Tech PR for a better world
So, you’re looking at tech PR agencies. Maybe to hire. Perhaps to join. But you want a firm that tackles tough communication challenges. Breaks down barriers. Sweats details. And delivers results. That’s Sterling.
Working exclusively with tech companies
Since our inception in Silicon Valley, Sterling Communications has worked exclusively with tech clients. These days, many of them are in healthtech, cleantech, edtech, and edge computing. For a PR agency to have any longevity in the tech market, it needs a culture of curiosity.
We actually care about speeds and feeds. We delight in digital details. We swim happily in a sea of tech buzzwords and memes.
For billions of other people, however, technology is merely a tool. The details of development are irrelevant in their everyday lives. Specs come off sounding like gibberish. To make it meaningful, communication about technology has to resonate at a deeper, more personal level.
That genuine respect for your audience is why tech PR from Sterling Communications works.
Media relations for tech companies
Yes, we’re connected with the reporters and analysts who write daily about technology. But media relations and analyst relations requires an entire support system of communications strategy, press release writing, community management, and continuous research to speak at events and win awards. And still, that’s not enough. Working with the press and analyst agencies, in other words, requires one additional ingredient: storytelling. A tale told well is always more memorable and compelling than any bar chart or cold hard list of facts. More than ever, and particularly in the realm of technology, companies need opportunities to humanize their positions, connect with their communities, and differentiate themselves in a noisy and erratic environment. Good stories, in other words, are good for business.
Contributed articles for tech companies
To build executive visibility and brand recognition, Sterling researches and writes articles with impact. We interview your subject matter experts and write the articles for your review — or work to edit the articles your leaders write themselves, such as the bylines we wrote and worked to place in The Wall Street Journal (How to Bring the ‘Internet of Things’ to Life) or The Boston Globe (I’m a Dreamer. Ask my 80+ employees if I should be deported). Dive into our results for additional examples.
Media training for tech leaders
Sterling’s seasoned PR pros — former news reporters and broadcast journalists themselves — have worked with everyone from startup founders to Fortune 500 executives. We prepare them for the most important press interviews and event presentations of their careers. From CNBC to the United Nations, from product launches to IPO roadshows, Sterling prepares clients for the spotlight. Our team works individually or in small groups with all skill levels. We role-play to ensure company messages are delivered with both precision and personality. We record the sessions to work through any rough spots and provide immediate feedback on presentation structure, content, style, and opportunities for improvement. And we provide customized reports to ensure each executive can keep the lessons learned close at hand for the next time around.
Message development for tech startups
Locking in your messages and unique selling proposition is critical to developing a solid, marketable brand. Sterling works with you to develop a comprehensive messaging guide. We outline the corporate, technology, and channel messages that best describe your organization’s values in ways that resonate with the press and the public. This guide serves as the blueprint for all our work — or that of any other agency or contractor producing your branded assets. It is designed to ensure everyone understands what makes you … you.
Executive platforms for tech leaders
Sterling works with your top representatives to identify the most meaningful topics that also align with your organization’s mission, vision, and business initiatives. We create specifications for a platform that will support speaking engagements, contributed articles, blog posts, and special events designed to raise the profile of the executive in alignment with the organization. Our former news reporters and broadcast journalists customized half-day media training sessions with each spokesperson, complete with role-playing exercises and video review sessions. And we prepare individualized tip sheets to ensure all the lessons learned are kept top of mind as the opportunities created by Sterling’s PR and content teams come into fruition.
Tech confrences speaking opportunities
To be recognized and selected by event organizers to speak at high-profile venues, you need to put in time and effort to showcase your expertise across various channels well beforehand. Essentially, you have to give them something to Google when evaluating your suitability for their stages. At Sterling, we help our clients earn top-tier speaking slots by cultivating a personal and professional brand. This involves a combination of collaborative work that includes social media networking, pursuing opportunities for publication, being quoted in the media, contributing to occupational forums, participating in professional organizations and events, and more.
Crisis communications for the tech industry
Sterling’s executives have extensive experience handling client crises. Issues we’ve tightly managed include government regulation, class action lawsuits, executive misconduct, product defects, customer injury, and data leakage. While we hope you never need our crisis communications services, we are here for you and will scope out a project budget appropriate to your specific situation. More proactively, we also develop crisis communications plans for clients who want something “in the drawer” for future use.
Tech-focused podcast development
Not only do Sterling’s media mavens book our clients’ experts on relevant podcasts, but we develop and produce them as well. We create impact through awareness throughout a diverse healthcare marketplace.
Preproduction
- Industry research
- Topic development
- Scriptwriting
- Media training
Production
- Creative development
- Guest bookings
- Podcast direction
- Audio and video engineering
Postproduction
- Media kits
- Social boosts
- Cross-booking
- Extra, extra! Read all about it.
Pitch decks for tech startups
Meeting and presenting to the investment community in Silicon Valley and beyond can be a daunting challenge. To help clients boost their fundraising, Sterling offers a half-day consultation with our CEO and creative director. Sterling records the current presentation delivery and provides immediate feedback on presentation structure, content, style, and opportunities for improvement. After the discussion, we run through the deck twice more to hone presenting skills and presentation flow. Finally, we provide written recommendations for future refinements.