Gain PR for your SaaS - let's find a way together!

Hi Hackers 👋🏼

I'm currently working on the launch of Paperless.io and we've discovered that it's not that easy to attract PR attention.

That's why I talked to a reporter last week who gave us some input. I would like to share and discuss them with you.

If you have any other ideas to gain PR attention I would be happy to hear from you! Together we can certainly add more value to the topic.

Here we go:

Q1: When is my startup interesting to an editorial team or how do I get their attention?

"I think this is a really tough one, as it's so subjective! But startups that are interesting to me are ones that try to do things a bit differently, or think about things in a different way. That doesn't mean they have to be sending rockets to the moon, but startups that try to make a bit of difference in their own field are always interesting."

"For example, I wrote about a company called Amie that is developing a productivity app. They are innovating in a space where there are lots of other players. They're also doing things a bit differently when it comes to hiring: https://sifted.eu/articles/amie-creandum-dennis-muller/"

"One more thing to mention, a good way to pitch a story to the press is to think about how it engages with wider themes happening in the world. For example, I wrote about this travel company when they pitched me a story about raising a funding round during a pandemic, when most people thought travel startups were screwed! https://sifted.eu/articles/travel-startups-holidu/"

Q2: Should I send my story to the general distribution list of the blog/magazine or contact an editor directly?

"Always contact the editor directly. It helps to also address the email with the name of the person you are trying to contact."

Q3: What should I include in the first cover letter? → What does a story need to be interesting?

"Kind of what I said in the first question applies here. Stories also come alive with details of the founder that may be unusual, or give some idea of why that person set up their company/what their mission is."

Q4: Are there special sites where a company can list its story and then be found?**

"I'm not sure about this one to be honest."

Q5: Should I write to several editors / blogs / magazines at the same time?

"Yes, and then just see who comes back to you! Some publications that accept your story might ask you not to share it elsewhere - but it depends!"