1. Burrill Competition Discussion: What’s your Biz Pitch for the Media? Melissa Anderson, Director of PR Wisconsin School of Business Live/Archive: Tweetchat #bizpitch

2. Agenda The basics of PR How PR can help you Example from previous Burrill winner What’s news? How you can help your PR Advice from the experts Recap

3. PR Rules! It’s free (sorta) It establishes credibility (third-party endorsement) It reverberates It connects your business with the world It provides a forum to share ideas It generates interest which can generate $

4. Just ask ‘Dancing Matt’

6. Example: Sky Vegetables 2008 Burrill Competition winners 2008 runners-up in Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Competition

7. Media Impact New York Times Green Inc. Blog –NYT website circ: 15,086,201 Harvard Business Blog –HBR web/mag circ: 245,390+ National Public Radio: All Things Considered –NPR web circ: 2,741,496, listeners= Chronicle of Higher Education –Circ: 560,711 (web), 76,322 (mag) Capital Times –Circ: 185,483 (web), comes free w/State Journal

8. What Role Did Media Play? Keith Agoada, founder of Sky Vegetables “The media created Sky Vegetables… once the release was sent our story got picked up and circulated quite rapidly. We had a half-dozen stories written up in the first week. “We were able to raise money and get the company jump-started despite being a rooftop farming co. w/out a farmer, architect or engineer on the team. Now, we have all three. “One of the first investments I made in the company was a PR person.”

9. SV’s Selling Points What does media want to know from SV? –Job creation –Sustainability –Clean tech –Alternative energy –Green –Trend –Urban development –Buy local

10. So, are YOU ready? Questions to ask yourself before pitching the media: –Is my business ready to be introduced? –Do I actually have something to say? –Have I thought about how to say it? –Is what I have to say relevant? –Have I built the appropriate support network to sustain a strong media presence?

11. Be the EXPERT! Tell YOUR story! Know your audience(s) Know your three core messages Know your facts and statistics Have “quotable quotes” or digestible sound bites in mind Anticipate and practice answering both easy and difficult questions Identify possible wild cards Be a resource

12. Analyzing Opportunities Know your target audience and the appropriate outlet Message Understand your potential story topics and directions Know your competition What are the alternative arguments

13. The no-hitter pitch Editors and reporters get hundreds of e-mails a day, so be direct, don’t waste their time or make them guess Use the intro/subject line as a headline. Get creative! Don’t clutter with multiple contacts Be short and provactive. Think elevator pitch! Put message in body of e-mail and provide a link(s) back to your website Don’t spam; use the wire for major announcements

14. What makes your story? Knowing what’s news and what isn’t Find out the trends – read, watch, network Discover your beat(s) –Follow reporters/producers/etc who are covering your beats Be relevant and contribute something Find creative ways to gain attention Sell, sell, sell

15. Other tips Press releases are overrated Reporters like exclusive information It’s OK to be annoying When you talk to someone in the media expect them to be short w/you Be optimistic and passionate Live and breathe your brand Don’t be afraid to show your personality Don’t lie or mislead Be open about the roadblocks, challenges, or about the moment you came up w/the idea

16. Tweet chat: #bizpitch @mvavrinak –Bio: marketing, advertising, PR, economic development @FMGMcNabb –Bio: owner of Fastpitch Media, blogger @marcaross –Bio: grassroots, communications, marketing @standupkid – Bio: Daily digital dispatches: local TV news, its rise, fall, and what's next. @GregTracy –Bio: cofounder and president of Sharendipity, a local software startup.

17. QUESTIONS?