Why great tech companies still struggle to get media coverage

A company launches, builds a website, wins customers, generates revenue and naturally assumes the media will want to hear about it. It’s an understandable expectation. After all, if you’ve built something valuable, surely journalists will be interested?

The reality is very different and is exactly why good PR agencies exist.

From a tech PR perspective, our job isn’t only to pitch stories. It’s also to bridge the gap between a company’s internal expectation and the external news agenda.

The three reasons journalists ignore most pitches

Journalists themselves are incredibly vocal about what they do and don’t want from PR professionals. We read their posts every day and the feedback is consistent. 

1. Company news isn’t necessarily news

Product launches rarely work in isolation anymore. Neither do standard executive appointments or simply entering a new market. Unless there’s a bigger story attached, these announcements often struggle to gain attention.

Ask yourself:

• What industry problem does this solve?
• Is there independent data to support the story?
• Can customers or partners validate the impact?
• Is there a broader trend we can tap into?

Journalists are looking for significance, not activity.

2. Your pitch is too long

If you hit journalists with a long pitch, you’re likely to fail too. With 1,000 pitches per day (a total guestimate but I hear anything from 300 upwards) they don’t have the time to crawl through the details. The headline needs to jump out – say something new – think about what makes you read on when you’re overwhelmed with the daily news agenda. It’s the standout stories that catch your eye. 

3. You’re working from your agenda, not theirs

It’s always a good idea to start with the existing news agenda. If you’re launching a retail product, for example, consider what’s already happening. You might consider, for example:

• Prime Day
• Retail earnings announcements
• Supply chain disruption
• Consumer spending trends

How does your story fit into the issues customers are already facing? The strongest stories support the conversations journalists are already trying to tell.

What journalists actually want

Journalists want access to knowledgeable people with something interesting to say.

That means having executives at your company who are:

• Confident and opinionated
• Credible and evidence-led
• Available at short notice
• Comfortable speaking publicly, or at least articulating with written responses

In today’s environment, agility often beats size and status. The companies that consistently win coverage are usually the ones ready to react quickly.

How to build a story before you need PR

One of the most common requests we receive is: “Can you launch our company?” The challenge is that PR can’t create a narrative from nothing. Successful campaigns begin much earlier.

They start with understanding:

• What category are you creating or disrupting?
• What problem are you solving?
• What do you want to be known for?
• Why should people care?

Surprisingly, many businesses still struggle to answer these questions clearly when asked. Before expecting an editorial team to explain your company to the world, make sure you can articulate your value proposition in a single sentence.

This all sounds like such old hat – but it’s surprising how many times we hit news-related expectations and hurdles in our day to day work.

If any of this sounds familiar, book a 30-minute ‘Newsworthiness audit’ to get your PR momentum underway by emailing hello@thecommsco.com

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