6 tips for pitching your AI startup to the press

The utility of artificial intelligence (AI) is undeniable. The clear benefits of AI, most notably the ability to reach levels of efficiency and optimization beyond human capabilities, has led to its major prevalence across every contemporary industry. Consequently, any AI startup is bound to be just one fish among many others in the vast ocean of emerging technology. While this situation can appear daunting, AI startups can get a leg up on the competition and break away from the pack through effective pitching. Below are six key tips that will directly contribute to success when pitching your AI startup to the press.

Understand each journalist’s needs

The focus of your pitch to the media is your company, but make sure not to lose sight of the journalist during the pitching process. It is absolutely vital to consider the journalist who will be reading your pitch. Research specific journalists before pitching your startup to them in order to make sure your angle aligns with what that journalist typically writes about. Rather than pitching to every journalist that covers AI technology broadly, it’s a good idea to target journalists with a background in writing about your specific AI technology subfield. For example, if a journalist has written about AI in fintech, this doesn’t mean that they are relevant for pitching news about AI in mobility.

Journalists across the board list email as their favorite way to receive pitches, and you should be sure to customize each email and angle for the journalist your sending. A generic email about your company or product, with no consideration for the recipient, will not cut through the noise of a flooded inbox to make a memorable impact with your reader. Make it clear to a journalist that you believe they are the perfect writer for an exclusive piece on your company, and include reasons why this is the case, based on the research you’ve done into their past articles.

Aim for simplicity 

When you’re a founder, your startup feels like an extension of yourself, and there’s likely an abundance of information you want to convey to the press. However, it's crucial to keep in mind that more does not equate to better when pitching your company to reporters. Rather than bogging down a journalist with a lengthy pitch, aim for simplicity at every step. Journalists are overwhelmed with pitches on a daily basis, so densely packing your message with as much information as possible is not the correct route for a successful pitch. 

Instead, distill your message down to only what is most essential. While it’s vital for the press to understand your product or service, this understanding should come at the general, rather than granular, level. Realize that those you are pitching to likely won’t have a complete grasp of the technical details of your product. A thoughtfully crafted single sentence that explains the problem your AI tech solves and puts it in the context of the larger industry picture is often all that’s needed. People fear what they don’t understand, so limit the jargon.

Tell your story

The launch of an AI product or service may be quite exciting to share with reporters, but don’t forget how important it is to also tell the story of your company. When pitching to the press, this aspect of your business is arguably as important as a technical description of your product. What is the genesis of your company’s bright idea, and how is your tech startup distinguishing itself from the competition? What kind of journey has your startup gone through since the origin of that idea, and how have you changed for the better along the way? 

Relaying your company’s origin story is a valuable opportunity to forge an emotional connection with your audience. Relatability is crucial here, so be sure to showcase how your product will make a positive impact on real people, rather than highlighting only the algorithm. Who benefits most from your service and why? What kind of impact will your AI solution have on the industries you touch?

Flex creative angles

Your message to the press is an opportunity to highlight what distinguishes your AI startup from the competition. Strive to incorporate any and all creative angles that make your company memorable. You want journalists thinking about your product or service long after their eyes leave the pitch. Sources of creativity should come not only from the unique functions of your product but also from novel aspects of your company itself.

Highlighting the creativity of your company should serve to expand the scope of applications for your AI technology in the eyes of the press. Give serious thought to industries you hadn’t considered before that could benefit from your product. How will you creatively spin the description of your technology to align with one of these industries?

Strive for topical timing

There’s no such thing as a second chance when it comes to announcing big news. Once your information has been released on the internet in any way, it becomes old news – and journalists don’t want old news. Therefore, timing is an extremely critical consideration when pitching your AI startup to the press. Syncing your pitch with related newsworthy events is a terrific way to frame your startup as hyper-relevant. Don’t be afraid to insert your company into trending conversations in the tech industry. 

Even more important than timing your pitch correctly is understanding when NOT to pitch your AI startup to the press. Be aware of impending announcements by popular tech companies that also have a connection to AI. If there an AI-focused event, it’s probable that the press will be already consumed with that coverage and won’t have the necessary bandwidth to cover your story. It’s also crucial to be aware of bank holidays,religious holidays, and regional holidays. Lots of journalists are out of the office during these times, and it is often fruitless to pitch journalists during the month of August, the days surrounding Thanksgiving, and the last two weeks of the year.

Be persistent, but not pushy

Pitching to the press can be a long – and at times, frustrating – process. You’re unlikely to strike gold right away, but this is no reason to give up. Be consistent in your press outreach, and understand the reality that most of your pitches won’t receive positive responses; sometimes, you may not receive any sort of response at all. Keep pitching, but make sure your pitch is worth reading. 

While persistence is key for pitching to the press, make sure not to overdo it. Avoid sending email after email to a particular journalist regarding the same story. This flood of emails will be viewed as spamming and can lead to journalists ignoring you. Instead, write just one email and then follow up a few days later if you haven’t received a response. Journalists are extremely averse to receiving unsolicited phone calls, so refrain from this method of communication, particularly after you’ve already sent an email that garnered no response. 

Good PR takes time Pitching your AI startup to the press is anything but a process that results in overnight success. Rather, a well-executed and successful tech PR campaign is the result of hard work over a longer period of time. The reward of receiving coverage is a huge step for any aspiring AI business, so be sure to keep the above tips in mind before officially introducing your AI startup to the media.