Do start-ups dream of electronic ink?

Given my (now past) background as a world-renowned PR guru, I still get the occasional request from friends and acquantences on how their start-up can get valuable media coverage.

(In fact, I got a request today from a friend of mine who is launching a new personal finance/document management tool LifeCellar… Hey Bulfer, free plug… I’m sure it will earn you millions!)

So I was happy to randomly come across this short, but insightful article appropriately entitled: 5 Ways For Small Companies To Better Engage Reporters.

The advice here is pretty good and fine place to start off when thinking about a PR campaign for a small firm.

I’m a huge fan of advice #2 (company blog) and #5 (provide easy access to imagery). Both of these really help a company talk to its market on its own terms, in its own voice.

Advice #1 (online news room) and #4 (give background information) are so obvious at this point that if you haven’t figured this out, you don’t deserve to be in business.

The advice I would give on #4 is that start-ups shouldn’t be afraid to compare themselves to existing brand-names. Too often companies think they are doing some thing so earth-shatteringly new, that it defies all comparisons.

This line of thinking makes you look clueless, arrogant and so up-you-own derrière that you wouldn’t know proper market analysis if it came up on you and dumped tonnes of volcanic ash. Plus, trying to defy comparison makes it difficult for other to understand what you’re doing. People like comparisons and examples, it helps make sense of the world.

The final thought, #3 (distribute to own social network) makes sense, although your friends may get sick of getting spammed by you. Some would advocate setting up a Twitter account or a FB page. I’m on the fence on these. I think they are nice-to-haves but not sure if they really help. May be a good way to maintain supporters/users, but not a great way to sign new ones up.