Forbes. Inc. Entrepreneur. NPR. WSJ.
How do we keep landing clients in Tier 1 publications?
In this post, we’ll show you the three-part approach we take to leverage B2B tech PR and earn our technology clients that leading media coverage that can transform a tech brand from a respected name to an industry leader.
If you’ve successfully gotten your company in industry publications or local and regional media, but are still struggling to crack those Tier 1 publications, then this post is for you.
The WIN Approach
The WIN approach is what we use for every client and every opportunity. It’s an overarching strategy that will help you think about how to position your B2B brand to increase your chances of earning major media coverage.
W: What’s in it for them?
I: Invest in relationships.
N: News begets more news.
This framework is how you WIN reputable earned media at the highest levels.
Let’s dig in.
W: What’s in it for them?
In this case, “them” refers to the journalists you’re pitching.
The first thing you have to figure out when pitching journalists at Tier 1 publications is what’s in it for them? Why should they care?
You may have what you think is a big, important announcement—something you and your team are really excited about. But unless and until you can connect the dots for the journalist or the publication—show them why your announcement is newsworthy or interesting beyond what it means for your brand—you won’t win.
Here’s an example. One of our clients recently opened up a huge training center and office in Atlanta. The founder started out on his own and was able to build up his company to become one of the top employers in the city, with a state-of-the-art workspace for his employees and clients.
That’s exciting news—but it’s not a story. A story for these publications can’t just be about your company. There has to be something larger.
In this case, the interesting part is that at a time when most other businesses are moving away from in-person workspaces, this company is going in the other direction. They’re bucking the trend. That’s how we landed them in NPR—because they had something important and interesting to say about companies that were not following the general move toward remote work.
I: Invest in relationships.
If you’re going to attain those Tier 1 mentions and features, you either have to invest in relationships with journalists yourself, or you have to work with someone who has them.
Lots of great PR people will tell you that if the story is great, you’ll get placement. That’s only half true. If you have a great pitch, but you haven’t taken the time to really learn what types of stories the reporter writes, what they’re interested in, or the beat they cover, you’ll most likely go to the bottom of the stack.
That’s because journalists are literally inundated with pitches—and many of them have great story potential. So it’s hard for one single great pitch to stand out if there isn’t some kind of recognition there or evidence that you’ve done your research.
Now, as a B2B PR agency, we have invested in those relationships. And that’s one reason we’re able to guarantee our clients a certain number of placements when they sign with us. We can’t guarantee the specific publications—that would be advertising, after all, not earned media—but we are able to guarantee them that specific number.
Relevant post: What Is Earned Media? A How-To Guide
How? For one thing, we only take clients that we know have something great to offer—clients who are doing substantial work and who have something important to say.
For another, because we’ve invested in those relationships with journalists and publications, we’ve developed a level of trust with them. They know we take the time to bring them angles that will work for their publication, that we’ll provide whatever information they need, and that we won’t waste their time with ideas that won’t work for them.
N: News begets more news.
Whatever story you’re pitching, you’ve got to be able to tie it into the larger picture of what’s happening—nationally or internationally.
So much of what our B2B tech PR experts do is connect the dots: tie our clients’ stories into the news cycle.
Think about the toilet paper crisis that the U.S. faced back in 2020, during the early days of the pandemic. Disruptions in the supply chain caused a huge shortage of toilet paper, and people were hoarding what they could.
We were able to get our tech-driven, B2B supply chain and manufacturing clients a huge amount of press because all of a sudden, people were wondering: Why is there a lack of toilet paper? What’s causing that to happen? And of course, it boils down to a supply chain crisis. That’s something our clients were able to speak to and explain.
The only way to get your B2B tech brand into Tier 1 publications is to apply the WIN approach. Is your company looking for a B2B tech PR company to partner with? Get in touch!
