5 Advantages of Working in Tech PR

I studied public relations at the University of Southern California with the expressed intention of someday heading up communications for a major studio. But after graduating in the height of the Great Recession, entertainment jobs were few and far between, and a former manager 5 advantages of working in tech PRrecommended I tried technology. Pursuing a role in this industry is the best decision I’ve made in my adult life.

Here are the top five things you should know if you’re interested in the dynamic world of technology communications.

1. Embrace the challenge

At first glance, any PR practitioner, regardless of level, may balk at the idea of taking on a tech client. Chances are, you chose this profession because subjects such as science and math weren’t your strongest suits. But that really doesn’t matter.

Just because you don’t have an engineering background doesn’t mean you can’t communicate with engineers, scientists, CTOs or programmers. In fact, it’s often your role to “translate” their jargon into terms mere mortals can understand. And that’s quite rewarding!

2. Zeitgeist

It’s no question that this is the golden age of this industry. Startup founders are the new rock stars, tech executives grace the cover of fashion magazines.

People will look back at this era and wax nostalgic about the beginnings – and ends – of technology companies, trends and the characters that move them. Get in on the movement.

3. Being young is an advantage

Especially in startups, executives tend to be young and demand a team that will be able to go toe-to-toe with them on the latest trends. If you’re a new PR pro, you’re likely to be an early adopter of the latest gadgets or the cutting edge of social media.  It’s easier to find your role on teams.

Deep tech, or the enterprise, is undergoing a renaissance as well. And I promise you that some of the most rewarding work can be connected to highly complicated, back-end services and structures.

4. The industry is growing with you

Many of the burgeoning products and trends are facing coming-of-age, just like you: mobile devices, Internet privacy, 3D printing, console gaming – these are product lines reckoning with growth, change and regulation. How much more exciting can it get?

5. Tech affords a diverse crowd that will keep you on your toes

The cast of characters that are involved in technology are some of the most interesting, intellectually stimulating, unpredictable people I’ve ever worked with. They’re mad scientists, relentless humanitarians, have doctorates in medieval studies. They’re immigrants that have overcome amazing obstacles and eventually create billion-dollar companies.

The people that power technology PR have more facets than I can shake a semiconductor at. And that’s a beautiful thing.

Have you chosen or considered a career in technology PR? How has your PR experienced crossed paths with the technology world?

 

Clare Sayas (@claresayas) is a senior account executive in Edelman’s Silicon Valley office, where she works on a broad range of tech clients, including Adobe, SnapLogic and Evolv. She is also one of the proud community managers for @EdelmanSV

Intro to Crisis Communications

Almost 17 years ago, I started my career in public relations after a five-year stint as a trade journalist.  Since I have a social butterfly/people-person personality, I thought PR was all about mingling with the celebrities, traveling and promoting great news journalists were sure to write about.  After I took off my rose-colored glasses, I realized PR wasn’t always peaches and cream and often involved using skill sets like crisis communications to protect my company’s image and brand.

I started my career in technology PR and quickly discovered strategic crisis communications were must-have skills to survive in one of the most stressful jobs in the professional landscape. Why do you ask?  At most of the companies I worked for in the telecommunications segment in the 1990s, acquisitions, restructurings, layoffs and management upheavals were commonplace. Therefore, it was essential for me to develop crisis communications skills early on in my career to prepare my company for the worst.  Thinking on my feet, developing strategic counseling and planning skills were drilled into my DNA as a PR professional early on.

Fast forward to the last few years. What’s been the big trend in PR?  Whether you are a new PR or veteran PR professional, no one can forget the crises that have affected big companies like Chick-fil-A, BP, News Corp., Penn State, Netflix and HP. The common theme in many of these crises is that the PR and marketing teams didn’t develop solid communications plans to react to the media quickly enough and preserve their brand’s image.  Whether your company is in the technology, healthcare or travel and tourism field, you always need to be prepared for potential situations involving lawsuits, accusations of impropriety, sudden changes in management and other volatile situations on which your stakeholders — and the media that serves them — often focus.

Crisis communications is at the heart of my current job today.  My company provides essential information that helps customers across all industries and government predict, assess and manage risk. We provide products and services that address evolving client needs in the risk sector, while upholding the highest standards of security and privacy.  To that end, upholding my company’s standards of compliance in a highly-regulated industry is a natural extension of why crisis communications is so important.

For me, every day is different.  I have to stay on top of what’s happening with my company in the media landscape by reading and studying trends, including privacy and security changes, regulatory and compliance issues, to name a few.  In addition, I avidly monitor the news and potential crises through social media like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.  In a highly-regulated business like mine, it’s essential to respond appropriately to media inquiries as well.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is helping our spokespeople and marketing teams develop strategic messages that help protect, preserve and raise our brand in key markets like financial services, government and insurance – ultimately so we can influence the key influencers – the media and analyst community.

Therefore, developing an issues or crisis communications playbook is the way our small communications team prepares for a potential crisis that could involve a technology issue, an executive appointment, a natural disaster or on-site employee issue.  This is our guide or instruction book for communicating quickly and decisivively to our key publics, including the media, the industry analysts, partners and customers, charities and investors.

Change continues to be the only constant in my job.  However, here are five for new professionals looking to add crisis communications skills into their careers:

  1. Take courses on crisis communications through PRSA and other outlets like PR News.  The only way to effectively learn how to become an effect crisis communications pro is by learning from the experts who have years of experience managing them the right way.
  2. Ask your key spokespeople what the five biggest risks would be to your organization’s business.  Asking the hard questions and preparing the answers to potential risks your organization faces, will help you prepare your talking points, Q&As and issues management playbook in the event a crisis happens.
  3. Study what has happened with some of the biggest PR crises over the last few years and learn from their mistakes.  Mistakes are bound to happen in the PR profession because communications aren’t always effectively managed or rolled out. But you can magnify those mistakes by a magnitude of 10 when a crisis is mishandled. So you can learn from what other companies or organizations have done to repair or resurrect their images and brands in the wake of disasters that will help you in the long run.
  4. Put your crisis communications skills into practice.  Start small by simulating a crisis communications drill.  Once your crisis playbook is developed, set up a war room and temporary phone lines and prepare your spokespeople to be trained to take questions from the media.  Practice makes perfect and drills help to make sure you are properly prepared if a true disaster happens.

Crisis communications is far and away one of the most difficult PR skill sets to master, but you need to learn to be prepared in case your company has to deal with a crisis.

 

Stephen LoudermilkStephen Loudermilk is global media and analyst relations director at LexisNexis, where he heads communications for the company’s Business Services and Screening practices.  In his spare time, he is actively involved in PRSA, where he serves as chairman of the Technology Section and treasurer of the PRSA Southeast District.

Intro to Technology PR by Julie Walsh

Are you addicted to your iPhone or never far from your Blackberry? Are you always the first to know about the latest and greatest app and is “Mashable” the first thing you read after your emails? Then consider yourself a prime candidate for a career in technology PR. Whether you are still in the job search stage, or just starting your new position, there are a couple things to know about agency life first to help get you on your way.

As a new pro, never be afraid to start as an intern. Many agencies look to hire talent from within their internship program. Hiring on an intern to transition into a full-time staffer is much less of a risk and gives new pros an opportunity to learn and grow into the agency and the experience. Agency life, regardless of what type of clients you focus on, has its own vibe and lifestyle. A “typical week” does not always exist, but you can expect certain things: client calls or meetings, copious research and reading, writing and, most importantly, collaborative work.  One of the best features about working in an agency is the opportunities it provides to collaborate with your own team, other members of the office and clients. In addition to being a collaborative environment, agency life can be fast-paced and creative, but with the right team can also be supportive.

Just like any other PR pro at an agency with a niche, it is important to be familiar with the press covering that part of the industry. In tech PR, clients can range from startup companies like those launching a new iPhone app to B2B companies that have a hi-tech component to their offerings. In tech PR, the press can be as exciting as “TechCrunch” or “Pogue’s Posts”, but also includes many lesser-known trade publications.  The important thing is to read all of them to stay apprised of what is going on in the space. Additionally, many pitch ideas or strategy inspiration can come from reading these outlets. The industry may not be glamorous, but it can be cutting-edge and exciting.

One of the biggest challenges PR practitioners face when representing tech clients, specifically, is how quickly news comes and goes. There are so many exciting product launches or new offerings that it can be hard to keep up. The hottest new product one day can be replaced quickly by something that can do more, faster. Timeliness with pitching and follow-ups are critical, as news can become old fast.

However, you do not have to be a self-proclaimed “junkie” to work in this space. The details and explanation of “how something works” or the proprietary technology behind a product can be confusing for anyone new to the industry. However, to not only succeed but also thrive in tech PR, new pros should always ask questions and know how to research. Often times, topics discussed can be high level, and it will require both questions and independent research to comprehend them fully. Tapping into all available resources, search engines and media outlets will lay a solid foundation for a career in tech PR. Recently, I was introduced to a new search engine by one of my colleagues called Blekko, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Working in tech PR can be rewarding and allow you to really feel the “pulse” of innovation and creativity. There are many exciting things happening in the tech space, and to get started in a tech PR career, you can leverage sites you already visit. “Mashable” hosts its own job board, Twitter has a wealth of chats and accounts dedicated to job searchers, and of course, the PRSA Jobcenter is always a great resource. Many Gen Y’ers understand the social media landscape and how to creatively use it to their advantage in the job search. However, your best way to be hired by an agency is through networking. Often, agencies will reach out to their staff members for candidate recommendations for their entry-level positions, so always keep in touch with your contacts and have a good mentor guiding you along the way.

Julie WalshJulie Walsh is a media relations specialist with Walker Sands Communications. Walsh received her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in strategic communication and is currently working on her master’s degree in public relations and advertising at DePaul University.