Any Tips for Article Marketing?

Factual Questions
1

I started working for a tech startup company about a month and a half ago or so. We are REAL startup, have only 7 people total (including little ole part-time me) in the whole company and we’re making headway and are gonna do well in the end.

I have a degree (or two) in Marketing, and I always was told the value of article marketing and how it can help a company, but I realized during my internship with another startup that I have no idea how to do it and failed miserably when I tried.

Does anybody have any advice/tips/experience-based stories on how I can get an article written about us (or posted…I can write the thing) in places like the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Forbes, stuff like that.

2

What does your company do that might be notable, rare or even unique? Was there anything unusual in the way you all got together to form a company? Do you have any particularly interesting clientele?
Or in other words, What’s the hook?

3

Send out a well-written and interesting press release that would entice the editor to hand it to a writer and say “find out more about this.”

4

Yes we do actually. I can go ahead and explain it if you’re interested but I shyed against it in the onset cuz I didn’t want the board to think I was spamming

Should I send it out via a service (I did this with the old startup) or should I send it to the editor directly? How the hell do I even know who that is and how to reach them?

5

For someone allegedly working for a startup, you show an amazing lack of initiative. If you want to know who covers technology for Forbes, Wired, or the SF Chronicle… You call them and ask. If they won’t tell you… You pick up the publication, and write down the names of people who wrote similar articles.

6

Alternatively, for less effort but considerably more bucks, you hire a PR agency who deals with your field.

7

What in the OP gives you the impression OP’s company is either willing or able to hire a competent PR firm?

8

It would behoove you to cultivate a list of names and addresses - email or other - for media outlets that would be relevant recipients for this and further press releases.

You could use a service but I’m not exactly sure how those work. I suspect they do a lot of sending to PublishMyPressRelease.com and the like, so they can tell you that you just spent all that money to have your press release sent to hundreds of outlets. I’m guessing it might be more fruitful to do it yourself.

9

IMHO - those distribution services are a waste of time and effort.

First step is to write a press release.

A basic guide should be found online, but essentially, all the important information has to be in the first paragraph.

Then find out who covers what for your target publications.

Email each of these people direct with a story angle tailored to their publication. Something that shows you read and understand not only their magazine, but also their column.

After that, a personal follow up call to make sure the email is received.

Don’t limit yourself to only tech - look outside tech to other beats also.