Suddenly, you find yourself somewhere that terms such as hybrid cloud, OpenStack and shadow IT need no explanation. Your social media addiction offers only a small advantage, and keeping up with the latest Snapchat filters turns out to be slightly less relevant. Yet in my first week at Progress Communications, whose clients include IT and ICT brands, I may have learned more than during my entire university career. And I do not just mean my impressive new vocabulary of difficult words.
Open cloud = unlimited creativity
The heavily technical — and, let us be honest, sometimes rather dry — side of IT can make a story difficult to pitch to the press. But that challenge pushes you to become more creative and stretch your boundaries. Think outside the box, all the way into that open cloud everyone talks about. And that cloud has no limits.
One-to-one, face-to-face
Forget endless press lists and huge volumes of press releases. The growing range of IT businesses contrasts sharply with the limited number of specialist B2B technology media. More than ever, you need to build personal relationships with journalists and bloggers. Creating tailored content and responding to contacts’ knowledge and interests is essential.
B2B = Blogs to Business
The IT sector is full of forward-thinking people who want to innovate. They have interesting opinions and visions, often expressed in excellent blog posts. These offer a subtle way to put a brand in the spotlight, establish relevance and clarify a client’s story. They also provide ideal starting points for interview pitches.
Go hybrid: a new approach
The B2B technology media landscape is small, but that makes it interesting. Pitching the same subject to newspapers and magazines from major publishing groups is another challenge. You combine PR tools while maintaining a clear focus, moving between different audiences and searching for the best PR formula. That makes the work more exciting than simply sending a conventional press release, and securing coverage is all the more satisfying.
IT = intriguing territory
For many people, especially those just leaving education, IT is a vague concept surrounded by misconceptions. Yet the initial barrier disappears once you discover that it offers more than complex technologies and software. Suddenly, it becomes intriguing territory where you can combine many aspects of PR. A constant flow of innovation provides inspiration, and you learn something new every day. Never a dull moment in IT. And if you lose the thread for a moment, Google is your best friend.
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