Stealth or Not to Stealth -- Tips from the "Using PR and Social Media" Panel, Part V

As we prepared for the "Using PR and Social Media to Generate Buzz for Your Startup," sponsored by the New England Venture Network (NEVN) and co-sponsored by Birnbach Communications, the four panelists -- blogger Paul Gillin, Xconomy's Greg Huang, BBJ/Mass High Tech's Galen Moore, and Fortune.com's Dan Primack -- discussed the concept of startups and stealth mode.

A lot of startups operate in stealth mode because they want to to avoid alerting competitors or the marketplace before they are ready to "come out of stealth mode," usually when they have a product in beta.

The problem, the panelists noted, is that stealth mode is hard to actually maintain. For example, sometimes executives actually list their current company on their LinkedIn profile.

Oops.

Also claiming stealth mode is a way to make startups seem more important -- at least to employees and potential investors -- than the company might really be. They find out the bad news when they try to come out of stealth, only to find that there's still not much interest in them.

In fact, one panelists referred to this as the "idiocy of stealth mode."

Reporters may care about stealth mode if there's something of real interest but the perception was that more companies act in stealth mode than need to be. The problem: their products may be ready for customers, but they're trying to go from zero to 60 in telling their story, and reporters and bloggers need time -- as in any sales process -- to determine what the story is, if it's credible and viable.

The point: it's not always easy to operate in complete stealth mode and it's even more difficult to quickly exit stealth mode.

In fact, the panelists said they'd be interested in a panel discussion of VCs and CEOs talking about their experiences and perspectives on stealth mode.

The panelists also suggested one of the problems in exiting stealth mode is the tension between the VCs and the CEOs, especially in terms of timing and in terms of who is going to drive the message. They really need to message together, but that doesn't happen as much as you might think, one of the panelists noted.

What do you think about stealth mode? Does it make sense? Does it work? Let me know.

When Is a Press Release Appropriate -- Tips from the "Using PR and Social Media" Panel, Part IV

According to the panel of experts -- blogger Paul Gillin, Xconomy's Greg Huang, BBJ/Mass High Tech's Galen Moore, and Fortune.com's Dan Primack -- at last month's "Using PR and Social Media to Generate Buzz for Your Startup," sponsored by the New England Venture Network, the press release is not yet.

I don't think they came to that conclusion because they're waiting for the press release that announces its own death to make it official.

The panel concluded that the press release is still necessary, but that the question now is when is a press release or a blog post or Facebook or Twitter update more appropriate.

Primack referenced an example where Microsoft announced a small acquisition via a blog post, not a press release since -- we assumed -- the acquisition was not material to Microsoft's stock price. The software giant never got around to issuing a press release about the news, but it still got some attention for it.

On the other hand, the panels concluded, the press release is not dead because there's a certain weight and formality to it. But it's seen more as a commodity once competing reporters and bloggers all get the release.

An important factor now is how unique is the information the reporter or blogger is getting. That discussion goes back to the question of exclusives and how and what information you spread around to meet the needs of different reporters and bloggers -- as well as to the other people you might want to reach.

On the other hand, Microsoft announced its recent quarterly earnings on its website, joining an estimated 11 other companies that publish their earning results directly on their websites. The SEC has provided guidance that companies can use the web to meet public-disclosure requirements. But there are critics that say small investors may be adversely affected because they then have to go to different corporate websites to get the information that otherwise is available more easily. Check out a recent WSJ article, "Microsoft Adopts Website Release for Earnings."

Three Ways Social Media Has Changed Media Relations & Journalism -- Tips from the "Using PR and Social Media" Panel, Part III

For those following the tips from the "Using PR and Social Media to Generate Buzz for Your Startup," sponsored by New England Venture Network (and co-sponsored by Birnbach Communications), today's report looks at how social media has been impacting PR and journalism.

Not surprisingly, the panelists -- blogger Paul Gillin, Xconomy's Greg Huang, BBJ/Mass High Tech's Galen Moore, and Fortune.com's Dan Primack -- said their jobs and those of their colleagues have changed significantly.

1. Access to information has changed. A decade ago, reporters would check for a company's website. Now, they're also checking Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms and tools. While companies don't need reporters as much as they once did -- because social media provides another, faster way to communicate externally -- the same may be true for traditional sources. Reporters can find out a lot by monitoring what people are saying, posting, tweeting via social media. Yet because that information can be so fragmented, good PR people and sources still play a role.
2. Reporters and bloggers have more ways to connect to sources. They no longer have to count on running into people at a trade show. They can follow them on Twitter. While in some ways, the way reporters and sources connect can be more structured than 20 years ago, the panelists agreed that the importance of personal relationships and trust has not changed. In terms of social media platforms, Primack noted that you can more easily start relationships via Twitter than you can on Facebook. (He also noted, as did the other panelists, that he doesn't know many people who actually use services like Foursquare, much less use located-based sites to find sources.)
   
   
3. Reporters have new ways to communicate. Social media creates more questions and requires more decisions about what to do with information. This is true for companies as well as journalists. But journalists need to decide: do I tweet about the news? Do I blog about it? Do I write for a traditional print publication? There are positives and negatives for each different way to communicate. Primack, for example, said he might tweet about an article that he will be posting soon just so he can be the first to break news.

No doubt that social media has had more impact on PR and journalism. If there are other ways you think are significant, please let me know.

Exclusive Look at Whether or Not to Use Exclusives or Tips from the "Using PR and Social Media" Panel, Part II

One of the key discussion topics at the "Using PR and Social Media to Generate Buzz for Your Startup," sponsored by New England Venture Network (and co-sponsored by Birnbach Communications) was the use of exclusives to give a select reporter or group of reporters an advanced look at news that their competitors will get once the news is made public.

Though the panel was comprised of mixture of print and online, there were two distinct and contrasting viewpoints on whether or not companies should use exclusives. Blogger Paul Gillin, and Fortune.com's Dan Primack had very different perspectives.

Here's a rough play-by-play of the conversation about exclusives:

Gillin: Don’t think in terms of exclusives. Nobody cares now… The news is picked up by everyone, and people quickly forget who actually 'broke' a story. Don’t play favorites. I've never liked exclusives, and I like them even less now…

Primack: If you want to guarantee that someone writes more than a blurb, give ‘em an exclusive.


Galen Moore: It’s not a scoop when you get the release half an hour before everyone else.

Primack: If I care about it, if you want to get the story written, you need to kiss my ass -- I mean that in a good way (to get me to write about your news).

Gillin: Are we even that important anymore? You can take message directly to public. The media is less important to public. Companies now have the capacity to influence from the bottom up.


Moore: With some, getting an exclusive is a validation point.

Primack: (One of the questions I ask is) Did they get it (the news) to me in time? If you’re going to put out news, you have to make available the person who the news is about. (It happens a lot more often than it should that the person who can speak about the news is not available on the day the news is released.)

For more insight into Gillin's and Primack's perspective on exclusives, check out their blogs:

• "Are Exclusives a Good Idea? In a Word: No" by Paul Gillin
• "How and when to give a media 'exclusive'" by Dan Primack
  

Tips from the "Using PR and Social Media to Generate Buzz for Your Startup" Panel

As part of BREW Boston (Boston Regional Entrepreneurs Week), I moderated a panel, "Using PR and Social Media to Generate Buzz for Your Startup," on behalf of the New England Venture Network (which we co-sponsored).

The panel -- comprised of blogger Paul Gillin, Xconomy's Greg Huang, BBJ/Mass High Tech's Galen Moore, and Fortune.com's Dan Primack -- was lively and entertaining.

Here are some key points from the panel:

New Mindset Needed

• It's still about telling stories but it's now about new ways to tell and communicate those stories.
• You don't need events and milestones to issue a press release -- and a press release may not be the best way to tell your story.
• This isn't to say the press release is dead.
• You can tweet or blog about stories, post photos, videos and audio, etc.
• The stories are there, but it's a matter of pulling them out, Gillin noted.
• If a picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth a million, Primack said. Using graphics or video to accompany a story can help reporters and bloggers as they cover the story.
  
• That said, many reporters and bloggers still don't fully use multimedia in their articles or posts, either.
  
  The panel covered a lot more territory. I'll report more next week.

How Has Social Media Impacted PR? Boston Panel to Discuss

It's obvious that social media has impacted PR, and a panel of expert journalists and bloggers will discuss the changes they've seen in their own work lives and in how their interact with companies.

Join me at "Using PR and Social Media to Generate Buzz for Your Startup," hosted by New England Venture Network (NEVN), the largest network of young venture capital professionals on the East Coast.

Panelists include:

• Paul Gillin, author of The New Influencers (2007), Secrets of Social Media Marketing (2008), and Social Marketing to the Business Customer (co-authored with Eric Schwartzman, January, 2011).
• Gregory T. Huang, National IT Editor and Editor, Xconomy Boston.
• Galen Moore, staff writer, Mass High Tech & Boston Business Journal.
• Dan Primack, senior editor, Fortune.com.

"Using PR and Social Media to Generate Buzz for Your Startup" is scheduled for Oct. 13 at the offices of Cooley, LLP at 500 Boylston St., Boston Cocktails start at 6:30pm, followed by the panel at 7:15pm. Admission is free, but attendance is limited.

To register, click here: http://nevn.eventbrite.com/.