Technology public relations is a very specialized practice. It differs vastly from consumer or corporate PR, requiring a deep knowledge base of the specific industry — whether it be blockchain, workplace tech, AI, supply chain tech, or any of the other countless industries that make up the overall space — and buying audience. Needless to say, it's highly complex. Here are just a few ways that it’s different from doing PR in other types of industries.
Technology PR is about way more than the tech
A technology PR program, ultimately, aims to promote the value that a certain technology delivers. But doing that through the PR channel requires nuanced storytelling. The program will really be built on creating storylines that connect the dots between your company, its audiences and what’s happening in the world, and then continually sharing those out by finding hooks and building PR assets that convince others they're worth paying attention to.
It's become insanely competitive
Technology PR and media relations has become hyper-competitive. There are so many cutting-edge technologies being built (think: AI, robotics) that it's become pretty challenging for more mature technology companies to capture interest from press.
Companies need to bring something more to their tech PR and media pitching than simple product news and trends. If they want earned media, it needs to work hard to earn it. Beyond press-worthy hard news (which usually requires a financial event of great magnitude), assets such as data reports is a good way to prove that your story or trend is worth covering. B2B2C storylines and customer stories (preferably recognizable brand names) are other helpful assets.
There are many components of a tech PR program
There are many levers that need to be pushed to build a tech program. There's company storytelling, product storytelling and thought leadership — and many companies run them simultaneously, tapping into proactive and reactive media relations (both business and trade outlets), executive visibility (in earned media, social media and speaking), corporate recognition (via awards and analyst/influencer coverage).
Trades can be more effective than business outlets
Sure it's a nice win to get covered in The Wall Street Journal (and it's often at the top of most companies' wish list), but we consider trade coverage the workhorse of our B2B technology PR programs.
Industry trades offer the opportunity for more consistent, in-depth coverage with a highly targeted audience. It's where you can talk about the issues impacting your buyer persona and demonstrate your expertise and solutions, not to mention we often see it deliver better results in terms of driving demand, site traffic and quality leads.
The same goes for vertical publications that align with priority sales industries or Account Based Marketing targets.
Non-traditional media channels hold weight
Whether it's a cloud architect, chief security officer or head of HR, B2B tech companies usually want to reach a very specific professional audience. Small but targeted newsletters and podcasts are a great way to do so and definitely should not be overlooked in technology PR programs. Engagement tends to be high in these channels.
Revenue isn't the only goal of tech PR
Most prospects and clients are after the same thing: increasing awareness. But the reasons for needing awareness — and the approach to generating it — run the gamut from boosting sales and generating demand to positioning for a fund raise or acquisition, demonstrating value to shareholders, driving up valuation and attracting talent.
PR programming needs to be super prescriptive and tailored to the objective at hand, as the messaging, storytelling, content development, target outlets and tactics will all differ greatly.
Technology PR needs amplification
Media coverage falls below the fold fast today, and even though there's nothing like a story well told by a credible media outlet, a piece of coverage is only likely to be seen (organically) by a small sliver of your target audience. Syndications and social boosts can both be very targeted and seriously boost the ROI and impact of high-value media coverage.
Tech stories need to be elevated for business press
When it comes to business outlets, there’s often just one or two token tech reporters at any given major publication. Unlike in trades, where someone might strictly cover storage or security or marketing technology, this person's coverage runs the gamut and often prioritizes Big Tech.
If you're looking for business coverage, the story will need at least a few of these elements: urgency, (owned) supporting data, impact on public markets, a financial event, a B2B2C angle or a timely socioeconomic tie-in.
Simply having a relationship with a reporter isn't enough; it's all about a story that is relevant and easy for a broad swath of people to understand that showing how technology is transforming the way we work and live.
At SHIFT, we've done this for companies across every corner of the technology ecosystem and we relish in the challenge (and opportunity) of building press- and prospect-worthy B2B technology PR programs. If you're ready to bring your B2B storytelling to a new level, let's talk.
What’s a Rich Text element?
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
Static and dynamic content editing
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
How to customize formatting for each rich text
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
