How NOT to pitch TechCrunch your ICO

I attended the ICORating Investment Summit in New York last week.  It was a day of great sessions and panels featuring journalists, investors and those behind successful ICOs. One session I was especially interested in was John Biggs’ talk on marketing. He is a veteran tech reporter who spent years at the New York Times […]

Interview with Benedict Nicholson of NewsWhip

In my last post, I explained that social media data can be used to bolster PR efforts. E.g., knowing that KDnuggets scores higher than the NY Times for social media engagements about machine learning can be a big deal if you work in that space (and that is not just a hypothetical – it is […]

Social Media Data Drives Better PR Results

I have long held a fascination for Newswhip. Their Spike and Analytics solutions provide a wealth of data that can shed light on social media buzz and content performance. But after seeing demos, and even playing around the software, it was unclear exactly how to put Newswhip to work to support media relations. Sure, if […]

Pitch about Nothing, Post about Something

I came to PR in a roundabout way, via engineering, marketing, sales and IT consulting. When I finally landed in PR (at the agency where I still work today), I learned I was good at this. But key experiences along the way led me to wonder what it means to do a good job in […]

ICOs, the new Press Release for a Blockchain World

Crowdfunding burst onto the scene years ago giving startups a way to not only raise money but also build buzz. I wrote that platforms like Kickstarter were the new tech PR press release. Now another form of crowdfunding is rising to prominence. ICOs (initial coin offering) tap into the excitement surrounding bitcoin and blockchain technology.  […]

Fixing Tech’s Image Problem

I am a PR guy. I build brands and polish images. My industry is technology. It is not my client (well, companies within tech are). But if it were, I’d say there’s a problem. Namely I am getting tired of all the articles slamming the tech industry, and painting it with the same brush. Here […]

Great Comedy and PR not So Different, via Seinfeld and Stern

I’ve always been a big fan of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, and like to tell the story of how my friends and I were heckled by him in the 80s, before the eponymous TV show made Seinfeld a superstar. Four of us were sitting in a downtown NYC bar and spied Jerry with a posse (that […]

Hot Startups Join Axis Innovation at NYSE

I enjoyed last year’s Axis Innovation NYSE event, which showcased hot Israeli startups and also included a visit to the floor at the opening bell (you can read more about it here). So when Axis CEO Ed Frank invited me back, I quickly said yes, and attended yesterday. Axis connects investors and corporations with tech […]

Buzzfeed’s Gilad Lotan Chimes in on Network Science and Influencer Marketing

My post 3 ways to Blow out Influencer Marketing Results explained how network science can identify strategically placed influencers, the ones who can spread your message far and wide. The post was inspired by Kelsey Liebert’s Moz article about creating the Majority Illusion, and Gilad Lotan’s post The Network is Everything. It’s a fascinating topic.  […]

What to do when PR hits a Pay Wall

PR folks know the feeling. You put a press release over the wire – and then duck. Not necessarily because of all the press inquiries that come in (wouldn’t that be great)? You duck to avoid the flood of offers from pay-to-play opportunities. Each one needs to be vetted and explained to the client or […]