Anatomy of blekko's press launch
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Anatomy of blekko's press launch
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Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#2Really excellent article. A launch is way more than just pushing a site from dev to production.
Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#3Interesting that he specifically calls out their PR firm as being good. Seems that most of the advice I've seen lately goes in the other direction, eschewing a PR firm entirely in favor of more guerrilla-style marketing.
I think in the end, like most other things, it depends on the type of company you're trying to build. In Blekko's case they're trying to build a search engine, so they want to get as much mainstream press as possible. Someone like GitHub, for example, with a much more technical and focused user base, did just fine by going to conferences and buying developers free drinks.
Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#4btw, when the WSJ broke our embargo, I was on my way into the office. We were planning to get there around 3-4pm for the 9pm PT launch. Some folks were already there and turned the site live since the first press had gone up.
But techcrunch has a policy of not posting their story if an embargo is broken, so we didn't get the TC story that we had briefed them on.
Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#5why do search engine launches get such enormous press attention?
Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#6btw, when the WSJ broke our embargo, I was on my way into the office. We were planning to get there around 3-4pm for the 9pm PT launch. Some folks were already there and turned the site live since the first press had gone up. But techcrunch has a policy of not posting their story if an embargo is broken, so we didn't get the TC story that we had briefed them on.
So what's the news on how/why the WSJ broke the embargo? What was their excuse?
Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#7Who was their PR agency and what is the ballpark fee to coordinate a launch like this?
Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#8btw, when the WSJ broke our embargo, I was on my way into the office. We were planning to get there around 3-4pm for the 9pm PT launch. Some folks were already there and turned the site live since the first press had gone up. But techcrunch has a policy of not posting their story if an embargo is broken, so we didn't get the TC story that we had briefed them on.
PR makes me yearn for the simple, honest world of SEO.
Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#9Interesting that he specifically calls out their PR firm as being good. Seems that most of the advice I've seen lately goes in the other direction, eschewing a PR firm entirely in favor of more guerrilla-style marketing. I think in the end, like most other things, it depends on the type of company you're trying to build. In Blekko's case they're trying to build a search engine, so they want to get as much mainstream…
As a journalist who agreed to Blekko's embargo, I'll give you my take. Very few companies can get journalists to agree to an embargo. Most startups don't have the luxury. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Zynga, Foursquare can do it. It's a question of importance and dilution. When you agree to an embargo, you don't know how many other sites you are competing against and you judge whether it's important enough to cover even if you don't get much interest in your version of the story.
Blekko, as a well-funded entrant with great tech cred trying to bust into a very interesting and nearly monopolized field, clearly counted.
If you are smaller and don't have that buzz, you don't have that luxury. Depending on your size and market, you don't need a PR firm (a good PR advisor is worthwhile). For many companies, it's better to figure out the place and writer you really want to cover you and offer an exclusive. You can then get follow-on press from other places by offering them untold angles -- especially ones that that writer or place would be interested in.
As a journalist, I hate embargoes, even as I understand why and how they are useful.
But the best advice I can give is not to think of blogs/publications as simply places to exploit. Writers can smell that from far off. Learn to cultivate relationships. Be a source. Critique our stories. Suggest trend stories and cool stuff other people are working on. Ask to talk off the record when you meet us at events and conferences. Learn to speak openly and honestly on the record.
In turn, you'll likely find writers you like. Writers will tell you things off the record (things we can't print) and are people who may write about you not just in this venture, but in your next. Writers are, like you, part of the tech ecosystem.
Re: Anatomy of blekko's press launch
#10Who was their PR agency and what is the ballpark fee to coordinate a launch like this?
Sutherland Gold, a small boutique agency that represents, among others, TheFind.com. No idea on their price.