Watch and Vote! Idea2Delivery

Idea2Delivery: Deadline extended to April 16

There is only a little over a week left to audition for Idea2Delivery, a web based video reality series on entrepreneurship. Idea2Delivery will follow an entrepreneur’s journey from the initial idea to their first sale. The decisions and obstacles faced when starting a business will be highlighted. The series is a perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs to profile their business and help educate new entrepreneurs on what it takes to launch a business.

Full details and benefits to the company who will be followed are outlined on the Idea2Delivery website, www.idea2delivery.com. Further information is available by contacting Wendy Mayhew – 613 838 4353, audition@launchitright.com.

Startup Directory: FreedomCafe

Company Name: FreedomCafe

http://www.freedomcafe.ca

Description: FreedomCafe is a ‘home office away from home’ for solopreneurs, consultants, and virtual teams. Professionals working from a home base now have a convenient location in west end Ottawa where they can drop-in to use workspace and meeting rooms. There’s free parking and, of course, free wireless Internet. Professionals are invited to drop-in and pay an hourly rate or purchase a monthly membership. Membership offers further perks like promoting their company on FreedomCafe.ca’s “Our Members” page and guest blogging. Visit FreedomCafe in the real world at Suite 204, 3710 Richmond Road in Bells Corners, or see what’s buzzing at www.freedomcafe.ca and twittering @FreedomCafe_ca.

Next Startup Drinks – Wednesday, March 31

Just a quick note to let you know the next installment of Startup Drinks is happening this Wednesday, March 31 at 6 pm at Patty Bolands in the Market.

As always the event will be happening in several cities the same night–so if you’re out of Ottawa you can still come out! Check out the StartupDrinks.ca web site for more details on other cities.

If you are in Ottawa, go ahead and sign up right now! As always it’s free and a guaranteed* good time!

*The guarantee just means if you don’t have fun, it’s your own fault.

StartUp Drinks – Feb. 24

The next StartupDrinks Ottawa is happening on Feb. 24 at 6:30 pm at Patty Boland’s on Clarence street.

If you haven’t been before, StartupDrinks is a casual networking get together for tech entrepreneurs. (or people involved inm or otherwise interested in, startups) that happens simultaneously in multiple cities.

For more details on StartupDrinks, or what’s going on in other cities, visit StartupDrinks.ca

But don’t forget to register and be there on the 24th!

Ottawa Social Media Book Club Meetup – Jan. 18

A note from the Ottawa Social Media Book Club…

————

And we’re back!

Sorry for the delay, but the Ottawa Social Media Book Club is back and hopefully better than ever!

Before our hiatus, we were reading Tara Hunt’s The Whuffie Factor, so since we’ve all had plenty of time to read and ponder it, let’s get together and discuss.

If you haven’t read the book, I recommend checking out the official website, and following Tara (@missrogue) on Twitter or her blog. You can also try google blog search for numerous reviews.

The event takes place Monday, Jan. 18 at 6 pm at the Fox & the Feather on Elgin Street. It’s free, but please register to save your spot…

Also please register so I can email some questions to think about before the meetup. As per our usual format, Scott and I will lead a discussion about the book for an hour or so, then we can continue discussing, break into groups or just enjoy a drink and relax.

Register now…

Getting media coverage for your startup: making the pitch

This is part three in a three-part series. Part one covered whether or not your news is worthy, while part two looked at the mechanics of writing a news release. Now let’s look at making the pitch…

So, you have a well-written, newsworthy news release. That means you should have no problem getting press, right? WRONG!

Just as having a kickass business idea doesn’t mean you’ll get funding, the pitch is the crucial element that will determine whether or not a reporter will do a story about you.

Now considering you’re asking for words, you’d think it’d be easier than say, asking for $1-million in seed funding, but it might not be. Reporters are overworked, underpaid and under a lot of stress to deliver high quality news in short amounts of time. Also, the sheer volume of pitches they receive means the reality is many get ignored all together.

Because of this, an email pitch should be short and succinct and include all the relevant facts. Think of the reporter’s audience and craft a message that would appeal to them. Paste or link to your news release directly in the email (no attachments) and send early during business hours. While this is standard procedure, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get coverage.

how do you cut through the clutter and dazzle reporters with your pitch? Here’s a few tips:

1. Do your homework
   A journalists biggest complaint about pitches is they are off-target. Specifically the person making the pitch has no idea what the journalist actually writes about. Before you pitch, read some articles and make sure that person covers the type of news you’re pitching. Thanks to Google, this is incredibly easy to do.
2. Flattery goes a long way
   And remember, big difference between flattery and ass kissing. You’ve already done your homework, maybe you really enjoyed something the reporter had written? Perhaps he/she recently made the move to a publication you really enjoy. Find common ground or a sincere compliment to assure the reporter you know what you’re doing.
3. A phone call just might do the trick
   Personally, I hate calling reporters. And many of them say they hate being called. BUT the truth is a phone call is a much more personal touch and usually warrants great results (Others agree as well). Be sure to call in the morning as many journalists (especially at daily newspapers) spend the afternoon writing and don’t like to be interrupted. Also, you can follow up after emailing a news release, but don’t say “Hey did you get my release?” Be ready with additional facts or information that could help them. 

And as a final point, be persistent, but not annoying. Don’t expect to put out a bunch of pitches and even hear back from one reporter the first time. Continue to send relevant news as it happens and eventually your hard work will pay off.

That’s the end of this three-part series… But wait! I do have one final piece of advice:

Develop Relationships!

Despite the second word in media relations being relations, many seem to forget it. The absolute and best way to get press is develop great relationships with the reporters, editors and journalists in your space.

Above all the steps I’ve outlined in this series, remember to reach out to reporters even when you don’t have news. Ask them out for coffee, or just send along helpful info that doesn’t benefit you directly. It’s networking and relationship management! Remember: reporters are people too.

Get media coverage for your startup: Writing a news release

This is part two of a three part, do-it-yourself publicity guide for startups. Part one was all about determining news value when planning a release, and now we’re on to writing the release.

Good writing is crucial, yet often overlooked. First and foremost, spelling, grammar and punctuation MUST be perfect in a news release. If you aren’t trained in PR writing, I strongly advise you have someone who has look over your release (feel free to drop me a line). The following are guidelines/tips for writing a great news release: 

• Write in an inverted pyramid style – This is the way news stories are written. They start with the most important facts right up in the first paragraph, and each paragraph after represents less important information. Don’t hold out on your readers, get to the point. The lead (first) paragraph should contain the who, what, why, where, how of the story and each paragraph after backs up those points. As a general guideline every second or third paragraph should be a quote, and if possible try to quote a variety of stakeholders (i.e. company CEO, major client, industry leader).
• Follow Canadian Press (CP) or Associated Press (AP) style -  In Canada the journalistic standard is CP, and in the US it’s AP. If you don’t want to hire an experienced PR writer, at least go out and spend the $20 to get this book and skim it over. You’ll earn serious brownie points with some journalists for proper style.
• Edit, edit edit -  Most bad writing (and there’s a LOT of it) is not actually due to bad writers, but bad editors. Read your work several times over and especially read it out loud. Is it easy to read continuously? Also look for places where you naturally pause, because if there isn’t a comma there, there probably should be.
• Lose the hyperbole - The purpose of a news release is to clearly state facts, not talk about how great your company is. You can say what you like in quotations (but think interesting and unusual sound bites) but in general,  avoid words like: leading, innovative, best of breed, next generation, etc. Basically anything that "sounds good" but is really an over-used cliché with no meaning. Don’t believe me? Well I’m sure you’d love to get in TechCrunch, and one of its writers definitely agrees.
• Its and it’s – “It’s” is an abbreviation for “it is.” "Its" is a possessive. Don’t mix them up. And while we’re on the subject: a company name is singular, therefore you say “Company XYZ is expanding its product offering…” never, ever use ‘their.’ It’s insulting to those of us who paid attention in grammar class.
• Use relevant keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) – This tip is solely for your own benefit… so it’s important! Use your SEO keywords in your news release and when appropriate, link those keywords to relevant pages on your web site. Aside from a necessary tool to get press, news releases are the new SEO wonder child.

Now you know how to determine if your news is newsworthy, and how to actually write the news release. Next in part three we’ll go over something you may already be familiar with–making the pitch.

Update: One important tip I forgot to mention: always have someone else read over your news release! You can be the best writer in the world–and the best editor–but the truth is you’re probably no good at editing your own writing. I freely admit I suck at editing my own work… Which is why I’m sending a big thanks to Irene Crosby for catching a couple little typos in this post and discreetly me know. Thanks Irene!

How to get media coverage for your startup, a three-part series

On a startup budget, the media should be your best friend. Media coverage is a very time and cost-effective way to get the word out about your business. However, it’s not always easy. Did you know the average reporter gets hundreds of pitches a day? And what’s worse is most of them are untargeted and irrelevant. (Don’t take my word for it, there are hundreds of complaints)

Your news release isn’t just a tool for media anymore either. In his book “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” D.M. Scott explains how the news release is a tool to reach your buyers directly. And it’s true, through your web site, social media channels and influencers, you don’t really need the media to get your word out. However, front page of the Globe and Mail or New York Times will still get you way more exposure—and a lot faster, so let’s not discredit the media just yet.

So, just how do you write a news release that will entice media to write about you AND spread like wildfire online? While there’s no guaranteed formula, but in this three-part series you’ll get a good idea of what works and what doesn’t.

PART ONE: Make sure your news is news.

This is definitely the number one mistake and nearly every company makes it at some point. When you have an idea for a news release, start by asking yourself: “Who cares?”

Now especially if you’re running your own company, you love it and are passionate about it, so you likely care, but that doesn’t mean anyone else does. Quite frankly, most of the news releases out there are not really newsworthy, so if you understand what is and isn’t newsworthy, you’ll be miles ahead. Also if/when you hire a PR person, he or she will like you more if you understand the difference.

Expanding on who cares, here’s some other questions based on the seven news values to determine newsworthiness:

• What impact does it have on the intended audience? i.e. Your customers, potential customers, stakeholders etc.
• Does it include a prominent issue or member of society? i.e. The prime minister visiting your office and endorsing your product is newsworthy. Similarly, if you’ve found a cure for h1n1, you’ll have no problem getting coverage.
• Is it unusual? The balloon boy story got a lot of press because it was unusual. Even the fact that it was a hoax. Now I’m not saying it was great press, but unusualness definitely works.
• Is it timely? In the news world, yesterday is too long ago. Make sure you can release your news timely for a greater chance of coverage.

Your best bet is to make sure your news release has at least two or more of the seven news values. If you want to release some news that’s weak on the values, you can always spruce it up. For example, if you’re launching a new product, a release alone might not be enough, but if you plan a media event around it and invite some prominent industry players, now you’re newsworthy!

Once you’ve determined the newsworthiness, unless it’s particularly groundbreaking, you’re not done. Stay tuned in the next few days for part two, which is all about how to write a great news release. Later, part three will be all about the most crucial step, how to make the pitch.

Side note: News release or press release? The great PR debate. The phrase ‘press release’ is more commonly used in the US, but it implies that it is only for the written media and therefore excludes television and radio media. Some also use the term ‘media release,’ which solves the issue with ‘press.’ However, I was taught (and still prefer) news release simply because it reminds us to focus on the ‘news’ part, which is the most important!

Startup Drinks in Ottawa… TOMORROW!

Don’t miss the next installment of Startup Drinks–this Wednesday (tomorrow) at the Fox & the Feather on Elgin. As you may know, Startup Drinks is held concurrently in multiple cities. Tomorrow’s is also being held in Montreal, Toronto and Waterloo. So get in on the action and get drinking with other startup folk!

You can register online here…

Or read more about it on the Flow Ventures Blog. Hope to see you there.