zaarly: a startup pr case study

A PR Case Study

Heather Whaling • @prTiniprtini.com

heather@gebencommunication.comFacebook.com/gebencommunication

What is Zaarly?

• Peer-to-peer commerce• Mobile marketplace• Collaborative consumption• “The new way to buy and sell”

Photo credit: Guudmorning

Consumer-Friendly Messaging

• Lose the jargon• Explain the “why”• Constantly refine• Add context• Show, don’t tell

PR Tip: Lose the jargon. Show, don’t tell.

PR Foundation

• Clear messaging• Relatable stories• Online and offline network• Build & sustain momentum

Facebook groups connect ambassadors & uncover PR opps.

Working in our Favor …

Big-Picture Trends

• Zaarly is at the intersection of:– Mobile– Commerce– Geolocation– Location-based marketing

socializing product launches

Be Your Own Media

• Social media release• Add social sharing to the launch timeline:

– Tease on Facebook and Twitter– Identify when & how news can be shared online– Provide sample posts– Internal communication is critical

• Coordinate with high-profile supporters• Update closed/secret Facebook groups• Monitor online conversations on FB, Twitter,

Quora, blogs, etc. Respond as appropriate.

Coordinated Media Outreach

• Challenge: Timing is uncontrollable– We can’t control when apps go live in iTunes or

Android Marketplace

• How to “break” the news?– Blog post– SMR– Embargo– Email reporters with a “tip”– Interviews– Contest– Facebook, Twitter

PR delivers a range of benefits

Education & Thought-Leadership

Adds Credibility

Build Awareness & Pique Interest

Why NOW?

go niche or go home

Parents: Better Time Management

Zaarly U

hello, Meg Whitman

$14.1 million + Meg Whitman

But, there’s more …

• Events & community building– Start-Up Crawl– Happy hours– User interviews

• Social media• Crisis response• Awards• Speaking• Email marketing

“We’ve been through a few different PR firms and didn’t have a huge amount of luck, so we started to pick who we wanted to work with much more by the individual, rather than the firm.”

- Bo Fishback in Inc.com.

Heather Whalingwww.GebenCommunication.comheather@gebencommunication.com@prTini

blog: bit.ly/prTini

facebook:facebook.com/gebencommunication