How to Get Press at Launch

Background

We did a mini-launch of Keysmith on Product Hunt a couple weeks ago, and now we're trying to figure out how we might get some press around a more formal launch.

I thought my research might be helpful for others in a similar boat! And I've got some questions at the end for folks who are farther along in the journey.

What I've learned so far

1️⃣ From Rick Martin's What Tech Journalists Want

Press want news that is new.

These all count:

• app launch
• a new version with new features, new localization
• download milestones
• notable partnership
• fundraising

Have a good press kit.

Put it at /press and link to it in your website's footer. Include:

• Company logo(s)
• Screenshots, highest resolution possible
• Team photo
• FAQ (update this over time)
• Contact info (email address is more assuring than a form)

Finding Journalists on Twitter

When you find a journalist that you think might be a good candidate, look to see what Twitter list he/she is on. You might find other journalists who cover that same beat.

2️⃣ From Matthew Barby's Growth Hacking Tips

Create a PR Hit List

Make a spreadsheet of journalists to reach out to using backlink analysis (i.e. see who's linking to your competitors) with a tool like Ahrefs.

Once you have those, he's got a whole post on How to Find Anyone's Email Address.

Set Up & Respond to Press Request Alerts

Use a service like HARO to get press requests you might be able to help a reporter with. See the post for more details on how to filter requests.

3️⃣ From @kaxline's How to Get Press for Your Project

The idea is to do a reporter's job for them. Think of the headline, the story, and sketch it all out. Then pitch it to them. Like for Slingcode, I'd find the outlets that write about coding for kids. Then see the type of stories they do. Then maybe pitch a round-up of "Best Free Tools For Kids To Learn Web Development". The key is to not just make it about Slingcode, but actually offer value to a reader using your existing knowledge, and doing your own research.

That way, from the reporter's perspective, they're getting a high-value article with research that they didn't have to do, for free. Does that make sense? It's kind of a weird endeavor. But as someone who used to get pitched for product coverage all the time, I can tell you it has a good chance of success.

If you do get an article, be sure to post links to it everywhere and promote it for the reporter.

Questions for the Pros

• Did we miss the boat by "launching" on Product Hunt already? Part of me is worried they'll say it's not news that we launched since it's already been posted there. (Is that silly? That feels kinda silly.) Alternatively, should we mention we got 400+ upvotes on PH?
• Can we say we're officially launching with a post on Hacker News on say October 1st and ask for a press embargo until then? (Part of me is worried they might want exclusivity in order to agree to an embargo or something, but again that feels silly. They're probably not gonna care about our little indie app very much. I guess I'm just not sure if it's standard / best practice to ask for an embargo, or if that even matters.)
• I'd love to hear about your experience with getting press on launch. Did I miss anything important above?