Getting Press on a Tight Budget

Class Project

Build A Press Kit

The secrets to winning over a Mashable or New York Times reporter...revealed here!

But seriously - join Erica Swallow, former NYT Social Media guru and an editor at Mashable, for an overview of how to interact with and compel journalists and ultimately win press for your startup.

Sign up for this course and you'll learn:

the basics of PR for startups
how to engage and build relationships with the media
how to craft an amazing pitch
what "exclusive" and "embargo" mean
which assets are useful for journalists
what not to do
a boatload more

This class will also include a number of case studies from recent pitches that Erica has received from fledgling startups. In other words: real life dos and donts! She will show you a behind-the-scenes look at how she was pitched and how each pitch panned out.

Here's how it's gonna go down:

The course will kick off with a one-hour lecture and Q&A session
after which students will begin work on their Project of building a press kit
After taking this course, students should understand the basics of engaging the press and be on their way to coverage. Even better, though, students will walk away with a tangible accomplishment: a press kit, complete with a one-sentence pitch, an email pitch, and referential assets for interested journalists.

Student Projects will be posted on the Skillshare class page, where Erica and classmates will give feedback. The course will wrap up with a livestream Q&A session to tie everything together. The bulk of course feedback will be given online, though, so students should make sure to post their Projects!

**CLASS AWARD**

The best one-sentence pitch and the best email pitch submitted to me will be featured on my personal blog, ericaswallow.com.

Prerequisites

No previous public relations experience is required and all materials, tools, or services referenced will be supplied or easily found on the Internet.

Beginner Difficulty
41

Student Projects Submitted

Project Guide by Erica Swallow

Lover of life

Erica Swallow is a New York City-based tech and lifestyle writer, owner of Southern Swallow Inc., and director of community at technology startup Contently. She contributes to Forbes, Mashable, and Entrepreneur, and her work has also appeared on CNN, USA Today, Business Insider, and American Express... view full bio