Discuss this article or ask me any questions you may have.
10
Ok, so, as the journalist who is being talked about here, much of the above is true, although the fact that the pitch came via a warm introduction is a little overweighted. Honestly, if a founder reaches out direct, having done their homework, it makes no or very little difference if it is cold or a warm intro as far as I'm concerned. Ultimately, the reason why I took the call is it was a good and early example of a UK/European startup that is using Open Banking (or what will become Open Banking) as a feature of a non-banking product, and, as the post says, fintech and the wider fintech ecosystem is right in the middle of my sweet spot. During the call, it was Leandro's pitch to lose - although in most ways his startup was a little early for TC, as I often look for some more validation for a company so young. However, he was convincing enough. Of course, the product itself is partly aimed at startups/scaleups, and that is TC's core audience, too. Plus, there is always luck involved, so I'm not sure how replicable this "hack" is (not everything is a hack!).
4
Hey there! You're right, and the term 'hack' is very loosely used here - if anything a bit of fun. Like with startups, most things are assumptions, which is why I said 'why I think it worked'.
The main thing was relevance, and I think that still holds true. And of course some luck, but I mentioned that.
Mentioned this on Twitter before, but will say it again here: "Thanks a million for featuring us!"
1
That makes sense, but do you actually go through every pitch you receive before deciding which ones to pursue / follow on, or do you have any filters? I would imagine something that came through from a warm connection would immediately be on your "watch" list, as opposed to a message from a complete stranger.
Appreciate you following up on the post!
4
If it is a European startup. I read every pitch, or at least the email subject and first few lines. I used to reply to everyone but my volume has made that less realistic, but I'm still more responsive than most. Warm intros have most value from long term contacts/sources, including a few VCs, but these I can probably count on two hands at most. I did my own startup once, so I have a lot of empathy for those starting out and my calling card is getting to know founders and investors early, and getting PR people out of the way at the first chance. However, one tip I would echo: be useful to journalists, not just at the point that you need them.
3
Can you disclose how much traffic you received from Techcrunch directly?
3
Sure, just over 3000 pageviews and counting. Still at the top of /Europe and /Startup sections, so expecting this to climb significantly.
1
Any updates on the stats?
2
8500+ pageviews, 500+ signups
2
5300 pageviews and counting. Will get back with signup numbers.
1
And do you have signups?
1
8500+ pageviews, 500+ signups
1
Will get back to you with signup numbers.
1
Great if you update on this
1
8500+ pageviews, 500+ signups
1
Congrats and thanks for the details!
1
Thanks!
1
Very cool! Thank you for sharing this. It's very insightful!
1
Thank you!
1
Did you receive any additional press coverage from other sources, based on TC original post? Or offers, cooperation deals?
1
Not yet. I'll be working on trying to get additional coverage over the next week.
1
nothing to say except congrats! Isn't there a startup that helps submit stories to journos?
2
Thank you! Yes, there are a few startups that help with this. I actually used Promotehour before, some time ago to no avail.
Even if you used these services, I think relevance is still key. Luckily all this happened before needing them again.
1
i think i would like to follow some techcrunch reporters on twitter to build a relationship too. apart from Steve O’Hear do you have any others you'd recommend? (i'm aware that its highly dependent on the context but just picking your brain)
1
I didn't have a relationship prior to being featured, as I only came across Steve because he wrote about TrueLayer - that was the link.
I wouldn't want to make a recommendation as I don't know. What you can do, is search for articles on your competition, then target those journalists - even outside of TechCrunch.
Keep an eye on, and get a feel for what the individual journalists write about, to see where you can fit in - that's the key, as they will want to write about stuff they are interested in, or what is tied to their brand.
When you have that, then you can start reaching out naturally on Twitter, to make yourself seen/heard, before eventually sending your pitch. Always better if you can get an intro, so keep your eyes pealed.
Ok, so, as the journalist who is being talked about here, much of the above is true, although the fact that the pitch came via a warm introduction is a little overweighted. Honestly, if a founder reaches out direct, having done their homework, it makes no or very little difference if it is cold or a warm intro as far as I'm concerned. Ultimately, the reason why I took the call is it was a good and early example of a UK/European startup that is using Open Banking (or what will become Open Banking) as a feature of a non-banking product, and, as the post says, fintech and the wider fintech ecosystem is right in the middle of my sweet spot. During the call, it was Leandro's pitch to lose - although in most ways his startup was a little early for TC, as I often look for some more validation for a company so young. However, he was convincing enough. Of course, the product itself is partly aimed at startups/scaleups, and that is TC's core audience, too. Plus, there is always luck involved, so I'm not sure how replicable this "hack" is (not everything is a hack!).
Hey there! You're right, and the term 'hack' is very loosely used here - if anything a bit of fun. Like with startups, most things are assumptions, which is why I said 'why I think it worked'.
The main thing was relevance, and I think that still holds true. And of course some luck, but I mentioned that.
Mentioned this on Twitter before, but will say it again here: "Thanks a million for featuring us!"
That makes sense, but do you actually go through every pitch you receive before deciding which ones to pursue / follow on, or do you have any filters? I would imagine something that came through from a warm connection would immediately be on your "watch" list, as opposed to a message from a complete stranger.
Appreciate you following up on the post!
If it is a European startup. I read every pitch, or at least the email subject and first few lines. I used to reply to everyone but my volume has made that less realistic, but I'm still more responsive than most. Warm intros have most value from long term contacts/sources, including a few VCs, but these I can probably count on two hands at most. I did my own startup once, so I have a lot of empathy for those starting out and my calling card is getting to know founders and investors early, and getting PR people out of the way at the first chance. However, one tip I would echo: be useful to journalists, not just at the point that you need them.
Can you disclose how much traffic you received from Techcrunch directly?
Sure, just over 3000 pageviews and counting. Still at the top of /Europe and /Startup sections, so expecting this to climb significantly.
Any updates on the stats?
8500+ pageviews, 500+ signups
5300 pageviews and counting. Will get back with signup numbers.
And do you have signups?
8500+ pageviews, 500+ signups
Will get back to you with signup numbers.
Great if you update on this
8500+ pageviews, 500+ signups
Congrats and thanks for the details!
Thanks!
Very cool! Thank you for sharing this. It's very insightful!
Thank you!
Did you receive any additional press coverage from other sources, based on TC original post? Or offers, cooperation deals?
Not yet. I'll be working on trying to get additional coverage over the next week.
nothing to say except congrats! Isn't there a startup that helps submit stories to journos?
Thank you! Yes, there are a few startups that help with this. I actually used Promotehour before, some time ago to no avail.
Even if you used these services, I think relevance is still key. Luckily all this happened before needing them again.
i think i would like to follow some techcrunch reporters on twitter to build a relationship too. apart from Steve O’Hear do you have any others you'd recommend? (i'm aware that its highly dependent on the context but just picking your brain)
I didn't have a relationship prior to being featured, as I only came across Steve because he wrote about TrueLayer - that was the link.
I wouldn't want to make a recommendation as I don't know. What you can do, is search for articles on your competition, then target those journalists - even outside of TechCrunch.
Keep an eye on, and get a feel for what the individual journalists write about, to see where you can fit in - that's the key, as they will want to write about stuff they are interested in, or what is tied to their brand.
When you have that, then you can start reaching out naturally on Twitter, to make yourself seen/heard, before eventually sending your pitch. Always better if you can get an intro, so keep your eyes pealed.
What's this for, what space are you in?