Contact us

Insights for Leaders Navigating
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.

Spaceflight Announces First Lunar and GEO Rideshare Mission

A rendering of Spaceflight’s Sherpa-ES vehicle. Image courtesy of Spaceflight Inc.

Last month, our client Spaceflight Inc. announced a breakthrough rideshare mission, “GEO Pathfinder,” which it plans to launch no earlier than Q4 2022. The mission will debut the company’s newest propulsive orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), Sherpa Escape (Sherpa-ES), which will use a creative flyby trajectory to slingshot around the moon and deliver payloads (satellites) to geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO). GEO is a popular orbit because it allows satellites to match Earth’s rotation, making it a valuable spot for earth observation uses such as weather monitoring and communications. However, deploying satellites to GEO is typically a multi-step process fueled by heavy onboard propellant – time-consuming and costly for satellite companies. 

This pioneering rideshare mission demonstrates Spaceflight’s ability to offer customers quick access to hard-to-reach orbits without the complexities and cost of carrying the extra propellant and mass necessary to do the orbit raising themselves. The circularization maneuver Sherpa-ES will employ also shortens the time to orbit (only 15 days) and uses about 25% less propellant than traditional orbit raising. This announcement confirms Spaceflight’s position as an innovator in the industry and its commitment to being the leading space transportation provider for Earth orbit and beyond, quickly and affordably. 

Our communications plan involved announcing the news well ahead of the mission to provide ample time to explain the unique technical details and then build momentum throughout the year for this pioneering launch. We developed a press release that communicated the technical details of the mission and highlighted its significance for Spaceflight and the industry.

We also announced the first payload on the mission, an Orbit Fab in-space fueling depot. The first of Orbit Fab’s “Gas stations in space™,” Tanker-001 Tenzing, is currently flying its demonstration after launching on Spaceflight’s SXRS-5 mission in June of 2021. By making Orbit Fab’s expansion to GEO affordable, Spaceflight is supporting the establishment of infrastructure to sustain the growth of the space economy.

Knowing it would be helpful to provide visual assets to explain the unique orbital trajectory of this mission and envision Spaceflight’s new Sherpa vehicle, we worked with the marketing team to secure renderings of the Sherpa ES, alone and prepared for launch. The Spaceflight team also created an infographic that clearly outlined the phases of this mission and illustrated the unique trajectory Sherpa ES would take to deliver its payloads to GEO.  

We offered the news under embargo to select outlets a week before our scheduled announcement, to provide sufficient time to report on the mission, and worked with those who expressed interest to provide additional information. The announcement led to five media briefings and several articles. A selection of the coverage is shared below. 

Spaceflight will be hosting a webinar this month to discuss the technical details of the GEO Pathfinder mission, and we plan to continue building momentum with additional activity throughout the coming year.

Read More

Publication Spotlight: Bloomberg News

Our new series, “Publication Spotlight,” covers various publications of interest to our clients. For these spotlights, we conduct research and develop a brief Q&A sharing details about the outlet and some of its core offerings. Check out our previous spotlights on Inc., Forbes, Fast Company and GeekWire.

The post below is an overview of Bloomberg News and a summary of my research as of Sept. 27, 2021.

Q: How long has the publication been around?

Bloomberg News was founded in 1990 and provides news, data, analytics and communication services for the global business and financial world. Based in New York City, Bloomberg News covers key topics such as business, finance, economics, technology and politics. The outlet also publishes opinion pieces on these subjects.

Q: Who owns the publication?

Bloomberg was founded by Michael Bloomberg and Matthew Winkler in 1990 to deliver financial news reporting to Bloomberg Terminal subscribers. Michael Bloomberg is still 88% owner of Bloomberg News. John Micklethwait has served as editor and chief since 2015, and the outlet presently employs 2,300 reporters and editors across its 135 bureaus around the world.

Q: Who reads Bloomberg News?

Entrepreneurs, business leaders, C-level executives, tech innovators and members of the general public interested in national and international business and financial news. Bloomberg publishes more than 5,000 stories on an average day syndicating globally to over 400 newspapers across 70 countries, with a combined circulation of 73 million people. The news service also has a network of more than 400 photographers based globally and maintains a photo archive including more than 260,000 images.

Q: What is the process for contributing content to Bloomberg News?

Bloomberg News does not publish contributed content. However, companies can submit press releases to the outlet’s regional newsrooms inboxes.

Q: What is the process for applying to Bloomberg News’ lists and awards?  

Bloomberg News does not have an awards program. However, Bloomberg News does publish the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which profiles each of the world’s 500 richest people.

Q: Does Bloomberg News publish an editorial calendar?

No.

Q: How many readers does it have?

According to Cision, Bloomberg News reaches 73 million people.

Read More

Publication Spotlight: Fast Company

In the post below, and as part of our “Publication Spotlight” series, you’ll find background information on Fast Company, its readership, and its awards, along with other information. We’ve previously featured other publications, including Forbes, GeekWire and Inc. magazine, and look forward to profiling other outlets in the coming weeks and months.

Q: How long has the publication been around?

Fast Company is a relatively new publication. Alan Webber and Bill Taylor, editors of the Harvard Business Review, and publisher Mortimer Zuckerman introduced the magazine in November 1995. Eventually, Zuckerman sold the magazine.

 Q: Who owns the publication?

The magazine is owned and published by Mansueto Ventures, LLC, which is also the publisher of Inc magazine, which we’ve featured in this publication spotlight as well. 

Q: Who reads Fast Company?

According to the 2021 media kit, readers include C-level executives and top management. A high percentage are college graduates and are business decision-makers. They have a median household income of $194,017, a median age of 43.7 and tend to be male.

Q. What are the major sections in the magazine?

According to a statement on its website by Stephanie Mehata, editor-in-chief, “Fast Company is the only media brand dedicated to chronicling the future of business. The only title committed to covering companies and leaders who are defining where business is headed. And with technology and globalization having led to commoditization of products and services – innovation, creativity, impact and design are the only ways businesses can win in the speed economy.”

Major sections include Co. Design, Tech, Work Life, News, Impact, Podcasts, Video, and Recommender. They also have information for the Fast Company Innovation Festival, Sept. 27 through Oct. 1, attracting leaders, inventors, entrepreneurs, and others for an immersive virtual conference.

Q: What is the process for contributing content to Fast Company?

Fast Company’s editorial team is very selective in its acceptance of outside contributions. There is a wealth of information here on how to submit content.

The editors are most interested in articles that “introduce new ideas and advance conversations around topics and trends that engage our readers – think op-ed rather than content marketing.”

The editors most often accept articles for the leadership section, which focuses on “productivity, creativity, career development, hiring and recruiting, work culture, work-life issues and policies, entrepreneurship, and innovation.”

Q: What is the process for applying to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies Award?  

The Most Innovative Companies Award is a program that Fast Company has had since 2008. To apply, visit Fast Company, create an account, and complete the application. For more details on the process and benefits of this award, please visit Fast Company’s FAQ.

Q: Does Fast Company publish an editorial calendar?

The editorial calendar is in the media kit, but here’s the 2021 lineup:

  • March / April: Most Innovative Companies
  • Summer: World Changing Ideas
  • September: Most Creative People / Best Workplaces for Innovators
  • October: Innovation by Design
  • November: Brands That Matter / Impact Council
  • Winter: Secrets of the Most Product People / Breakthrough Tech

When Fast Company makes its 2022 calendar available, we’ll provide an update.

Q: How many readers does it have?

According to its media kit, Fast Company has a rate base of 450,000. It has 1.4 million print readers and its site receives an average of 11.8 million unique visitors per month. These visitors review an average of 19.3 million page views per month.

Read More

BlackSky Goes Public

Image credit: BlackSky Technology Inc.

BlackSky Technology Inc. (“BlackSky”), a leading technology platform providing real-time geospatial intelligence and global monitoring, recently announced the completion of its merger with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. and is now a publicly traded company (NYSE: “BKSY”).

To memorialize the completion of the business combination, BlackSky had the distinct pleasure of ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Monday, Sept. 13. An on-demand stream of the event can be accessed here.

BlackSky also executed a Times Square takeover providing a high-impact placement of the company’s branding. The company culminated this momentous day with a well-deserved celebration at the One World Observatory at the top of One World Trade Center. 

During the day, Communiqué PR managed a series of live media interviews for BlackSky CEO Brian E. O’Toole to discuss the significance of the announcement and explain how the company is defining a new category of real-time global intelligence. A recap of the results we secured are outlined below.

As a public company, BlackSky’s position as a leading geospatial data, analytics and monitoring services company is further strengthened. The Communiqué PR team is honored to have had the opportunity to manage BlackSky’s public relations activity since its inception in 2013. We congratulate the entire BlackSky team on this incredible accomplishment and we are excited to partner together to propel the company’s growth. Onward!

 

Read More

Publication Spotlight: GeekWire

Our new series, “Publication Spotlight,” covers various publications of interest to our clients. In these spotlights, we’ll conduct research and develop a brief Q&A sharing details about the outlet and some of its core offerings. Check out our previous spotlights on Inc. and Forbes.

In the post below, I’ll share an overview of GeekWire and a summary of my research as of Sept. 13, 2021.

Q: How long has the publication been around?

GeekWire was launched in March 2011 and covers the people, companies and innovations emerging from and impacting the Pacific Northwest, according to Cision. In addition to daily news and tech community updates, GeekWire also offers Startup Resources, a Venture Capital Directory, tech and startup job postings, and a calendar with various events to connect, learn from, recruit, do business and have fun with people from across the tech community.

Q: Who owns the publication?

GeekWire was started and is owned by two longtime journalists, John Cook and Todd Bishop, with startup veteran and investor Jonathan Sposato, the company’s chairman. Learn more about the Executive, Business and Editorial teams here: About GeekWire.

Q: Who reads GeekWire?

Entrepreneurs, business leaders, C-level executives, tech enthusiasts and members of the general public interested in what’s next in tech in the Pacific Northwest read GeekWire. The publication caters to these groups by publishing breaking news, expert analysis and unique insights about technology companies located in Seattle and nearby regions. In general, about 20% of their audience is in Seattle and Washington state, making it their largest single market, while the other 80% is spread throughout the rest of the country and the world. GeekWire also shares on their Advertising page that 57% of their readers make over $100,000 per year, 25% are founders and CEOs, 42% are managers or executives, 83% of GeekWire readers have completed college, and over 40% have completed an advanced degree. 

Q: What is the process for contributing content to GeekWire?

GeekWire’s news team looks for stories that happen in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest that matter everywhere, stories that provide value to the Pacific Northwest tech community, and stories that happen elsewhere but are uniquely relevant in this area. GeekWire’s core values and journalistic focus guide its story selection and encourage its team to be passionate, tuned-in, competitive, smart, experimental and community-oriented team players.  If you have a Seattle-based and tech-focused story to share with the GeekWire team, here’s its contact information; make sure you check that your story matches your contact’s beat to give your pitch the best chance.  

Q: What is the process for applying to GeekWire’s lists and awards?  

GeekWire offers the Startup List, the most comprehensive list of startups in the Pacific Northwest and the GeekWire 200, a ranked index of the 200 most popular and trending startups. GeekWire updates the GeekWire 200 every month and publishes GeekWire 200 Highlights with some of the top news for these startups. To be included on the Startup List database and considered for the GeekWire 200, submit your company here, but only technology startups in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia will be accepted.

GeekWire also hosts annual awards called the GeekWire Awards, last hosted online on May 20, 2021. The 2021 Awards had 14 categories, including Startup of the Year, Innovation of the Year, UX Design of the Year, Next Tech Titan (won by our client BitTitan in 2017) and the Geeks Give Back Award. Judges pare the nominations down to five finalists for each category and the winner is decided by public voting. Community nominations should open again in March 2022.

Q: Does GeekWire publish an editorial calendar?

No.

Q: How many readers does it have?

GeekWire has over 1.2 million unique visitors per month and over 300,000 followers on their social media channels according to their Advertising page.

Read More

Carbon Robotics Secures $27 Million in Funding to Meet Demand for Autonomous Weeder

Image credit: Carbon Robotics

On Sept. 1, 2021, our client Carbon Robotics, an agriculture robotics company, revealed that it had secured $27 million in Series B funding to accelerate the company’s growth. The funding will be used to scale production of the company’s products, grow its engineering team, establish regional sales and support for customers across the U.S., and invest in the innovation of new products and technology.

Since the company formally announced its Autonomous Weeder, a 10,000-pound autonomous robot that utilizes high-power lasers to eradicate weeds through thermal energy, it has seen a high demand for the technology. In fact, the company has already secured a number of marquee growers and bookings that exceed $20 million. With these new customers, Carbon Robotics has sold out of its 2021 and 2022 models and has begun accepting orders for 2023.

When we supported the announcement of the Autonomous Weeder in April, we were focused on introducing the technology and describing its benefits. Many hear “a laser-shooting, self-driving robot” and think science fiction, so that announcement was focused on outlining the details of the technology and demonstrating its validity.

For this announcement, the goal was to demonstrate the momentum the company has built over the last four months and establish the market potential. We looked for key proof points to illustrate the positive reactions farmers had had to the product and outlined some of the key industry problems the robots address, especially the growing threat of herbicide-resistant weeds.

To provide reporters enough time to connect with Carbon Robotics executives and customers, we offered the announcement under embargo in advance of the publication date. We secured interviews with Fast Company, GeekWire and the Puget Sound Business Journal. Below is some of the coverage generated by this announcement.

Congratulations to the Carbon Robotics team on the recent funding!

Read More