This Week's Question

  A. Whether you are a keynote or on a panel, speaking can be a valuable PR opportunity if you think strategically ahead of time. You have three audiences: people attending the conference, your LinkedIn followers, and media who may attend the conference. Let’s evaluate each audience: 

Keynotes generally attract most conference attendees, but panels often run simultaneously on a specific track. Because it’s often difficult to select which panel to attend, you can inform other attendees before the conference, either through an email or a LinkedIn post, or both. 

Similarly, LinkedIn posts can attract your followers, whether or not they attend. If the conference provides a ready-made graphic for your post, use it! If not, create your own, including the topic, as well as noting any well-known panelists joining you. 

As for media, your PR team, whether in-house or agency, can obtain or generate themselves a list of media likely to attend the conference. Alerting them to your panel at least a month in advance is always a good idea as media schedules generally fill up fast. Outreach can lead to highly valuable in-person media interviews at the conference. Occasionally, media will be fully booked at the show but will be good with a call after. The good news is that media interviews can often be secured whether you're speaking or just attending an event.      

  A. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) documents can be very helpful to media covering your news and can lead to more, and better, coverage. When the topic is complex (and what isn’t in quantum?) or when you know the reporter has minimal background in covering quantum companies, an FAQ can make the difference between getting coverage or not. Or between an accurate story, or one filled with misconceptions. Reporters DO want to get your story right, but quantum tech is challenging for most journalists so doing whatever you can to help them is wise. Do make sure to know their focus – is it technical? Or business? Or one of the vertical markets quantum tech will affect? The most effective FAQs are ones that not only state the facts clearly but also include your company’s key messages woven into the answers. Also, it’s important to be clear and jargon-free when interviewed – but that’s another Q&A!     

 A. There are many reasons why a press release does not get the attention the company believes it deserves. Sometimes, the media list is the culprit, and other times the release isn’t distributed or pitched correctly. Unfortunately, it’s often the press release itself, which may include quotes from founders or others from the C-suite, but lacks a third-party validator. The press release must give journalists confidence that the information is objective, accurate and important. The third-party validation may come from a use case partner or a respected academic researcher. You are more likely to achieve positive media coverage when all three line up: a solid release with a third-party validation, a carefully targeted media list, and media outreach that includes strategic pitching.    

A.  When you want your news to be easily searchable on the internet, especially for ChatGPT-related platforms, a fee-based wire service (different from free editorial wires such as AP and Reuters that require significant news to be considered) is needed. While having your news on the wire does not replace customized media outreach, it does give you a URL to use with your social media, website and other uses. It also lets you showcase your news exactly as you want. However, these days using a wire service is not an efficient way to generate legitimate news coverage. A variety of companies provide wire service distribution, some better than others, with varying fees. We believe it is not necessary to use a high-cost wire as the results are similar, just make sure it is a legitimate company.

In contrast, to truly gain editorial coverage, your in-house PR team or PR agency will “pitch” your story to journalists with custom media list. The “pitch” tells the journalist why the news is important, often putting it into context. For stories with technical information, and that describes most quantum tech news releases, giving the journalist context can be critical to coverage. The most efficient media outreach programs use a combination of a wire service and pitching to your custom media list. 

A. First, scan through the three or four most recent episodes and review the topics. Are they relevant to your business? Next, consider the guests. Are the names familiar? Are they executives, subject matter experts, or? Are you a good fit with them? 

Finally, listen to the first five to 10 minutes of an episode to get an idea of the tone of the conversations. Some hosts are formal, others more casual. Think about your comfort level of having a conversation with the host. This review will give insights into whether the podcast is a good fit for your message and use of your time.  

One more thought: podcasts do not always share a listener count, making it difficult to evaluate on that basis. Realize that a podcast interview is often good content to post on your own website and social channels, and to share with prospects. Those uses can be more compelling than the total number of listeners. 

A. In some instances, it is valuable to provide updates about your company in both formats, a press release and a blog. It’s fine to cover all your bases on the bigger stories. But there is a distinction. When the information would not be considered news by reporters, or is very technical in scope, yet you wish to convey this information to your own audiences, a blog post will be less expensive and you are able to write it exactly the way you want it to read. In contrast, if you believe your company news has sufficient news value to appeal to media, write a press release that can be sent to a custom media list, as well as through a fee-based wire service. When accompanied by a strategic pitch, this can lead to interviews and articles beyond the scope of the press release. Over time, you will be able to get a sense of which method works best for your company.

A. Investors want to invest in companies that already are doing well or show strong signs of doing well in the months ahead. In the young quantum industry, doing well doesn’t necessarily mean revenue. It means a logical, defensible road map and a communications program to update progress. Solid communications goes a long way to instilling confidence in potential, and current, investors. Your communications should be consistent across all channels and distributed to both traditional and social media outlets, targeted to reach your desired audience. Recognize that exaggerating claims, or other hype, may gain shortterm interest, but over the long haul, an honest media relations program that is easy to understand works.

 A: Before you begin outreach, create a strategic action plan to guide your next steps, including anticipated news angles. Clarify your media messages – what you want to tell media about your company. Identify and prioritize audiences – who do you want to reach. Ensure your website and selected social media channels reflect the company properly. Make sure your website is up and running for a few days so there are no glitches on launch day. Line-up third-party experts – academics, investors, partners – who can validate your company story with media.