Subject Lines and Twitter Intros: How Startups Can Build Relationships with the Media

March 26, 2015 by Casey Lau

startupmedia

I was asked to moderate a panel at Blueprint’s 500 Startups Day event on how startups can engage the media to cover news about their startups – and there were some interesting discoveries made that I want to share here:

Build relationships BEFORE you want coverage

Raymond Yip of Shopline was on the panel and even though he has very newsworthy news about Shopline’s funding he still started relationships with the key media he wanted to target far before he started any press release writing. He also mentioned being available by email and phone 24/7 for any follow-up questions taking into account a reporters tight deadlines.

Use Twitter

In the immortal words of TechInAsia journalist Paul Bischoff “F*ck LinkedIn!”

Twitter is the way to go when approaching journalists. I personally love Twitter – even in Hong Kong where usage is low – but the world uses this to engage strangers, if you’re a startup in Hong Kong and not on Twitter get on it now and tweet me (@casey_lau) and I will follow you back immediately – and then go follow the journalists on my panel and introduce yourself:

  • Paul Bischoff (@pabischoff) from @TechInAsia
  • Iris Leung (@irismtleung) from @e27co
  • James Griffiths (@jgriffiths) from @SCMP
  • and if you’re reading this and not following @StartupsHK – then, you’re welcome!

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Filed Under: Columns Tagged With: 500Startups, BlueprintHK, casey lau, Media, startups

Appedu reveals how it fights the war for talents

March 13, 2015 by Timothy Yu

Appedu team photo

Appedu aims to make learning easier than ever. By providing a crowdsourcing mobile app that allows students to ask any question in one click, Appedu is creating an accessible and high quality learning environment to encourage curiosity and nurture a questioning mind.

As a young start-up, most expect our major challenges to be funding-related, and are often surprised when we reveal that our biggest obstacles lie in attracting top talents. Idea matters, money matters, and execution matters, but behind it all, it is people who drive progress. In our first two years of operation, we have observed a common but worrying recruitment trend: the war for talents is raging in ever greater intensity between well-established, multi-national firms and local start-ups. Hiring the right people to join a start-up has always been as challenging – if not more – as raising funds. Compared to those big guys, we are nobody. Candidates and their family are often sceptical of our business, while some may even question our legitimacy.

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Filed Under: Columns Tagged With: appedu, cyberport, Hiring, HR, mobile startup, snapask

Startup Hiring: Building an Edge

March 1, 2015 by Tytus Michalski

Startup Stock Photos

Startups do not have many ways to build a strong competitive advantage in the early days. But startup hiring is one area where this is possible because the hiring process at most large companies is broken. If your startup can build a superior hiring process, this will be a strong competitive edge.

Don’t Outsource Hiring
Hiring top talent is a core skill that startups need to possess and core skills should not be outsourced. That means allocating enough time during the week for actual hiring. If hiring is a top priority, which is usually the case in every startup, then a minimum of 25% of at least one senior person’s time should be spent on hiring. This can include online research, content marketing and in person activities but there is no way to avoid having to invest significant time into hiring if you want to do it right.

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Filed Under: Columns Tagged With: Fresco Capital Advisors, Hiring, HR, Tytus Michalski
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