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Lulu Cheng Meservey

@lulumeservey136,957 subscribers

Rostra founder, Shopify board, ex Activision & Substack, writing https://t.co/4xKo7wQTQo

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Meta trying to recruit Ilya

Lulu Cheng Meservey

119,867 次观看 • 11 个月前

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PR agencies, part 1: When do you need one and who should you hire? Super common question. I've cofounded an agency and worked with at least a dozen others, and here's my answer. First, going direct as a founder doesn't mean executing every comms tactic, just as being a technical founder doesn't mean writing every line of code. If you can't keep up with all the comms work that needs to be done, you're a bottleneck and need to get help. And while you should never outsource the story and strategy, a good agency can help with crafting pitches, doing outreach, or managing a project like a launch or crisis. Finding strong writers is hard, so unless you luck out, you’re better off doing the writing yourself. Even if it’s mid, at least it’ll be mid in your voice. What are your options for PR agencies? Start with referrals from other founders. While people in the industry might want to advocate for friends or bash competitors, founders will usually give a frank assessment of their experience. Different kinds of agencies: 1) Large global agencies, eg Brunswick, Edelman, Sard 2) Boutique agencies specializing in corporate comms and special situations, eg Milltown or my former firm TrailRunner 3) Agencies specializing in tech startups, eg Outcast, Six Eastern, The Bulleit Group 4) Comms shops embedded with lobbying firms, eg Invariant or Tusk Strategies 5) Great freelancers like Cristin Culver, Cameron Langford, many others How do you choose the best agency? Look at the people on the team. Sometimes the person pitching is great but it's a different person doing the work. Always meet the "real" team and account lead. Consider: 1) How quickly are they sending you a proposal? This is the fastest and most responsive they will ever be, so use this to evaluate their operational tempo and make sure it keeps up with yours. 2) Is the proposal good? And by good, I mean: is the writing clear and precise? Are they asking the right questions? Are their ideas and their assumptions sound? Do they have a sense of aesthetic? Is what you’ve told them reflected correctly; did they know what to do with the information? 3) How badly do they want the business? Is it excitement about your mission (good) or desperation to land business (bad)? 4) Who’s recommending them? Are their former clients the kinds of companies you want to emulate: Do you respect the taste and judgment of people who like their work? If they have a logo in their marketing materials and you call the founder, does the backchannel review match the company’s representation? A lot of people will agree to an endorsement just to be nice, but their private assessment might differ. 5) Do they “get it”? Can they instinctively pick up on problems or opportunities without you telling them? 6) Do they know the players in the space? Actually know them, not relying on Google or AI or databases to look them up and find their emails? You want people on a texting basis with at least some of the influential people you want to speak to.

Lulu Cheng Meservey

75,801 次观看 • 1 年前

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