Tech PR from
Silicon Valley
So, you’re looking at tech PR agencies. Maybe to hire. Perhaps to join. But you’d like a firm located in the San Francisco Bay Area. One that understands Silicon Valley. That tackles tough communication challenges. Breaks down barriers. Sweats details. And delivers (ahem) sterling results. Well … nice to meet you.
Since our inception, Sterling Communications has worked exclusively with tech clients.
These days, many of them are in healthcare technology, sustainable cleantech, and education. For a PR agency to have any longevity in the tech market, it needs a culture of curiosity. Most Sterling employees live in the San Francisco Bay Area and work in Silicon Valley. We delight in the digital details of our customers’ technology.
For billions of other people, however, tech 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.
And that genuine respect for your audience is why tech PR from Sterling Communications works.
Media relations and analyst relations
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
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. A small sampling of stories we’ve developed and placed include: How to Bring the ‘Internet of Things’ to Life (The Wall Street Journal), Why the Healthcare Sector Must Demand Real Cybersecurity Change (Forbes), I’m a Dreamer. Ask my 80+ employees if I should be deported (The Boston Globe), Exponential technology advances will change the world faster than we think (VentureBeat), Sonic identity is the missing component for social metaverse experiences (TechCrunch), and Create Real Value with Augmented (not Artificial) Intelligence (InformationWeek).
Media training and presentation training
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
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
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.
Crisis communications
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.