In defense of the sensible embargo: How tech startups can do PR right
A little common sense and a good scoop goes a long way
Know when it’s news, know when it’s not
In my experience, startups sometimes struggle to distinguish between what is promotional and what is truly newsworthy. This is totally understandable, as it can be tricky to tell when new developments are happening quickly inside your business.
It’s nonetheless a crucial distinction if you’re going to keep journalists on your side and not stuff their inboxes with unnecessary embargos.
Be considerate by being discerning and realistic. At its heart, the embargo is about keeping things quiet, so only embargo news items that are tied to a specific dateandthat journalists will need additional time to research and write.
Nurturing your relationships with journalists means valuing their time and not treating every single item of your public-facing strategy as uniquely precious.
This means deciding what’s truly newsworthy rather than promotional, then only embargoing the most important newsworthy developments. This includes brand new models and launches, top-to-bottom software overhauls, and game-changing funding announcements with lots of zeros.
High-profile partnerships that coincide with a previously unseen special edition version of your product? Sure. High-profile endorsements and big awards? Those are no doubt wonderful to have, but they land firmly in the promotional camp.
Calling an embargo truce
It’s no accident that despite some determined detractors, the embargo has held on. Part of the reason for that is practical. Startups and tech businesses deal with time-sensitive information by nature, and an evolving effort to prevent leaks will always be part and parcel of this industry.
The best communications people for tech startups and tech giants understand this, and public relations for any industry will always depend on relationships.
That’s why a little courtesy works wonders when it comes to embargoes. Eager startups chomping at the bit can sometimes struggle to see the forest for the trees when trying to get the public excited about their story. Journalists, in turn, can (not unjustifiably) find startups’ public relations efforts a littletoopersistent or impersonal.
Consider both sides of this coin when deciding what and who to embargo, and scrap the mass blast while you’re at it. It’s no PR industry secret that this strategy is the surefire way to get actual results, delivered when you want them, without making any enemies along the way.
Story byAyelet Noff
Ayelet Noff is the Founder and CEO of PR Firm SlicedBrand , a global PR agency headquartered in Europe. Ayelet has 20 years of experience in(show all)Ayelet Noffis the Founder and CEO of PR FirmSlicedBrand, a global PR agency headquartered in Europe. Ayelet has 20 years of experience in public relations and marketing. She has successfully led the PR activities of over a thousand technology companies in various fields, including AI, healthtech, blockchain, mobile, cybersecurity, fintech, lifestyle, and many more.
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