How To Ask A Customer for a Press Review

Photo courtesy Jon S, flickr user.

Sharing your customers’ success stories with the press can be a great way to highlight your work and to help bring attention to your customers. However, getting customers to participate in joint PR isn’t always easy. Here are some of the ways we prepare business PR stories and get customers excited about coming along for the ride.

1. Tell a Winning Story

Select winning stories to share with the press to improve chances of success. If your story is weak, or even mediocre, sit tight until you’ve got a winner. That way your customer isn’t disappointed, and you don’t overwork your press contacts.

2. Timeliness Is Key

If your customer is keen to participate, clearly articulate expectations and deadlines early on. Don’t get stalled waiting on an indecisive partner. If you need customer feedback, prepare content in advance for quick and easy approval.

3. Align PR Goals

If your customer has their own PR team, get to know them and the kinds of stories they’re trying to tell and who they’re trying to reach. Develop story ideas that align with their internal goals and you’ll find they’re keen to work with you.

4. Show, Don’t Tell

Show customers examples of successful PR. This is tough if you’re just starting out so, instead, point to examples from other companies of what you’re trying to achieve.

5. Build Joint PR into the Contract

An easy way to ensure that customer success stories are at your fingertips to pitch to press is to build that activity into contracts. That way, your customers are prepared for PR right out of the gate.

Now, you’re ready to start pitching customer stories. Here are a few examples of the kinds of customer success stories Capulet has helped to land: A Technology Switch Bears Mobile Commerce Fruit; Deepening Engagement, One Drawing at a Time; and Open Sourcing May be Worth the Risk.