A good idea is not enough

Posted on | January 5, 2010 | No Comments

A couple of times in the last few weeks, I encountered entrepreneurs with “a good idea” seeking publicity. The problem is, a good idea is not enough.

In one case, a local woman with a lot of drive and energy has a software-as-service business model she has built out, and she has everything but a signed contract and paying customers. I hope that she gets there, but she wanted to talk to me about publicity to help push a couple of potential “proof of concept” partners off the fence and move forward with a test project. After some discussion, I let her know that I did not think she had enough at this point to pitch a story and see any results.

Maybe, on a slow news day, but in general, a publication/reporter/readers want to see some results, where the rubber meets the road. That means, if you want to pitch a story or distribute a news release, that you need to have some results. A signed contract, a paying customer, revenue . . .

Ideally, you will have a customer or customers who will be willing to rant and rave about you/your product/your service, not just to you, but to a reporter calling to research a story.

A similar question/situation popped up on LinkedIn. Someone with “a good idea” wanted to know how to seek publicity. There was little more detail than that, and, of course, the answer starts with “it depends,” and “what do you want to accomplish?”

The bottom line is, it is not about you/your company/your product/your service — it is about what any/all of those do, and how they may tie into trends, make life easier for someone, save them money, etc. Your claims about what it will do or might do may be prescient and valid, but you need more when you want to pitch your story.

Comments