We have just launched an Indiegogo campaign and I saw your blog with great articles on different categories. I wasn’t able to find one type of campaign that we have, so I thought I’d send you an email with my questions.
Our product is a consumer product that is a new kind of technology but also something that solves a current environmental problem. We recently launched in the technology category of the crowdfunding site because we have recently won a technology award. We are also a very small company with no PR experience and no funds to pay for a professional PR person. So we are going at it on our own 🙂
Would you recommend that we focus our initial attention on the technology blogs and groups or the environmental side for campaign contributions?
First of all, I would like to preface my response by saying that seeing as this is your company, you are likely to have a much more intimate understanding of your customer base and what features/benefits they care about. I respect this hard-earned knowledge and would like to you to take my suggestions/thoughts with a grain of salt and use them to consider new ways to reach bloggers and attract media attention.
Multitasking is at the heart of all startups and crowdfunding projects.
It would be great if we could JUST focus on sales for a month, or just focus on getting on one type of blog, or just focus on creating marketing materials. Unfortunately, for most startups, you need to be pushing multiple boulders up the hill simultaneously.
When you are running a crowdfunding campaign, which compresses months worth of work into a short 30-60 day period, this multitasking is compounded.
You need to be reaching out to both technology bloggers and environmental bloggers.
Trial and error solves most problems.
For most marketing and PR campaigns, I have a hunch as to what types of audiences will like the product or respond well to the crowdfunding endeavor. However, I never know for sure until I test it out.
Set a goal to reach out to X number of bloggers in X days and see what kind of responses you get. Do environmentalists dislike that you are indirectly promoting gas use in lawn mowers?
From talking with actual bloggers, you might find that some environmentalists don’t like that you are indirectly promoting gas use in lawn mowers, but that less strict environmentalists DO like that you are supporting energy conservation and the removal of harmful fumes from the fueling process.
You may also find that the tech blogs are more willing to feature your product, but that when you get on an environmental blog, their passionate audience results in more financial contributions.
Try things out, see what happens, and re-tool your efforts as though marketing is a big experiment.
Unfortunately, this does take precious time (which is why preparation is key!), but it’s well worth it to discover this knowledge.
Don’t forget to tailor your pitch
Think of it as sending your resume out to a company or going on an interview for a job you REALLY want. You don’t present yourself the same way to each company you reach out to. Your “pitch” varies with each interview and you customize your resume and cover letter for the particular position.
Tailor your media pitch depending on the demographic of the publication and the writing style of the blogger or journalist.
For example, some blogs don’t feature single products, but will do list-based articles that include multiple products. Instead of talking about how innovative your product is and why the blogger should feature it, ask them to consider including it in a themed post alongside other products that are encouraging energy conservation while at home.
PR in general
I’m not going to lie. PR is a lot of work. You essentially need to sell your news story or content to a blogger or journalist. PR professionals spend years cultivating relationships and building up contacts. Even if your product has a new technology, you need to do the work to get noticed. For more information about getting a blogger or journalist to notice you, check out: How to get bloggers to blog about your Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or Pozible campaign.
Thoughts?
If you’d like me to expand on any points, feel free to leave a comment below. Don’t agree with me? Also leave a comment and let me know why!
