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Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.

From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.

The Value of Rapid-Response Pitching

Rational Interaction, a digital agency here in Seattle, was one of our city’s best-kept secrets when we first starting working with them. But the secret’s out.

With coverage in some of the largest publications in the industry, including AdAge and Adweek’s Agency Spy, Rational’s expertise has been shared with key industry publications and their readers through a series of targeted rapid-response pitches and bylines. With an ever-quickening PR landscape, it’s becoming increasingly crucial for PR pros to monitor industry news and inject clients’ perspectives on relevant issues.

For topics in the ad-tech space, this involved monitoring everything from Snapchat’s integration of ads to the New York Times’ foray into incorporating native ads into its print addition. In addition to monitoring the coverage landscape, it’s been critical to understand Rational’s perspective on trending topics.

There are several steps that are at the heart of successful rapid-response pitching program.

  • Identify key publications that are relevant to your client’s business and flag interesting stories.  Monitor and read these key publications frequently. What piques your interest—and what would be interesting to your client and their stakeholders? Proactively flag relevant news to the client on a regular basis to gain a deeper understanding into what makes them tick and what interests them. Over time, you’ll gain a better signal of what types of stories the client likes to comment on and their perspectives on these topics, so you can fine-tune your approach.
  • Pay attention to key players in the industry. If possible, it’s even better to find the news before major outlets have picked it up. Scouring key players’ announcements allows you to be ahead of the curve and proactively insert your clients’ perspective on the story before the news has broken. This positions your client as an even more valuable source of information to journalists, helping to foster relationships with journalists over time.
  • Create a structure for monitoring coverage. It may take time to iron out the kinks, but it’s worth creating a process for monitoring, flagging, and pitching relevant news. Build in time on your weekly calendar to monitor and flag coverage.
  • Be quick. It goes without saying, but the early bird gets the worm with rapid-response pitches. Once you have the client’s perspective and the idea gels, it’s critical to efficiently deliver that perspective to journalists, since the news is time-sensitive. You need to accurately capture the client’s perspective, and you also don’t want to miss the opportunity. Don’t get lost in the revision process. Time is everything with rapid-response pitches.

Though rapid-response pitching requires a deep investment of time upfront, it can pay off tremendously in the end, establishing your client as a thought leader on cutting-edge stories. In case you haven’t seen the news, here’s a recap of Rational’s coverage to date:

About Rational

Rational is a new kind of full-service, integrated agency with proven ability to deliver across digital, technical and consulting engagements throughout the enterprise. The company is strategically focused, results driven and customer obsessed. Its award-winning digital practice brings clients’ business goals to life through engaging brand experiences that raise awareness, inspire discovery and drive adoption. Rational’s technical services practice combines user interface and design best practices together with deep, back-end expertise across in-house and cloud-based platforms to deliver elegant, scalable technical solutions. Whether through short-term discrete projects or longer-term engagements, Rational’s consulting practice helps clients tackle their toughest ongoing challenges across marketing, operations, engineering and IT. Based in Seattle, Wash., Rational’s clients consist of some of the world’s biggest brands including: Microsoft, Amazon, AT&T, Providence Health & Services, The Seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC and more. For more information, please visit www.rationalagency.com

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Seattle’s Spaceflight Industries Raises $20 Million to Accelerate Growth

Spaceflight Industries, a next-generation, integrated space products and services company and one of our clients at Communiqué PR, recently closed a $20 million Series B funding round co-led by New York City-based RRE Venture Capital and Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital with additional investment from Razor’s Edge Ventures. The funds, which validate the company’s pioneering role in the emerging space market, will be used to accelerate growth.

Spaceflight Industries (Spaceflight), which aims to transform the use of space by enabling new applications through the commercialization of space, is the parent company of Seattle-area aerospace and space logistics companies Spaceflight Systems (formerly Andrews Space), Spaceflight Services and Spaceflight Networks. Together, these companies are revolutionizing space access for commercial and governmental sectors by providing comprehensive, cost-effective small-satellite solutions and services from development to launch, communications and operations. This funding will be used to hire additional engineering and software talent and drive strategic initiatives to further expand the market reach and capabilities of Spaceflight’s consolidated space products and services brand.

As part of the financing, Spaceflight has added three new members to its board of directors to provide ongoing strategic guidance to its leadership team, including Charles Beames, president of Vulcan Aerospace. Beames, whose 30-year history with the Department of Defense includes the development and deployment of transformational airborne, ground- and space-based systems.

“We see a tremendous opportunity in the exploration and commercialization of space, especially within the smallsat industry,” said Charles Beames, president of Vulcan Aerospace. “Spaceflight is forging a new generation of integrated space services to enable easier, cost-effective access to the benefits and possibilities of space.”

This investment further validates Spaceflight’s vision and market position in an era when small-satellites are disrupting the traditional space industry. In addition, it gives further recognition to the Pacific Northwest’s role as a thriving space hub. In his Dow Jones VentureWire article, “Spaceflight Industries Blasts Off With $20M to Accelerate Growth,” Timothy Hay acknowledges this, calling Washington state a “hotbed for space-exploration.”

To date, Spaceflight Industries’ funding announcement has garnered significant coverage in business and space industry press which should help the company achieve its immediate goal to more than double the size of its workforce this year to expand operations. Specifically, we secured the following coverage:

  1. GeekWire: “Spaceflight raises $19M to help launch micro-satellites through innovative ‘ride share’ program,” March 10, 2015; Reposts: Computer Magazine, Pigridy, DailySlate, BeautyCribTV
  2. Space News: “Spaceflight Industries Raises $20 Million,” March 11, 2015
  3. Dow Jones VentureWire (behind paywall): “Spaceflight Industries Blasts Off With $20M to Accelerate Growth,” March 11, 2015
  4. Puget Sound Business Journal: “Spaceflight Industries to double in staff, revenue and footprint over next year,” March 11, 2015
  5. Puget Sound Business Journal: “Spaceflight Industries raises $20M to help send micro-satellites to space,” March 11, 2015; Reposts: HireMob, sNEWSi, Dollar Site
  6. PE Hub: “Spaceflight Industries pulls in $20 mln Series B,” March 11, 2015
  7. FinSMEs: “SPACEFLIGHT INDUSTRIES SECURES $20M IN SERIES B FUNDING,” March 11, 2015; Repost: Social Apps
  8. NewSpace Watch (behind paywall): “Spaceflight Industries raises $20M in new funding,” March 11, 2015
  9. Northwest Innovation: “Spaceflight Industries Gets $20M,” March 11, 2015
  10. Crosscut: “Wednesday 11 Mar, 2015 – Spaceflight Industries files $19.2M round,” March 11, 2015
  11. TECHi: “Spaceflight Industries raises $19.2 million to bring ride-sharing to space,” March 11, 2015; Reposts: Banzai Geek, Aggregateln.me
  12. Fortune: “Term Sheet — Thursday, March 12,” March 12, 2015
  13. Evestment Blog: “Private Space Flight Gets Boost with New Venture Funding,” March 12, 2015
  14. CityBizList: “RRE Venture Capital Leads $20M Series B for Spaceflight Industries,” March 12, 2015
  15. CityBizList: “Razor’s Edge Ventures Joins $20M Series B for Spaceflight Industries,” March 12, 2015
  16. The Wall Street Journal (Venture Capital Dispatch): “The Daily Startup: Memebox Raises $29M for Beauty-Product Sales,” March 12, 2015
  17. Space Daily: “Spaceflight Industries Raises $20 Million to Accelerate Growth,” March 12, 2015; Repost: One News Page
  18. AltAssets: “Small-satellite business Spaceflight Industries nets $20m Series B from VC firms,” March 12, 2015
  19. VC News Daily: “Spaceflight Industries Raises $20M Series B,” March 12, 2015
  20. PitchBook (Daily Newsletter): “Spaceflight Industries Rockets Away with $20M Series B,” March 12, 2015
  21. StrictlyVC: “March 12, 2015 – New Fundings,” March 12, 2015
  22. Satellite Evolution Group: “Spaceflight Industries raises $20 million to accelerate growth,” March 12, 2015
  23. Xconomy: “Seattle Roundup: Spaceflight Industries, Expedia, Magicflix, & More,” March 13, 2015; Repost: 9IJA News
  24. Satnews: “Spaceflight Garners Growth Funding,” March 13, 2015; Repost: News Fiber
  25. Via Satellite: “Investors Watching Dollars, Not Stars in Space,” March 19, 2015
  26. Puget Sound Business Journal: “New constellation of space firms,” March 20, 2015
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LeoSat Hits the Satellite Industry Scene, Reveals Plans for a Global Data Network

As every PR pro can attest, one of the best parts of our job is supporting companies doing interesting, innovative things that make the world a better place for all of us. We recently had such an opportunity with our client LeoSat, a newcomer to the satellite industry devoted to bringing high-performance, cost-effective broadband service to businesses and governments through the development of a low Earth orbit satellite constellation. This addresses the unmet, critical need for fast, global coverage within these markets while marking a step toward new standards in satellite systems and communications.

This month, LeoSat came on the scene to publicly announce this vision as well as its appointment of industry veteran Vern Fotheringham, formerly of Kymeta, as CEO. To support the announcement, we distributed the news to a number of select technology, satellite and space industry outlets and journalists. This outreach was highly successful, resulting in more than a dozen articles and multiple reposts in a variety of local and industry publications. Following is a sampling of the coverage generated by the news:

  1. Space News – Proposed LeoSat Constellation Aimed at ‘Top 3,000’
  2. Satellite News – LeoSat Begins The Next Stage Of Development w/ A New CEO…To Create Low Earth Orbit Satellite Constellation
  3. Satellite Today – Vern Fotheringham Speaks About New LEO Broadband Project
  4. NewSpace Watch – LeoSat LLC satellite constellation project hires Vern Fotheringham as CEO (subscription required)
  5. Advanced Television – LeoSat joins broadband space race
  6. Northern Sky Research – LEO: The Space Industry’s New Playground
  7. TechZone – The New Satellite Broadband Rush
  8. Digital Ship – LeoSat unveils constellation plans
  9. Talk Satellite – LeoSat Announces the Appointment of Vern Fotheringham as Chief Executive Officer
  10. Satellite Evolution Group – LeoSat announces the appointment of Vern Fotheringham as Chief Executive Officer
  11. Communications Daily – LeoSat Has New CEO Fotheringham, Plans Worldwide Coverage (subscription required)
  12. Communications Daily – Communications Personals (subscription required)
  13. Satellite Markets & Research – Vern Fotheringham Named CEO of LeoSat
  14. GeekWire – Tech Moves: Vern Fotheringham named CEO of satellite venture

We’re thrilled to see LeoSat take off and look forward to all of its exciting developments in the months to come. For more on LeoSat and its vision of enabling unified, worldwide broadband coverage, be sure to check out www.LeoSat.com.

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Writing for PR: May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

This weekend I finally got around to watching the latest “Hunger Games” movie and afterwards I started thinking about the similarities between mockingjay birds and writing in a PR agency setting.

Stay with me here.

Good PR professionals are (hopefully) good storytellers. I’d wager that most of us chose this as a career path because we love writing, as well as developing and shaping stories that get our clients noticed.

Which is why it can be frustrating – and potentially expensive – to get stuck in the endless cycle of writing and editing and re-writing documents for your clients. Who among us hasn’t been trapped in a never-ending revision round on a press release or pitch with a client that just never seems happy with your writing?

I’ve had multiple clients say they fired their previous PR agencies because of bad writing. Endless revisions aren’t just time consuming for both parties, but it can negatively impact client relationships and your agency’s business.

Which is why there are lessons to be learned from the fictional mockingjay bird when it comes to writing:

Listen to your clients. Mockingjays, in the movie, mimic sounds they hear in the forest. Pay attention to what your clients tell you when it comes to, say, a press release that needs to be drafted. When do their voices get excited? Is there a point when they show enthusiasm about a particular feature or customer benefit? Those are the important things to pay attention to and make sure are included in your draft. Are there phrases or differentiators they keep mentioning over and over? Those might be woven into a quote or help position the news in a broader context.

Adapt to your client’s writing style. Mockingjays memorize and repeat human songs. It’s important to remember that your particular writing style may not align with your client’s, or that of a particular publication. That’s OK. But in an agency setting, you need to adapt to their way of writing – and that’s not always easy. The language may seem overly formal or technical; the sentence structure might be too short for your liking – whatever the issue, you need to de-personalize your writing in order to reflect your client’s style and that of the broader industry/sector in which they operate. Again, listen to what your client is saying in their feedback/edits and try to replicate them as much as possible.

Be resourceful. Mockingjays are mentioned in various districts and environments in the movie. Spread your wings when approaching any writing project. Don’t just take what your client gives you – now is the time to be relentless and resourceful. Comb through their website, read previous press releases, white papers, and product literature – get educated on what you’re writing about. Read articles about their competition or partners and pay attention to the tone and language being used to describe them. This won’t just help with the project at hand, this type of research pays off for you and your team for future efforts and ultimately makes it easier and faster to write compelling content.

Develop a thick skin. Mockingjays are described as being as tough as rocks, being able to thrive in almost any environment. This is a must for survival in PR and especially in agencies where you’re handling multiple clients and projects. Stand by your writing and be able to defend it to your client if you get questions or negative feedback. Explain why you drafted the quote like you did, or why you didn’t include a certain element in the pitch. If you’ve done your research and paid attention to what your client wants in a particular document, you should be well-prepared to mitigate any concerns.

Have you ever drafted a release or pitch that knocked a client’s socks off? I’d love to hear how you approached it and why it worked. Or, if you find yourself frequently stuck in a dead-end of constant revisions, let us know that too and we’ll see how we can help. Happy Hunger Games!

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Social Media: What’s the Frequency?

As a communications advisor to clients in the tech industry, I am frequently asked how to leverage social media as part of an integrated PR strategy. Clients are often curious to know when and how often they should post and what their content should look like. Many clients are also now starting to think about whether or not they should use social media tools for relationship building, and if they should maintain personal feeds as well as corporate ones.

When and how often?

Not many people would be surprised by the fact that the posts that get read and shared the most on social media are those that are published between the hours of 9 a.m.-noon Monday through Friday. This is the time of day when business people are most alert and active on social media. I typically suggest that clients carve out 30 minutes each morning to read and re-tweet compelling content. There will be days when nothing much is of interest, and that’s OK. Posting truly insightful content three-to- five times per week is plenty.

What should the content ratio look like?

The most successful brands on social media use their Twitter, Facebook and, increasingly, their LinkedIn accounts as platforms for thought leadership. Clients are frequently interested in using their own feeds for this purpose and have questions around what types of content are most appropriate. I suggest a balance between original articles (those that are authored by you) and curated pieces (those authored by others). Original content can be anything from a blog post to a customer case study; curated pieces include anything that adds to the dialogue in your respective industry. Balancing original with curated content results in an overall perception that the person or organization posting is well versed on conversations happening in the industry and is a good source of information and insight. From a PR perspective, this is especially valuable not only for attracting new customers and partners, but journalists as well. Many companies will periodically include a call to action, a “check us out!” if you will. If it makes sense for your company, go for it.

Should you use social media to build relationships with journalists?

The short answer is yes! We counsel our clients to follow the reporters who regularly cover their space and to re-tweet and comment on articles they feel are particularly interesting or relevant. Twitter in particular can be a great place to learn more about a journalist – her likes and dislikes, the things she’s passionate about, and even if she’s planning on attending CES this year. Some clients ask if they should reach out over social media to suggest a story idea or invite a journalist for a cup of coffee. Be careful. Social media, particularly Twitter, is inherently a 1:many platform and a misfire in such a public forum could spell disaster. I always advise that for personal communications, such as a comment on a story or an invitation, or to meet at a tradeshow, email is best.  

Personal feed? Corporate feed?

A common question I hear is whether or not clients should maintain their personal feeds in addition to their corporate ones. The short answer here is, it depends. Social media takes time and a whole lot of effort. In 2012, over 60 percent of marketers spent the equivalent of a full workday each week monitoring and managing social media platforms. Today, it’s safe to assume that this number is even higher. A corporate feed is useful for brand image, conveying breaking news, sharing product updates, and more. A personal feed, on the other hand, is more nuanced. For a CEO, it can be a wonderful platform for thought leadership and forward thinking. The key is to ensure that both feeds are complimentary and cohesive. Drawing up an editorial calendar of topics is step one in the process.

A final word and call to action

If you’re still with me, I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips on social media in PR. Now, go and put in your 30 minutes of reading and re-tweeting!

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PR is Cumulative

Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to PR. When beginning work with a new client, there is an excitement in wanting to share their story with the world and, more specifically, with journalists who can help you share that story. However, with journalists receiving hundreds of pitches daily, cutting through the noise requires a strategic process that can necessitate some experimentation to find what resonates. By creating a compelling story arc and identifying the brand’s place in the industry landscape, PR pros can pique journalists’ interest and drive coverage in key publications.

All PR is cumulative. One of our clients, VoloMetrix, has now achieved a steady cadence of coverage in key business press through consistent exposure in trade publications and informational briefings with relevant journalists and analysts. VoloMetrix is a people-analytics technology company that uses big data to optimize organizational performance, providing executives visibility into the daily activities and relationships that propel business forward. This technology helps improve companies’ organizational alignment, drive sales, and promote employee engagement. Because they have invented an entirely new technology and established a new category, we knew gaining traction would require some creative thinking and grit and—you guessed it—patience.

We began by sharing the news of their patent filing, establishing them as innovators and owners of the technology and of the people-analytics space. Next, we continued announcing major news including funding and new hires to their executive team. Most importantly, we have maintained a steady pace of proactive pitches, framing their company in an intriguing way by leveraging current trends and shaping the data collected. VoloMetrix is now well-established; it owns the people-analytics space and is considered an authority and resource on people analytics. We are thrilled by the momentum VoloMetrix has gained in both PR and overall business efforts and we are eager to assist them in their continued growth and success.

Following is a list of some of VoloMetrix’s media coverage from August 2014 through February 2015:

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