There’s no better time to get attention for your tech business’s cumulative achievements than on a fifth, 10th, 20th or other anniversary year. It’s the perfect occasion to remind the larger industry what you’ve accomplished, how you’ve (hopefully) advanced the industry and what goals you’ve set for the future. But to earn media coverage for your special occasion, you need to start planning well in advance. Not only do anniversary stories have an expiration date, they need to be packaged in a way that really stands out.
Unless you’re a large, well-known brand, don’t expect media to care that you’ve reached your silver or golden anniversary. Simply sending a list of accomplishments won’t be convincing enough, either. Here are five tips for earning an quality anniversary story for your business.
Determine overarching theme. Provide a buttoned-up theme that expresses the evolution of your business. Is your software the top choice across the largest hospitals in North America? Did you disrupt an aging market? Did you pioneer the first cyber security tool of its kind?
Provide supporting data. Use data to support your theme. This could be market share, customer satisfaction, year-over-year growth or something else.
Use customer names to tell your story. Businesses are often judged by how recognizable their customer’s names are. Work with Google, McDonalds or Uber? Describe how your company has helped them succeed.
Offer an exclusive. The goal of an anniversary story is to get in-depth coverage of your company’s history. This means the deadline-driven news reporter you normally work with on product news won’t work. Considering offering an exclusive to a writer that specializes in features or retrospective pieces.
Set up the spokesperson for success. Schedule at least 45 minutes for the interview and allow time for follow up questions. A story arc with set talking points should be worked out in advance. Finally, be sure to have a handout for the writer that recaps key milestones and dates.
An anniversary story is great way to draw new attention from prospective customers and partners. It can also help recruit new talent at the same time. Product anniversaries are another occasion to reach out to media and get attention for your company’s new traction and growth.