The constant increase in value and significant competition in the IT market cause more and more companies from this economic sector to decide to start Public Relations activities. Because of this, the group of media dealing with this industry is becoming increasingly important. How to cooperate with them so that all parties benefit?According to analysts from PMR, the Polish IT sector is currently characterized by stable value growth. In 2019, it was valued at over 34 billion PLN, and it is expected to grow at a rate of 3 percent annually in the near future. On one hand, this is driven by the steadily increasing demand for CRM, ERP, and Business Intelligence systems, and on the other — by the emergence and development of IT startups introducing the latest technologies in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things. The dynamic growth of the industry is visible in many fields, one of which is the activity of enterprises in the broadly understood area of PR. To stand out from the competition and attract the attention of potential clients, both large IT companies and startups increasingly turn to PR agencies.
In the case of communication for technologically advanced projects, one of the most important recipient groups are industry media. Journalists working there are able to understand and describe often very complex technological issues. Cooperation between PR specialists and journalists in this industry is especially valuable because these media strongly rely on the information provided to describe emerging innovations and changes in the market. This is also the opinion of Karolina Marszałek, a journalist I interviewed from the industry monthly Computer Reseller News Polska. – I highly value cooperation with people responsible for PR, especially in the context of obtaining information and answers to questions from IT producers. The same applies to distribution companies and system integrators. These are the companies I, as a journalist, approach to request opinions and to describe the current situation in a given IT market sector..
Long-term cooperation pays offRegardless of whether it concerns the corporate printing sphere or the mobile phone market, cooperation between IT journalists and PR specialists is indispensable. In this aspect, both journalists and PR professionals appreciate long-term cooperation. – I collaborate best with people who have been servicing a given company for years. Sometimes you can approach them urgently for some information, with the confidence that they will do — if not everything — then a lot to help me. Most often, it is about getting a statement from a specialist, who is usually busy and pressed for time. PR professionals responsible for a given company for years or those who have worked in that company for many years know its business well, understand its attitude towards related issues, and possess such knowledge that they can even suggest to the journalist what else can be investigated to supplement their knowledge and write a better article. – notes Karolina Marszałek from CRN. Such cooperation also has great value from the PR professional’s perspective. Long-term collaboration allows for a much more effective communication process with the journalist. A PR specialist’s job is much easier when they know exactly what the person needs to become interested in the topic or to use information about the company in the created material. Due to the high specialization of IT media, it often happens that a given topic (such as broadcasting technology or programmatic advertising) is actually handled by one or two people across the entire country. Therefore, establishing and maintaining positive relationships with key journalists is an absolute priority. There is no place for bulk, thoughtless mailings here. The benefits of long-term cooperation are very significant and constitute one of the main reasons why a company should focus on long-term PR strategies..
Who is a good IT PR specialist?A good IT PR specialist is one who knows at least as much about the described technology as their client does. A high level of knowledge is necessary because the foundation of cooperation with the media is the information and press materials provided. The account manager not only has to obtain and send these to the journalist but should also be able to verify them and indicate those that will provide real value to the given medium. IT media are among the most substantive, and providing them with unverified data or “marketing fluff” jeopardizes relationships built over many years. Every PR professional should remember that the journalist they are talking to usually has many years of experience and/or is passionate about the topic they cover. IT journalists are people with extensive and detailed knowledge, so they can very quickly verify the transmitted information for accuracy and timeliness. Therefore, both during conversations with them and in the press materials sent, attempts to “color reality” should be avoided, and instead, the focus should be on what is most valuable for the given journalist – specific product and service data, well-documented implementation case studies, or interesting facts about the company’s operations. Although such situations are rare, journalists admit that they still encounter PR people who cannot correctly verify the accuracy of the information sent. Such situations usually occur when the person responsible for communication is just beginning their career in this industry. – It happens that the “ordered” information supplied by PR specialists is overloaded with marketing and is often unsuitable for use in editorial text. Unrestrained “pushing” of marketing slogans causes the journalist to drop the company’s statements from the article – which ultimately is disadvantageous for all parties: for the company whose PR the person is responsible for, for that person, and for the journalist who, after often quite a long wait for responses, is left with nothing. – notes Karolina Marszałek from CRN. It even happens that sentences which add no substantive value and disrupt the flow of the conversation are inserted during interview authorizations. – adds the journalist.Mutual understanding is key to resolving difficult situationsWhen creating and implementing a PR strategy, it is important to remember that each party has its own expectations. Clients usually count on the most valuable mentions possible and media interest in their activities, while journalists expect interesting topics to which they have the earliest possible access. There are situations, therefore, where a PR professional cannot meet the needs of both sides or when “insurmountable” difficulties arise during cooperation. For example, a client may not be able to provide the materials requested by the journalist on time or may be unable to disclose certain company information. Conversely, planned publications sometimes get delayed or do not happen at all. At such times, both parties should prioritize transparent communication to avoid misunderstandings. If I know that for some reason I cannot deliver the promised information to the journalist, I must reschedule or cancel the interview; if the client insists on major changes during the authorization process, or other “difficult” situations occur, I always choose clear and open communication with the journalist. Thanks to this, I have always been met with understanding, and ultimately these problems did not affect further cooperation. – One of the most unpleasant situations is when journalists are invited to conferences only a day or two beforehand, sometimes in another city. It’s hard not to feel treated as a mere object in such cases. Companies and PR professionals also do not always understand that after attending a conference, journalists are not necessarily interested in producing related content immediately. On the other hand, I hear from PR acquaintances that journalists increasingly confirm attendance at conferences but then do not show up. Therefore, I believe that mutual respect is essential in the cooperation between PR people and journalists. Journalists must also understand that PR agencies are often “caught between a rock and a hard place” – summarizes Karolina Marszałek from CRN.
Text author: Krzysztof Rojek
The material originally appeared on the nowymarketing.pl portal
