One of the most effiicent ways to be discovered by media, analysts, and bloggers is to write interestesting, helpful, and compelling content on your startup's blog.

Old School Typewriter shot by me last year while traveling.

While this may seem to be overstating the obvious, I am amazed at how many startups I meet with and ask, "where the fuck is your blog?"

The general response is... and general answer back is...

1.  It takes too much time:

You don't have to post daily.  Write something once a week.

2.  We have nothing to say:

Oh yes you do.  

You're disrupting an industry, you've got your pulse on beta users, studying industry research, getting help from mentors, and much more.  

3.  We are not in sales mode.

Even better.  Your goal is not to sell anything.  Your goal should be to be helpful and a resource to the media on your particular market segment.  

4.  We're still in stealth.

Stay in stealth.  

Maybe you illustrate your humanity and share some of the struggles, the joy and the changes you are going through in bringing your startup to life.  

I'll help you figure it out.  Free.  No charge.  Let me show you how.

The first five startups that email me a link to their site, and pitch me on what your doing, and what makes you interesting, I'll give you 30 minutes to help you get going on your blogging / story telling initatives.  alan at weinkrantz dot com.

Here's a technique I use when I am doing research for clients on who we could engage with and eventually pitch a story to:  track conferences and events relative to your space and see who is speaking.

Often times, music journalists moderate music tech conferences, security bloggers might speak at - you guessed it, a security conference.  And lo and behold, an industry analyst might release the findings of a survey about networking gear, one of their own conferences or as a guest speaker at a related event.

There's Always A Paper Trail of Opportunity on The Web 

If you put your sleuth hat on, dig in and discover, reserach and engage with targeted universes who are not only visible, but could help you amplify your message, vision and smarts.

We are now well into the month of January of our new year. 

Hopefully, you're rested, refreshed, and caught up on email backlog.

Being a new year and all, and in a time of starting anew, is it time to refresh and pivot your message?

Maybe what you did and how you said it has not just changed, but evolved.

Take some time and re-evaluate your message. 

An ever so slight tweak to your message, might be the best move you can make before the month is over.

A startup's blog is a great vehicle for story telling, and being found by media.

Your startup's blog is a seat at the table for journalists, bloggers and industry analysts to discover and share your insights, expertise and knowledge on the market you are creating.  Photo shot at Geekdom, San Antonio.

It's also a great clue to a journalist, blogger or industry analyst that you have deep and original thinking and could be a great source for them on not just covering your company, but an industry trend that you are either creating or part of.

Here's some tips:

1.  If you are going to blog, do something more that overstate the obvious with links to articles from Mashable,  Read Write Web or TechCruch (unless it's about you).   Journalists can find that on their own.

2.  Build a story around what you are doing, not just what you are doing.  Share feedback from customers, what you are finding and how you are helping.

3.  Post content from conferences and trade shows you might go to.  Report on what you are seeing, who you are connecting with, and how your solution or platform fits into the world at large.

4.  Don't overstate the obvious.  If a journalist finds you, and discovers your blog, this is your first point of entry in raising the potential of possibly gaining media coverage.  Make a good impression with deep thinking and good writing.

5.  Post once a week.  At a minimum.  If you go dark for a month or two, it shows you're out to lunch.

I am already getting a jump on 2012 New Year's Resolutions and trying my hardest to make them stick.

I'm adjusting tone, volume and sound to new opportunities in 2012.

Photo shot by me over at the best Guitar Store in Texas, Redbone Guitar Boutique.

Now, through the end of December, I am starting to clear the decks for new opportunities in the year to come.

1.  Opting Out

Unsubscribe to newsletters and user groups that no longer benefit you, or have worn out their welcome.  

I'm trying to get away from PR / Social Media / Content related sites and focusing more on innovation, emerging technology, and discovering new voices.  

2.  Not responding to every ask

It's ok to say no.  It's ok not to respond, or not respond immediately.

We all try to be helpful to each other, but some times, I get the feeling that many of think that just because we have someone's email address and need a favor, we can not only ask, but expect / hope for an immediate response.

The same goes with journalists that I pitch.  I know that not every pitch I make is going to stick, let alone get a response.  

3.  Managing expectations

When I do help someone, I also try to manage their expectations.  Helping is good, but if I am not in a position to take something on or get invovled in their cause is really ok.  This has nothing to do with money or getting paid for time.  It has to do with respecting the fact that not everyone is going to be gung ho about the stuff I am gung ho about and visa verse.  

4.  Building deeper on line relationships by listening more

I "listen" by reading, by following a stream, tracking someone's trip on Facebook, or hearing a person's voice when they are in pain.  If you listen hard enough to someone's writing, their photos, or the videos they may share, you can better understand their persona, and when the time / chance arises, connect in the real world.

I find this an effective way to stay engaged with the amazing people I am fortunate to meet as I travel on busines, for fun, or through the growing #140Conf community.  Keeping up from afar is a good way to see what my online friends are doing and re-engage when I see them at events. 

Yes, this really works and it has nothing to do with business.  It has to do with casting a wider net, and using social platforms to keep you eyes and ears open and be inspired by like minded people.  

5.  Returning the favor...

I can't help every startup on the world, but I think I have some good ideas and insights in how to effectively do some elements of PR that can, for the most part be done by yourself or your team.

I have no clue if this will, or will not lead to new business.  That's not my intent.  My intenet is to remain thinking like a startup because it benefits my regular clients that have funding and budgets to to work with me.  And even if there is a budget to work with, thinking like a startup keeps us all focused, hungry and lean.

This is half of my list.  My goal is to get to ten realistic, manageable and actionable resolutions.  I have twelve more in my head, but I need to sort them out and whittle it down to five.

So.....how about you?  

What's on your radar for making your life and the world at large a slightly better place?

Application stories are a powerful medium to tell your story.  It’s one thing to tout your product, platform, technology, solution, and it’s a whole other when your customers or partners can share its real world applications and benefits.

Photo shot somewhere in Iceland by me (c) 2007

 It’s Not About You 

Make your customer / partner the hero of your story, not you.  There’s tons and tons of great and way cool technology out in the world.  In fact, there’s way too much of it.  The way to best approach an application story strategy is to focus on how the customer applied and benefited from the application.   

Find Your Internal Champion

This is generally your direct customer - the person who is in charge of a team who is deploying your technology.  Best way to start is to ask.  Explain that you are trying to share their story in hopes that others can benefit from your solution as they have.  

Some customers won’t want to do this, as they may see your technology as a competitive weapon or having a leg up on their competition.  If this is the case, find a champion customer who this won’t be an issue with.

Get Permission

Getting your champion to approve this initiative is gets you half the way there.  

Publicly traded or heavily regulated companies will more than likely require approval from a legal department.  Some companies require a media relations person involved.  

In other cases, such as education, your mileage may vary depending on a school’s policy.  Security application stories can get sticky, since it involves, well - security.  You may have the best to way to keep the bad guys out of your network, but it may turn out to be an uphill battle to get your candidate story teller to share their story about how they used, and applied your solution.

Explain Your Intent

There are many applications for application stories.  These could be profiles of your customers on your site, for use in the reseller channel, and of course, for possible media coverage.

Particularly when it’s for potential media coverage, get the customer involved.  “We think your story belongs in ________, how about you?”  Even if you think you know where they story would be a great fit, ask your customer what they read, and in ranking order, where they think the story would be a great fit.  I am always amazed to see how insightful the end user’s point of view is vs. the mindset of a PR person like me. 

Empower Your Customer in the Process

When you approach your customer about doing an application story, explain to them that nothing goes live, nothing gets pitched, nothing sees the day of light, unless they approve it.  And even if you go through the entire process and there is a change of heart, assure them that they have a way out, and that the story simply goes away and never happened.

Shaping Your Story

Start off with the basics.... who are you, what do you do, what does your company do, what markets do you serve, where are you located, etc.  Then, get into the story.  What were you doing before, how did you pilot the program, who was involved, how long did the process take, what have your learned in the process, what’s made you more productive, more profitable?  

Beyond the Printed Word

Grab some video.  Take some photos.  Think like a Life Magazine or National Geographic story teller.  While your focus is on written content, support it with other media.  You don’t need a videographer or professional photographer to do this.  Hone in on your skills, or find someone inside the company who can help you produce the media.  Even if you don’t use the content today, you might find it useful for a user conference, investor pitch, or for great feedback to your R&D team.

Disruptive Is Good

In some cases, your offering may be a positive disruptor.  Maybe it helps companies transition from one way of thinking to another.  Perhaps you’ve helped disrupt, reinvent and even discover new ways to do things.   

Above and beyond any type of ROI or cost savings, maybe what you have to offer has helped a company enter new markets, kill off  a dying market space and reinvent it as something new.

Application stories keep you honest and on track to help you tell your story from the mind’s eye of others.