Prowly #PRChat is where we turn the microphone over to a wide range of accomplished professionals from the world of PR and get their views & commentary on various topics of interest to anyone in our business.
The man with the mic today is Roy Morejon, President and Co-Founder of Eventys Partners digital marketing agency, a one-stop-shop for anyone bringing innovative products and ideas to market.
Roy has been featured on too many media outlets to mention and has enjoyed being a thought leader in just about any field related to marketing, PR, and business generally. Here’s what he had to say in response to our questions.
What’s special about doing PR for crowdfunding campaigns?
Doing PR for crowdfunding campaigns is interesting because you’re blending a sort of investor pitch with traditional product marketing. The product isn’t yet ready for purchase, which is exactly what makes PR for crowdfunding different, and so we’re looking to grab people’s attention with storytelling and entice them to invest in something they might not actually get into their hands for quite a while.
You have to prioritize credibility, so doing media outreach, building press kits, and generally shaping a crowdfunding campaign’s image must be done through that very unique lens.
What’s the number one PR tip for anyone who’s interested in running a crowdfunding campaign?
Building relationships and networking have to happen well before the launch of a campaign. You want to target niche outlets and attempt to guarantee that media coverage will boom in a way that complements your launch timing and offers the most impact. Start reaching out too late, and your campaign could begin with absolutely no buzz, significantly increasing the chances of failure. Timing is everything!
What should every PR practitioner start doing?
Every PR practitioner needs to become a master storyteller. Any PR professional can tell you how crucial storytelling is to any PR efforts, but actually becoming an effective storyteller is a whole other ballgame. Human beings respond to brands that prioritize humanity in their PR storytelling, and that offer some form of emotional impact. It’s not a science, which is why it’s so difficult.
Each and every PR practitioner should take the necessary steps to become a better storyteller, and to never believe they’ve reached the end of their education in that realm.
Plus, PR practitioners should also make use of data analytics software to keep track of significant KPIs - it’s crucial that you know exactly how your efforts are paying off, and that you pivot should you find they aren’t in any way.
What’s something you or your team have recently achieved that you’re really proud of?
Something that we’re beginning to achieve more consistently is mid-campaign PR boosts in the face of any plateaus or funding stagnation. One of our clients, DorsiFLEX, hit a plateau in the middle of the campaign, so we turned to ProductHype for placement in their newsletter. The ProductHype newsletter appearance generated more than $10K for the campaign, effectively eliminating the plateau. We’re proud to be able to achieve that for our clients mid-campaign.
What trends are you seeing in PR that you’re excited about?
Live video is a really exciting PR trend that only continues to grow in popularity. Research shows that consumers prefer engaging with brands through video content rather than reading text posts, which makes sense considering the burst of authenticity video provides. Live video can have a massive impact on audiences, and though they require strong promotion to ensure your audience is online when they air, can have excellent returns for crowdfunding campaigns in terms of traffic and engagement.
Follow Roy on Twitter for more insights!
