Intro into High Tech PR!
Quote: “Technology PR isn’t just like ‘any’ PR practice. You have to take the technical and make it understandable and drive to an end business goal for the client. It’s fast paced and always changing because technology innovation never stands still.”
What is This Section About?
This section of Trainer University provides a high-level overview of technology PR, what to expect and how it’s different from other disciplines.
Why is This Section Important?
If Trainer Communications is your first “stint” in PR, then this section is for you. It explains the fast-paced nature and environment of technology PR so you can understand what’s “normal” and to be expected.
Introduction to High Tech PR
High tech PR differs from other types of PR in various ways. Technology in general changes very quickly, therefore the pace of high tech PR moves swiftly. It tends to be heavily weighted with product announcements, and they come fast and frequently. Because engineering can be an unpredictable practice, PR plans for a new product announcement can get delayed or even wiped out completely if product development plans change. This is “normal.”
HIGH TECH PR RULE #1: Always be prepared for dates and PR plans to shift frequently—BE FLEXIBLE
Another way it differs is that on the client side, it’s predominantly males with engineering backgrounds. This is a challenge because they may have little to no experience with PR so communicating with the client can be difficult. It’s important to state why we do what we do, and what the end result (success) looks like because it’s almost never implicit.
HIGH TECH PR RULE #2: Over-communicate—NEVER ASSUME YOUR CLIENT UNDERSTANDS PR
Another way high tech PR is different is that the field is riddled with acronyms and engineering terminology that can sometimes sound like a different language. The difficulty with this as a PR person, is you have to ask a lot of questions, do a lot of background reading, and ‘getting smart’ on a technology takes time (at least 3-4 months) if it’s a completely new space for the individual.
Once you’ve mastered a base understanding of your client’s technology and industry, you need to be able to communicate it both written and orally. Most high tech product managers are great at explaining the ‘speeds and feeds’ of a technology, but rarely are they masters at communicating the end user and business benefits of a technology. Our job is to make the complex meaningful and ALWAYS communicate the business benefit of a technology.
It’s also important to master this because you need to be able to not only understand your client, but you also need to communicate the value proposition of your client’s technology to a press person both in email and over the phone in order to be successful.
HIGH TECH PR RULE #3: Convert complex technology into meaningful end user benefits that you could explain to your neighbor or family member—MAKE THE COMPLEX SIMPLE
What is This Section About?
This section of Trainer University provides a high-level overview of technology PR, what to expect and how it’s different from other disciplines.
Why is This Section Important?
If Trainer Communications is your first “stint” in PR, then this section is for you. It explains the fast-paced nature and environment of technology PR so you can understand what’s “normal” and to be expected.
Introduction to High Tech PR
High tech PR differs from other types of PR in various ways. Technology in general changes very quickly, therefore the pace of high tech PR moves swiftly. It tends to be heavily weighted with product announcements, and they come fast and frequently. Because engineering can be an unpredictable practice, PR plans for a new product announcement can get delayed or even wiped out completely if product development plans change. This is “normal.”
HIGH TECH PR RULE #1: Always be prepared for dates and PR plans to shift frequently—BE FLEXIBLE
Another way it differs is that on the client side, it’s predominantly males with engineering backgrounds. This is a challenge because they may have little to no experience with PR so communicating with the client can be difficult. It’s important to state why we do what we do, and what the end result (success) looks like because it’s almost never implicit.
HIGH TECH PR RULE #2: Over-communicate—NEVER ASSUME YOUR CLIENT UNDERSTANDS PR
Another way high tech PR is different is that the field is riddled with acronyms and engineering terminology that can sometimes sound like a different language. The difficulty with this as a PR person, is you have to ask a lot of questions, do a lot of background reading, and ‘getting smart’ on a technology takes time (at least 3-4 months) if it’s a completely new space for the individual.
Once you’ve mastered a base understanding of your client’s technology and industry, you need to be able to communicate it both written and orally. Most high tech product managers are great at explaining the ‘speeds and feeds’ of a technology, but rarely are they masters at communicating the end user and business benefits of a technology. Our job is to make the complex meaningful and ALWAYS communicate the business benefit of a technology.
It’s also important to master this because you need to be able to not only understand your client, but you also need to communicate the value proposition of your client’s technology to a press person both in email and over the phone in order to be successful.
HIGH TECH PR RULE #3: Convert complex technology into meaningful end user benefits that you could explain to your neighbor or family member—MAKE THE COMPLEX SIMPLE