This issue was taken up during the Naked Truth discussion the other night with a similar take coming from Seth Godin's blog this week.
The bottom line for entrepreneurs: Hiring a good PR firm is a paradox. The few that are worth having probably won't give you the time of day. Resorting to a lesser second choice nets you an over-extended firm that doesn't do justice to your message and sucks up valuable re$ources. I've found that a better compromise is to find a trusted independent operator with good contacts who can partner with you to selectively spread the word. In doing so, you keep closer tabs on the message while taking advantage of your PR agent's contacts.
Showing posts with label Naked Truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naked Truth. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Is blogging essential for a CEO?
I attended a great panel discussion last night featuring journalists from 5 different media outlets to discuss the dos and don'ts of media relations for startup entrepreneurs. (A big thanks to Glenn Kelman and the folks at Red Fin for putting it all together - and buying the beer and barbecue!)
One comment that our group found provocative came from Michael Arrington of Techcrunch who said that it was absolutely essential for CEO's to be blogging. Those who pushed back on that statement seemed to feel that sometimes there are just more important things for a CEO to be doing than blogging and also that some just aren't suited to blogging at all.
I couldn't disagree more. The startup CEO's blog is the mortar that fills in the cracks for his audience. When a company is struggling to cement its mission (last masonry analogy, I promise) in the minds of its investors, customers and employees, a blog can work very well to provide the necessary tidbits of background stories and personal philosophies with an editorial thread to complete the story for the reader. Yes, there are many times when a CEO has more important things to do, but that should never be a reason to abandon the blog. Shorten the posts, solicit contributions from other team members, take a week off, but by all means keep telling the story.
My approach to communicating with my audience is similar to the way I communicate with my kids: Don't leave any holes in the story, because if they need to fill in the blanks themselves, you're not going to like the results.
One comment that our group found provocative came from Michael Arrington of Techcrunch who said that it was absolutely essential for CEO's to be blogging. Those who pushed back on that statement seemed to feel that sometimes there are just more important things for a CEO to be doing than blogging and also that some just aren't suited to blogging at all.
I couldn't disagree more. The startup CEO's blog is the mortar that fills in the cracks for his audience. When a company is struggling to cement its mission (last masonry analogy, I promise) in the minds of its investors, customers and employees, a blog can work very well to provide the necessary tidbits of background stories and personal philosophies with an editorial thread to complete the story for the reader. Yes, there are many times when a CEO has more important things to do, but that should never be a reason to abandon the blog. Shorten the posts, solicit contributions from other team members, take a week off, but by all means keep telling the story.
My approach to communicating with my audience is similar to the way I communicate with my kids: Don't leave any holes in the story, because if they need to fill in the blanks themselves, you're not going to like the results.
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