Category: Service

I’m not an expert Padel Tennis (Padel) player, but I’ve been playing a fair amount of this addictive game recently. Many years ago, I squeezed in to my county tennis squad, so I thought I’d be a Padel ninja. But it’s very different and if you try to play it like tennis, you’ll soon come unstuck! 

I wondered (a little strangely perhaps) if there were any connections between Padel and the challenges tech firms face when they develop their PR programmes, so here are five initial commonalities.  

• Get your positioning right

In Padel, positioning is key and you need to work with your partner–take the net together, move back together and be attentive to where you are on the court, in relation to each other and your opponent. 

In PR, it’s similar: you need to understand your position in relation to your competition. How? By research and building your messages, to define the best PR strategy to help you move to where you want to be.   

• Preparation, preparation, preparation

In Padel—like all sports–you need to stretch and practice before the game. Failing to prepare and not warming up will result in injury and put you out of action.

Similarly, when conducting a PR programme, having the right messages sorted is vital, but have you practiced and rehearsed delivering them to ensure they ‘land’ with your target audiences? You normally have just one shot. So, if you ‘fail to prepare’ then ‘prepare to fail’.

• The importance of consistency  

My Padel partner likes to smash/kill most of the balls. While finishing the point matters, consistency (and finesse) is key to winning most points. My current view, when starting in Padel, or your PR programme is you should be more like Borg or Federer (with ice-man-type consistency) than Nick ‘bad boy’ Kyrgios. 

In PR, whilst killer campaigns do play a role, once you are executing your PR programme, it’s advisable to be patient and don’t always look for instant (but risky) mindshare grabs. 

It’s better to be consistent in your communications, as success doesn’t happen overnight. So, do the hard work every day (or on every point) as that’s the way to win the game on a consistent basis.

• Partnership is more than just a word 

Both Padel and PR are team games, so partnerships are key. In Padel, working closely with your partner is vital: talking and encouraging each other pre-, during- and post-matches can make all the difference. 

By the same token, working in partnership with your executive team, and the right PR agency team that can effectively advise and seamlessly execute will take you that bit further.

• Analyse and evaluate

In Padel, a level of analysis is useful—both as you’re playing and after the game to see how you could adjust your tactics, do better next time or deal with a specific opponent. 

And in B2B tech PR, evaluation is just as important. You need to integrate the right outcomes, yet be flexible as you progress your plan, given what is happening in and outside the business.

So, in summary, and injuries aside, I’m learning so much about this great new game via Instagram and by watching/speaking to my peers who are ahead of me on that Padel learning curve. So, do the same with the experience, insights and know-how your PR partner can offer.

I am sure there are many other commonalities, but the most important one in Padel and PR is to have fun!

To discuss your PR programme for 2024 (or Padel technique) click to book a short intro strategy call.

Building and maintaining a consistent and impactful earned media relations program in the United States (and indeed the UK) is a long-term investment for scale-up technology companies. 

In the challenging US-based tech media landscape, when a tech scale-up has ‘allegedly’ a great product proposition, and a sound business strategy, but no exposure, they can easily get buried among their lesser competitors. These ambitious tech businesses, with no media presence will find it even harder to stand out from the crowd, with current and prospective, investors, customers, partners and employees. So what can be done?

Here are some tips from one of our top quality PR partners on the west coast of America, who has outlined the Seven Tips for a successful US-based media relations program. 

1- PR could actually stand for personal relationships. Build them! Read, read, read. Do your homework on EACH journalist, their beats, their story writing style, their foibles, their proclivities. Today, social media offers ample opportunity to see what makes them tick and discover that entry point.

2– Strive to be a resource of insightful information to journalists. Be steeped in knowledge, not just a buzzword bingo pitcher. And don’t just pitch your client, but broader industry topics that have relevance for the reader, and your client.

3— In your pitches, set out the context and the why now. Answer the 5Ws and an H: who, what, where, when, why and how. These are the basic tenets of journalism.

4– Email blasts don’t work. Period. Once you accomplish #1, you will craft smart, custom pitches that can grab the media’s attention.

5– If at first you don’t succeed, try try, again. Timing is everything. Make sure your pitches are in sync with the news flow – e.g.: in tech, don’t try to pitch journalists on the day Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft (or those other larger beasts) are making their announcements, or you’ll be drowned out.

6– Have your own opinion. Vocalize. Be clever and smart. Maybe even a bit sassy. This builds your own brand and establishes street cred.  As with #1, follow journalists, go where they are (including on the right social media platforms), read their work, engage in conversation on the topic, the trend, the news developments relevant to your work. 

7 — News? The old adage man bites dog still rules but most times we do NOT have real “news” to offer the media. Yet clients often believe they do. Our job is to properly position the client within the larger industry and to pay attention to timely market news and trends, where the client is relevant and has something to say. Help the journalist understand that by talking with our client, they will gain greater insight into their beat.

Hopefully, you are living by these lucky seven tips (and we’re sure there are more), but if you want to discuss your US (and/or your UK) PR and media relations program needs, then click here to call to book a short intro strategy call to discuss your comms needs for 2024.

Whether you’re still lounging on your holiday sunbed, with a Piña colada in hand, or steadfastly steering the comms and PR ship for your business, it’s important for marketing and comms executives to consider what’s key when on the hunt for that perfect agency comms partner.

1. Define the Team & Cultural Fit: One time, my agency team thought we’d won the business after delivering a great PR pitch to a tech firm… only to have its marketing director challenge us with a group task to complete in 20 minutes to evaluate our teamwork. Despite feeling like we had lost control of the meeting, we displayed agility, creative thinking, and addressed the challenge well, ultimately winning the business. To ensure a successful PR partnership, meet or speak with the team members who will be running your PR campaign and assess if their skills align with your requirements.  Are they resourceful, proactive, agile, and consultative?  How will they work with your internal stakeholders? Do they have the X factor you need?
    
2. Get Clear on Business Goals: Transparency is crucial; you need to share your company’s real business goals upfront–whether that’s driving sales leads, establishing a better position in your tech category to attract an acquisition, or seeking investment to expand overseas. Define and prioritise the key goals, as they should shape the comms objectives and, ultimately, your PR programme.
    
3. Communicate the PR Goals: Be crystal clear about the PR objectives you want to achieve: is it driving more positive industry analyst engagement, or gaining higher media share of voice compared to your competitors? It’ll help you both to know what you really want, and it avoids later disappointments. Include at least three key messages for the PR campaign to guide the agency’s thinking. If you’re unsure about that at this stage, that’s fine, but identify it as a priority to work together on from the outset. Additionally, provide clarity on target audiences and geographic areas where regional assistance may be appreciated.
    
4. Reach Measurement Heaven: Indicate how you’ll want to be measuring success for your organisation and its executives. Any agency worth your money should have concrete initial views on measurement criteria, e.g., industry measurement best practice.  Ensure alignment from the beginning: you can’t improve what you can’t measure.
    
5. Outline Your Budget: Don’t leave agencies guessing what the stakes are here. Be explicit about your budget or at least provide a range. This enables the agency to create a well-suited campaign for you and establishes a level playing field. Budget clarity will also help rule out agencies that might not be the right fit, saving time for everyone involved.

All in all, investing time in to crafting a thoughtful, business-oriented brief that communicates your requirements in a communications partner is worth doing as it will ensure you receive quality proposals from agencies that align with your needs.

That’s because while team fit, culture, and chemistry matter, creating a comprehensive brief upfront will lead you to the most suitable PR partner which really is equipped with the right set of skills to elevate your planned communications blitz to the next level. 

Now, get back to your Summer holiday!