The way I see PR – or parts of it

A regular Chiperoni reader asked about my opinion on Scoble’s recent post on PR and developers.

Not an easy question to answer. I’ve been following a pragmatic way. And I’m in a smallish company where I need to generate interest rather than block off journalist queries. A very different situation.

I would tend to agree more with Guy Kawasaki’s DIY list of PR tips. I’ve had good experiences with being authentic and sticking to the truth. There’s so much marketing glib out there. In my experience, journalists prefer talking to somebody that knows the product 😉 but can explain the big picture. Some PR folks want to control the message yet know too little about the product.

But Kawasaki also says you should try to find an interesting story. Just presenting the tech. specifications or technology highlights isn’t really going to thrill anybody. And that’s a pitfall some developers may fall into. And many small IT companies want to appear serious and established. Whereas looking dynamic and fast-moving would scare the established competitors more.

As the comments show being secretive isn’t going to work the same way for all companies. And IMHO, Scoble profits more from developer or entrepreneur interviews than polished PR interviews.

In our fast-moving world, bad or inaccurate press stories may also generate good attention. Cos some people will look closer to form their own opinion.

This sums up my current strategy.

With the usual disclaimer: off the top of my head and unreflected….

By nchenga

Nchenga-nchenga is my nickname. Chiperoni.ch is my online playground, scrap book, and on-going collection of bookmarks and interesting quotes. Chiperoni is a Malawian term for cold, grey, rainy weather. I am a bridge blogger somewhere between Basel and Blantyre. The opinions and comments expressed here are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in anyway. So far, this blog is free of advertising or paid articles or similar.

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