167: Get Free Earned Media for a New Hardware Product

Jackson Wightman is the co-author of The Tech PR Playbook, a book that synthesizes 20 years of PR knowledge into a single resource. He is also the co-founder of Proper Propaganda, a public relations firm that primarily works with hardware startups and scale-ups. He is also an instructor at McGill University with an MBA, Masters in Poli Sci, and a BA. Today Jackson is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what earned media is, specifically for hardware companies, why earned media and press is so valuable, and what are the best practices for getting free coverage from major hardware journalists and publications. Today you will hear us talk about: Hardware startups generally don’t understand what earned media is, and especially how to best utilize it for your product Defining what is earned media is for a hardware startup Editorial media coverage. Why earned media can be so valuable to a hardware startup You are not paying for it, and thus it is heavily trusted by readers. Earned media is far more trusted than advertisements. Earned media can be repurposed to help sell your product or increase the visibility to your various stakeholders, not just customers and investors, but also partners, and prospective employees. There is a huge amount of power in brand equity. Articles that are earned are evergreen, meaning that they last forever. Things to stand out and differentiate to get great earned media To get in, first understand that it is competitive to get into a journalist and media outlet Then think then about how you can differentiate your product and product story from what is already out there. The second thing is to target the correct media. Pitch the correct journalist, reporters, and the correct media outlet for your specific type of hardware. Have good assets, make sure the prototype works and make sure the instructions work. Try and get someone who is new to the product to test out your samples. Feature-creeped products are the hardest to get earned media. The Tech PR Playbook EPISODE LINKS: Jackson Wightman Links: LinkedIn | Book | Agency The Product Startup Podcast Links: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook Page | Facebook Group | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube PTC Links: https://www.ptc.com/ OnShape | Creo Mako Design Links: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter Partner: PTC’s best-in-class software solutions Onshape: The only cloud-native product development platform that delivers full-featured computer-aided design (CAD), integrated product data management (PDM) and enterprise analytics in a single system, and Creo: 3D CAD solution that provides designers with the most innovative tools to build better products faster, such as generative design, additive manufacturing, real-time simulation, IIoT, and augmented reality. Producer: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.