I don't think I have ever cold-called anyone, it just reminds me of thetelemarketers calling at dinnertime (how quaint, no? We had a "dinnertime" inmy house). Kids these days loathe email (or so I’ve heard) but it can be abeautiful thing, just don't abuse it. Succinctness is something I'm still continuingto work on (can't you tell?). Respect the recipient, whoever they are, and keepthings short. Furthermore, just like feedback emails, be prompt with replies.Journalists in particular are always on deadlines and there's nothing that warmstheir heart more
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than a fast reply with the information they need in an easilydigestible form.
Let’s get coffee sometime
If you’ve gotten a warm response, you’ve done something right, suggest meetingfor lunch or a beverage (it can be tea, boba tea, beer, whatever). And don’t belate. The proposition of a drink/meal isn’t a skeezy bribe, just a convenient wayto become more than an email address to your interviewer. In fact you probablywon’t pay (most reporters expense their meals with interviewees).
Caution: Flak
You'll need a story, every startup has one. We certainly used the "a few youngcollege students in an apartment challenging the massive VC-funded startup"-angle pretty often. I suspect most of you could ride that one, but it’s already a bitstale. Every startup has a unique story, even if they share a common theme.The valuable ability to speak in soundbytes (not the whole time, just for crucialnote-taking moments) is an unfortunate result of most news productionnowadays (television, print, whatever), but it could be the difference betweengetting mentioned in a piece or not. (Another reason why email can be veryeffective when you choose your words carefully). Practice, but don't practice howyou'll say it, practice what you'll say.
"Every interview is another chance to get your message out"
Cynicism and true media relations strategy paradoxically overlap here. This isthe textbook goal, right?
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This is what most reporters, bloggers, and people ingeneral are used to being bombarded with on a regular basis. As startups, weare afforded the unique position of being the antithesis of so much that is wrongwith this current system. People interviewing you, or just interested in your service, are not tools. They will know if you're treating them like one.
Contrary to popular belief
You don't need to be a "people person" or be exceptionally "well-spoken" to befantastic at interviews in any form. Steve was great at demoing reddit andhandling q&a -- it just didn't make any sense for him to be dealing with people allthe time. Ideally, the person who dislikes people the least ought to be the onedrumming up attention. Fortunately, I had a lot of free time in the day after drawing the logo doodle.
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