Media relations starts with understanding the basics and finding the right leads . Next, you want to craft a powerful enough message that will make the media want to cover you. You’re not newsworthy if only you think the story idea is awesome. As someone managing media relations, you’re subject to the needs and wants of journalists, who in turn are subject to the needs and wants of their readers; by proxy you’re subject to the readers who’ll be seeing your story. Sponsor Guest author Danny Wong is the Media and Marketing Guru of Blank Label , an e-commerce startup specializing in co-created custom dress shirts. Blank Label has been featured and mentioned in publications like the New York Times, BusinessWeek, Forbes, FastCompany, and more. He is also an undergrad studying at Bentley University. Here are some things to consider when building a strong message to communicate: How is this story different? Media Relations For Startups Media Relations 101

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Company blogs are a good way to post press releases and make staff and product announcements. But they’re always particularly helpful when startups use them to share “lessons learned” from various stages of the entrepreneurial process. Last month, anonymous neighborhood messaging service BlockChalk announced that it had secured a $1.5 million investment, the company’s first. Today BlockChalk updated its

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Over the past few weeks, we’ve highlighted some tips and tricks for polishing your elevator and email pitch. If a pitch is designed to deliver a succinct presentation of your product or service, then it may be that the 140 character limitation of Twitter makes it a great venue for a pitch. Sponsor Stowe Boyd is often credited with the idea of pitching via Twitter. He proposed the ” Twitpitch ” in order to help him schedule meetings with startups at the Web 2.0 Expo in 2008. Twitter has grown in use and acceptance since Boyd’s idea for the Twitpitch, and the microblogging service can be a valuable site for entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas. But with the increasing level of chatter there, you need to make sure your pitch stands out. So if you do decide to use Twitter to pitch your ideas, here are a few things to keep in mind: 1: Pitch Publicly . If you target your message using the @ reply function, your conversations will only be seen by mutual followers and could be missed by others who might be interested in your idea. And if you use the direct message function, your tweet just ends up as an email would, without all the care and presentation of a full-blown email pitch . Of course, a public tweet runs the risk of being lost in the shuffle. And one of the drawbacks to pitching via Twitter is that, unlike the elevator or email pitches, you can’t really craft your pitch to suit your audience. If you want to have a bit more precision in your pitch, consider including a hashtag to link it with other conversations on the topic. (This is particularly useful when you plan to be onsite for an event, such as the Web 2.0 Expo .) 2. Complete your Twitter profile. Make sure your profile contains compelling and pertinent information about you and your company. Be sure to include your URL. 3. Include a URL in your tweet. If your tweet is a pitch, drive traffic to a webpage or blog post with more information about you, your company and your service. Consider linking to a page with a more elaborate pitch, not just merely to your home page. Whether you’re using a URL shortener (such as bit.ly) or not, it’s good to identify the type of link – a link to a blog post or a video, for example – so people know what to expect when they click. 3. Don’t use Twitter solely to pitch. There needs to be a compelling reason to follow you on Twitter and to pay attention to your tweets. If you only tweet self-promotional links and blurbs, chances are you aren’t going to maintain followers. 4. Don’t spam. While Twitter can be a great way to spread the message about your business, don’t repeatedly blast your followers with the same PR information. 5. Follow up. Twitter provides a real-time way to both monitor and participate in conversations. Do make sure that you aren’t just using Twitter to broadcast messages, but that you are actively engaging your followers as well. There are numerous announcements you can pitch via Twitter: news, events, product launches, and employment opportunities, for example. But remember, as with the elevator pitch, it’s important to sell yourself, not just your products. Discuss

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The elevator door opens. And there stands your ideal investor. It’s the chance of a lifetime. But that chance only lasts as long as the elevator ride – you have less than a minute to make an impression. Hopefully, you’ve got a well-crafted elevator pitch ready to give. The elevator pitch is not the hurried presentation of a full-blown business plan. It’s an introduction, an overview and a pitch – and a short one at that – meant to capture the attention of a potential investor. Of course, an elevator ride is a short one. Guides for elevator speeches that say you have one minute surely overestimate the amount of time it takes for an elevator to move from floor to floor. Of course, an elevator speech isn’t restricted to elevators. Rather, it comes in handy for any occasion where a concise presentation is appropriate. Sponsor When crafting your pitch there are two key things to keep in mind: its content and its form. In other words, it’s not just what you say but how you say it. Here are a 10 tips to keep in mind as you craft your elevator pitch. 1. Keep it short . Be succinct. According to Wikipedia , an adult’s attention span is eight seconds, so be sure to give just enough information (and more importantly perhaps the right information) so that after only hearing a sentence or two, someone knows what you do – and if it’s a pitch, what you need. 2. Have a hook. As Mel Pirchesky advises , “The objective of the first ten or fifteen seconds is to have your prospective investors want to listen to the next forty-five or fifty seconds differently, more intently than they would have otherwise.” 3. Pitch yourself, not your ideas. As Chris Dixon writes , “The reality is ideas don’t matter that much. First of all, in almost all startups, the idea changes – often dramatically – over time. Secondly, ideas are relatively abundant.” Instead of talking about ideas, highlight what you’ve done – the concrete accomplishments or skills – rather than some intangible concept or a future goal. 4. Don’t forget the pitch. It’s easy to get so caught up in the details of who you are that you neglect to mention what you need. What amount of financing are you seeking, for example? 5. Don’t overwhelm with technical or statistical terminology . While being able to tout one or two amazing and memorable phrases or figures can be useful, don’t fill your elevator speech with numbers or jargon. 6. Practice . Rehearse your elevator pitch so that when the opportunity to give it comes, you can deliver it smoothly. 7. Use the same tactics for print. You can hone your elevator skills by practicing them in writing. Babak Nivi describes the email elevator pitch here . 8. Revise. As your startup moves through various stages, be sure to update and refresh your pitch. 9. Be involved in the startup community before you pitch. Business Insider suggests “Engaging in online discussions, writing insightful blog posts, and participating in the relatively small startup community can earn you a ’strong presence’ that gets you noticed by potential investors.” Building relationships with investors before pitching to them will help your success. 10. Listen. When seeking to build strong networks, remember it can be just as important to listen as it is to talk. Do you have any other suggestions on crafting an elevator pitch? Feel free to add your tips in the comments below. Discuss

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I have a few different friends who are trying their hands at entrepreneurship; some have met with investors already, while others are closing in on their meeting date with anticipation and uncertainty. Based on hearing some of the things they were doing to prepare for their meeting, I thought it would be wise to roundup some of the best pitch advice I’ve come across not only for them but for the other first time entrepreneurs out there who may not know what typical VC pitches are like. Sponsor Pitches range in length from 5 quick minutes to a half hour or more, but what I have consistently seen while researching this topic is that no matter what length the pitch is, the key is to keep things simple and understandable while not patronizing the VC. But don’t take my word for it, here is advice from six venture capitalists on various aspects of the all important pitch. David S. Rose – How to Pitch an Angel (or VC) If you’re looking for “Pitching VCs 101,” then look no further than Rose’s 2008 TED University presentation on how to give presentations (embedded below). Rose, who has raised and invested millions through pitches, leads Rose Tech Ventures which after educating prospects on the art of the pitch saw investment rates climb. “Our investment rate more than DOUBLED, and we have funded over $35 million into more than 50 companies during the past six years,” writes Rose. Highlights from Rose’s speech include taking the VC on an emotional journey during your pitch by telling a story, and remember that they are there to evaluate you more than your idea. Chris Dixon – Pitch yourself, not your idea Investor and entrepreneur Chris Dixon reiterated Rose’s point last November that VCs are more interested in the quality of the team than the quality of the idea. Ideas are subject to change, but how people work and interact are pretty solid and unmovable, so remember to be self-aware, he says. “What you should really be focused on when pitching your early stage startup is pitching yourself and your team,” writes Dixon. “Of course a great way to show you can build stuff is to build a prototype of the product you are raising money for. This is why so many VCs tell entrepreneurs to ‘come back when you have a demo.’ They aren’t wondering whether your product can be built – they are wondering whether you can build it.” Mark Suster – Who Should Attend Your VC Pitch? Mark Suster, who has written extensively on pitching to VCs, brought up an interesting decision entrepreneurs need to make before their pitch: who is coming? Suster argues that for most situations just having the CEO is plenty, but that showing “the depth of your bench” can be beneficial too. However, there are several pitfalls he warns you to avoid when you start including more people in your pitch. “If you bring the full team make sure that you construct the entire storyline in advance so everybody knows how you plan to have the meeting flow,” writes Suster. Who is going to cover which slides, who is going to field which questions, how are you going to answer difficult questions (which you should write down in advance and practice). Definitely don’t “wing it” – have practice sessions to see how each member performs. Honestly I would say a good 50% of team presentations that I see seem like they really haven’t practiced the flow very well amongst team members.” Guy Kawasaki – The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint Though originally posted in 2005, Kawasaki’s rule of 10/20/30 in presentations still holds true. We’ve all seen those terrible presentations with way to many slides and way too much text that is way to small. The slideshow isn’t supposed to do the talking for you, its merely a supplement to the wisdom that will come flowing from your voice. “I am evangelizing the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. It’s quite simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points. While I’m in the venture capital business, this rule is applicable for any presentation to reach agreement: for example, raising capital, making a sale, forming a partnership, etc.” In another related post, Kawasaki points out this presentation as a great example of using visuals and text together with expert ability. It’s not a great example of a VC pitch, but the presentation does a great job of conveying the message of the presenter. In other words, be more like Steve Jobs – that man knows how to pitch! Don Rainey – The Top 5 Rookie Mistakes in Pitching VCs Enough about what to do right, lets talk about what not to do. Among Rainey’s list of the top mistakes made by novice pitches is presenting terms to the VCs, being late to the meeting, or asking VCs to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). But the number one issue Rainey sees all too often is when the entrepreneurs come to pitch a VC firm without any prior knowledge of the firm and its investments. “One doesn’t need be an expert on our history, track record or portfolio but a little knowledge can go a long way. Just a little awareness on our companies, professional background, and current boards, can drive efficiency for the person pitching an idea,” writes Rainey. “If I’ve had three companies in Internet Advertising, for example, you can probably skip explaining simple concepts related to it. If one lacks that awareness, it wastes time AND undermines credibility. Plus, you look [like] someone who doesn’t do what it takes to succeed because, in this instance, you haven’t.” Bijan Sabet – Startup Presentations Sometimes your aren’t the only company pitching to VCs in a single day. In the case of this week’s Y Combinator Demo Day, 26 startups presented back-to-back with one intermission. This means that by the 26th presentation, which could be you, the VCs in attendance are likely itching to get out of their seat and go meet the other entrepreneurs, so how will you grab their attention? Bijan Sabet says humor can be a great ice-breaker and get your audience engaged with your pitch. “A number of entrepreneurs used humor in their presentations in just the right amounts. Too little and the presentation can by dry. Too much and it’s just, well, a joke. But the right amount is a wonderful way to engage your audience,” writes Sabet. “It’s obvious that Paul Graham, the founder of YC, plays a huge role in helping these (mostly) first time entrepreneurs find their way and put together their presentations. And it’s also obvious that these founders practice their pitch over and over again so they can nail it in a room full of strangers.” So what have we learned? Remember that you are just as much if not more important than the idea you are pitching, figure out before the pitch who is coming in the room and who is saying what, make sure your slides aren’t poorly designed, avoid common rookie errors, and don’t be afraid to spice things up with a dab of humor. Of course, there are a countless number of lessons to be learned before pitching VCs, but hopefully this has covered the basic and most important ones. If you need an example of a well designed pitch deck, Mint.com (which was eventually bought out for big bucks by Intuit) recently made an early deck of theirs available on slideshare. If you have other suggestions for first-time pitchers, leave your thoughts in the comments! Photo by Flickr user Dawn Ashley . Discuss

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