Author Joel Andren

When we launched PressFriendly 20 months ago, we had a simple goal: to make PR easier for early stage startups. These startups were plagued with an almost unwinnable paradox, either try (often unsuccessfully)...

Startups frequently ask us, "Should I offer so-and-so an exclusive?" While there's no right answer to this question, there are many things for you to consider when making your decision. Pros Exclusives save...

Crisis communications is something that most startups are spectacularly bad at. It does not need to be this way. Crisis communications is one of the most straight-forward PR programs to implement; it just...

A year ago (when PressFriendly was still in beta), the tech PR landscape was pretty much the same as it had been for a few years. You had your tech blogs, gadget sites, and startup lists. If you were launching...

One of the rules of hiring is to find someone smarter than you. There are no dictums, however, about whether that employee should have more rhythm than you. Alas, I have "beat deafness” so even if Nisa...

This is a guest post from startup veteran and Ambi Climate CMO Martin Kessler. Ambi Climate is an internet of things of device that makes your window/wall air conditioner smart. We are currently running a...

When Jeremy Baier was a tow-headed kid in a Wisconsin kindergarten he quickly acquired the nickname "Boomer" because his head-down, hard charging ways lead to lots of bruises. Twenty some-odd years later,...

Startups sometimes request a pay for performance arrangement instead of our standard subscription fees. Startup PR agencies have even come out in recent years offering this payment model, giving startups this...

Your first thought when you wake up is about your company. Your last thought before you fall asleep is about your company. This is what you eat, sleep and breathe. Conveying that passion to reporters is an...

Pitch subject line: "Embargo opportunity!" It's an opportunity! — Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) November 14, 2013 There are few things more confusing for startups navigating a press launch than...

PR people, please PLEASE PLEASE stop "calling to follow up on an email” PLEASE — Jordan Crook (@jordanrcrook) February 4, 2014 One of the hard and fast rules of pitching reporters is...

In the past four months we have talked with over 200 founders about their interactions with public relations. Not a single one of them had a good experience with PR. "Overpriced" was the number one complaint...

You might be wondering if it's worth it to do a guest post. The answer is yes. There have been reasons to do a guest blog post since before black hat SEO started ruining the concept, so good riddance to that...

Should startups do PR? Early-stage startups tend to view public relations one of two ways. It's often seen as the customer acquisition savior or a worthless distraction. @joelandren i don't really...

Holiday time. The PR pitches are even more trivial than usual. — MattRosoff (@MattRosoff) December 16, 2013 When you're pitching reporters it's important to know what reporters are...