A Quick Video About Talking To The Press

Just like VCs who have a responsibility to their partners, members of the press have a responsibility to their readers, viewers, and listeners. They want to deliver impactful cutting edge news that may affect people. Simply talking about one company’s product isn’t necessarily what’s most meaningful to their audience. When talking to members of the press, we recommend that you: (1) talk about their audience, (2) if you’re familiar with the interest of their audience, offer subject matter expertise, (3) talk about your current product – note: not future iterations – and how it will impact people.  

Try to do your homework on the topics/companies the journalist has written on in the past.  Take a real interest in learning about what interests him or her about startups.  You may have views on the industry that they've never considered.

It's considered poor form to ask a journalist you don't have a relationship with if they're going to publish something about you/your company.  And be sparing with your email contact with them.  Too many points of contact might be considered too pushy and you might give the journalist a bad taste in their mouth.