We at BLASTmedia obviously know the true value in PR and we work a lot with smaller startup companies to help them hit the ground running. It's always nice when someone else recognizes it too, and this week, a great story ran in PR Week that shares the results from a survey conducted by BIGfrontier Communications Group in Chicago.

The article discusses how the survey shows public relations services do in fact aid startup companies with funding efforts. According to the article, the 300 respondents of the survey were from companies nationwide that had received funding within the past three years.

Steve Ludin, founder of BIGfrontier Communications, makes the statement, "When you're able to walk into a room and someone has heard of your company, that goes a lot further in terms of creating a sense of validation rather than walking into a room cold." We couldn't agree with you more, Steve.

Here are the findings:
• Startup companies that engage in PR campaigns are 30% more successful in getting funding within one to three months than those that don't.
• Forty-four percent of the respondents who used PR outreach received funding in the one-to-three-month time period versus 14% of those that did not.
• Seventy-eight percent of respondents who said PR helped in their funding efforts are planning to use some of their VC dollars for additional PR.
• The survey also found that only 18% of the 300 startups surveyed had a PR program in place during the funding process.

Getting money for a startup is a challenge and companies now more than ever are taking closer looks at their budgets, wondering where to cutback. At BLASTmedia, we know the best course of action is to plow ahead to continually gain exposure for our clients, keeping them fresh in the consumers' minds and gaining market share. We are proud to say that many of our clients have received funding shortly after working with us and some have even been bought out by huge companies like Forbes Media and HP. As the results of this survey further prove, PR helps show you the money!

Posted by Ashley at 04:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One week from today, the holidays will be in full swing and shoppers will be out at 3 a.m. fighting tooth and nail for gifts on the busiest shopping day of the year. Despite the down economy, a new Consumer Reports survey shows that 85 percent of Black Friday shoppers intend to buy TVs, DVD players, home-theater systems, and the like - a 15 percent increase from last year.

That's great news for BLASTmedia - We've been pitching holiday gift guides for our tech clients since May! We've been working diligently to get our clients' products in those coveted spots on TV segments, big magazines, newspapers and blogs featuring round-ups of the must-haves for 2008.

Are you planning to spend less, more or about the same amount on holiday gifts for friends and family this year?

Posted by Chantal at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Some people may view November 11 as just another freebie day off work. At BLASTmedia, we're all in the office today, but that doesn't mean today isn't a special day for us. Veterans Day is important to us because most of us know someone that we can personally thank for their proud service in the military:

Kelly:
Grandpa served as a pilot in WWII and Korean War
3 Aunts currently serve in the US Army
Uncle served as a Navy Commander

Chantal:
Grandfather, Jim Brenton, served in the Army during WWII and the Korean War
Grandfather, Joe Gosiniak, served in the Army during WWII
Step Grandfather, Bob Schofield, served in the Air Force during the Korean War
Uncle, Scott Brenton, served in the Army
Friend, Casey Stanley, served as a Marine and fought in Iraq

Ashley:
Dad is a Vietnam Veteran and earned two purple hearts
Grandpa, Bill Borton, served in the Army during WWII
Friend, Mark Bottorff, current Army officer, served in Afghanistan
Friend, Joseph Lipps, served as a Marine in Afghanistan, twice

Lauren:
Boyfriend Mark is a Marine, and thanks to HARO was recently recognized by Teen Scene Magazine.

Heidi:
Father-in-law, Greg Kroft, served in the Army during the Vietnam War
Grandfather-in-law, Bud Curry, served as Plane Captain on B17 388th Block H squadron Knettelshell, England. He was hit by a propeller while trying to put out a plane fire and rescue the pilot at the same time. He was discharged as a Disabled Veteran. He got to England aboard the original Queen Mary that was being used to transport personnel.
Her husband's uncle, Rick Curry, served 4 years in the US Navy. He was a jet mechanic on RA5C reconnaissance planes and made 3 cruises aboard the John F. Kennedy. He also made the first cruise of that ship.

Lindsey:
Best friend, Molly Price, serves as a Marine helicopter pilot and is currently stationed in Afghanistan
Grandfather, Ralph T. Hatter, was a pilot in WWII

Katie:
Grandpa Louis Shaver served in WWII
Grandpa Walter Wagner served in WWII

Hillary:
Grandfather, Clarence "Chub" Money, served in the Navy during the Korean War
Friend, Jamie Johnson, serves in the National Guard and is currently deployed in the Middle East

Margie:
Grandfather, Robert Alerding, served as a commander in the Army during WWII
Uncle, Jim Alerding, served in the Army
Cousin, Kevin Alerding, currently serving in the Army
Aunt, Regina Schaffner, currently serving in the Army

Carey:
Grandpa, Verle Major, served in the Army during WWII and fought at Normandy
Uncle, David Hart, is a Vietnam Veteran

Nationally, there are several high-profile event marking today's importance. In Washington D.C., Veterans Day celebrations are aplenty and recognize each military branch and war. President Bush honored all veterans today by rededicating a WWII aircraft carrier in New York, where you can also celebrate the day with the famous WWII kisser in the above photograph. President Elect Obama chose to commemorate the day by laying a wreath at a Chicago memorial.

If you aren't partaking in national celebrations, you can still find plenty of ways to celebrate our veterans in your own area. You can visit a veteran, participate in a parade, or simply recognize veterans' service with a moment of silence. Or you could take a cue from one man in Illinois and deliver free pizzas to veterans. Regardless of what you do, today is a day for all of us to all show some pre-Thanksgiving gratitude to the men and women who fought - and continue to fight - for our freedom! After all, if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have freedom of the press... and without that right, who would need a PR agency?

Posted by Carey Hart at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I came across a great post from Saul Hansell, a tech writer for the New York Times. He addresses his interaction with PR people and specifically offers advice on email pitches. Like many journalists, Saul's email inbox gets slammed with pitches from PR people. Most of them bad, but some of them very good. What makes a lot of them fall into the bad category? They are lengthy and catchy, but ultimately don't communicate what the company is or what the product does.

We work with many clients who get hung up on the "marketing-speak" and over-complicate product/company description with jargon and flowery words. As PR people, it's our job to "dumb down" the message and communicate it succinctly and effectively to the press. Chances are, you will not know more than the editor you are pitching - you just need to know enough to gain their interest - so it doesn't make sense to over-sell them or be "convincing."

In our pitches, we try to communicate first why a particular journalist's readers would care, then a quick few sentences on what the product/service is. We always err on the side of brevity and take out all of the typical fluffy filler. As Saul mentions in his post - even if the editor can't fit your client into a story now, he can always file away the email and search for it later when the topic does arise. This is only effective, however, if you plainly describe the product and company in the email to easily be found in an email topic search later.

Have you received a particularly bad pitch lately? Please share in the comments below...

Posted by lindsey at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)