started To get started, create a list of the media that you believe will be the best fit to cover your startup. Be sure to include contact information. - " 10 -

Remember, when it comes to your media list less is more. It s not so much a numbers game at this point. Rather, your success will be directly related to your strategy. So get started making a list, but remember to only include places that you would be happy to have feature your company. Once you ve made your list of publications that you d like to be featured in, it s time to track down journalists that write for those publications. The key to getting great coverage is to start with a journalist that covers your industry, so once you ve identified potential writers, get to know them. Check out their articles and their Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts, and ensure that your startup is in line with their interests. Which publications would you like your company to be featured in? Include a healthy mix of mainstream media, industry specific publications, and local media Include contact information Lesson 5: The Press Kit It s Time to Build Your Own Now it s time to build your own press kit Your press kit is a compilation of all of the behind-the-scenes company details that journalists may ask for in the event that they say yes to your pitch When you re finished, your press kit will include background information on your company, exciting product details, little-known facts, team and founder info, photos, - " 11 -

videos, and much, much more; all in one handy, easily accessible location, ready to send off to interested journalists. Awesome Ready to prep for success? Here s what you should include in your press kit Great Photos in Context Nothing is as daunting as a huge wall of words. Add some visual interest to your media kit by including some great photos. If you re trying to secure coverage for a product launch, or if your product is central to your business model, now is the time to go out and get some pictures. Take some high quality, high resolution photos that showcase your product in context. Even better take some videos of your product in action; a great way to show the world what you ve got Founder Bios and Headshots Smile Include a nice headshot, and a short but interesting biography. Bios provide an excellent opportunity to provide background material, so keep yours short and simple, yet engaging. Team Photos Include photos of your team in action One thing we ve noticed with many of our clients is that candid photos of team members strategizing or working are a hit with journalists these photos usually end up in the article. Company Logo If you have one, be sure to include your company logo. Try to provide a couple of different orientations to ensure that your logo will look good in different contexts. Your Press Release, Video Pitch, or Stories This is the part of the show where you include your press release, or better yet your passionate video pitch. Or, just include three to four compelling versions of your company story; different versions of your startup story, tailored to interest different - " 12 -

audiences. Whether you use stories, a press release, or a video pitch be sure to keep it interesting, engaging, and human. No matter which one you create, your goal is a good overall summary of your company story, with plenty of interesting details that journalists could use in their articles. Include your positioning statement, as well as important product details. Remember, every good story should have a solid introduction, so consider starting your press release or narrative out with a story about how you ve helped one of your early customers. If you can pull your audience in by telling them how you helped someone to be more successful, you ll win. Check out this article to see how you can create a press release that journalists actually want to read. The Proof Hard, Cold, Data Ok, it doesn t have to be stone cold but including proof of your concept, stats that are relevant to your business model, customer success stories, and case studies are excellent assets for your press kit. These are key pieces of data that will give journalists a handy reference point. Bonus points if you can package these facts and figures so they will be interesting to journalists Got all that? It s time to put it all together and create your own press kit Don t worry, we ll walk you through all of the details in the assignment Lesson 6: Optimize Your Pitch Toolkit - Include Something for Everyone - " 13 -

Ok, your media list is finished, and now you have your own shiny new press kit, you re almost ready for launch Now we re going to give you some tips on tweaking your pitch toolkit, to ensure that you ve covered everything, and to make sure there s something in it for everyone. Create a Toolkit That Allows You to Diversify Your Media Coverage Options Create assets that allow for more than one exclusive story or interview. You don t want to develop a story angle that s so exclusive, that there s only room for one publication to get the inside story. It s a good idea to develop a number of different inside looks at your company story, so that you don t limit your coverage options, and no one s left out in the cold Also, remember -media isn t always in print coverage, you may want to consider taking advantage of alternate forms of media like Instagram, videos, podcasts, radio, etc. This allows you to promote your company through a wide range of different channels and opens up new promotional possibilities for you. Which alternate forms of media could you use to showcase your company? Whew Got all of that? Great Congratulations on developing your very own pitch toolkit complete with media list In the coming weeks you ll discover how you can get started using your brand spankin new kit, to start reeling in press coverage You re ready to move on to Assignment 2 - building your pitch toolkit. Enjoy - " 14 -