6 Ways We Empower Clients Building Emerging Tech

By: Carrie

One of my favorite parts about our work at Cutline is partnering with incredible clients. While the companies we work with range from startups like Joby to established brands like Waymo and The Home Depot, they all have at least one important thing in common: they’re developing innovative technology that has the power to change people’s lives.

Over the years, we’ve developed deep experience understanding both the challenges and opportunities that come with emerging tech. Our role is centered around helping our clients educate people and get the right kind of attention — and here’s how we do it.

We get smart on the tech

Taking the time to understand the technologies our clients are building or using not only helps us communicate more effectively with journalists, but it empowers us to craft compelling narratives that resonate with consumer audiences.

Not sure where to start? Read your clients’ websites thoroughly, look at their product pages, and keep up with the news they’re releasing. Keep a close eye on their competitors and industry articles from reporters and analysts. If you’re just beginning a new client partnership, set up background calls with a range of teams, such as product, marketing, sales, and tech. Take notes and ask questions! Remember, you don’t need to be an expert in emerging technologies — you’re an expert in PR.

We stay informed

Keeping up with the latest trends and developments in our clients’ industries helps us anticipate potential PR challenges and opportunities. For instance, keeping up with real estate — and today’s competitive market — underscores why Opendoor’s approach to buying and selling homes is unique and valuable.

To keep your finger on the pulse, read, watch, and listen to the news — especially on those channels where your clients or potential clients want to be. For example, tune into CNBC Squawk Box for corporate news or Fortune’s commentary series if you’re looking to place a byline. The more you research the industry, the better you’ll understand how your clients’ next-gen tech is disrupting the traditional way of doing things.

We tell human-centric stories

Tech can be complex, but at its core, there are human stories involved. We craft narratives that humanize the technology and showcase its impact on people's lives or society at large. Why are we telling stories about self-driving cars? Because it opens up a new mobility option for those who cannot drive themselves. Or, why should we care about EV charging? Because electric vehicle sales are growing rapidly as drivers, OEMs, and state and federal governments have environmental concerns and ambitious ESG goals.

If you need inspiration to uncover the heartbeat of more technical stories, ask yourself (and your clients) how their technology shapes people’s lives. Weave these narratives into your pitches to make them more relatable and timely for editors, journalists, and their audiences.

We build relationships with media

We cultivate relationships with journalists, producers, and influencers who cover the tech industry, and take the time to educate them on what our clients are building. For example, are mainstream business reporters familiar with the technology behind electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, or do we need to spend some time educating and developing tailored messaging? And while many people know The Home Depot as a major DIY retail brand, our team has the opportunity to tell the public about the mobile devices and homegrown apps The Home Depot has built to improve employees’ work experience and productivity. The up-front investment in education helps establish our clients as a go-to resource, so reporters know who to reach out to when they want to cover it. 

There are many ways to meaningfully connect with reporters, from industry events to social media. I’ve also built relationships by reaching out directly to set up a call or meet in person over coffee. Remember, it’s a two-way street with journalists. You need them and they need you, so it’s important to have specific information about your clients at your fingertips!

We find growing conversations on social media

Being on the cutting-edge of tech also means pushing industry dialogue forward, and that increasingly happens on social media. Our team uses TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube to find the conversations our clients should be part of. From scrolling through our personal feeds in the morning to checking client accounts throughout the day, monitoring social media for chatter is an ongoing practice.

Need to curate your feed for client interests? Follow companies in similar industries, analysts, reporters, and newsrooms who cover those topics. Engage in hot topic conversation, such as AI, sustainable tech, or AR/VR. Showcase your expertise, such as a new safety paper or ESG report. Share news about new features, product updates, customer, or company milestones. 

We measure and analyze, always

We use data to measure the impact of our efforts and refine our strategies over time. We analyze media coverage by looking at key messages we aimed to get across, the numbers of readers or comments, and to see who is chatting about our news on social media via tools like BuzzSumo. 

Things change more quickly than you can imagine, so it’s important to stay agile and be willing to adapt to the changing media landscape. Do audits at the beginning and middle of the year, rework your content and social media strategy, update your media lists, and keep up with new segments on Bloomberg. 

We’re storytellers by trade. We love to find what makes each company unique or intriguing, and share those stories with journalists. From the technology behind autonomous vehicles and real estate platforms to what powers dating sites and the metaverse, we’re at the forefront of it all! I personally can’t wait to see what 2024 brings.