Wearables are shiny, new and interesting. They come in all shapes and sizes and with about as many purposes for having them as there are consumers to buy them. Purpose plays a vital role in the messaging process for media relations, but often times, the product itself or the branding overshadows it.
After target audience and branding are conceived, purpose and benefits could single-handedly be one of the most important things a brand needs to identify in order to receive press coverage. Why does this matter? What are the benefits to my reader? Those are the questions a journalist is going to ask when reviewing the pitch you sent. So, have you answered those for them?
The answers to the questions above often get lost in the simple (or sometimes wordy) explanation of what the product is and what the product does. Don’t get me wrong – that information is imperative, but it’s likely not enough to make you stand out in the crowd of pitches the reporter just received. It’s time to speak in the language of benefits – how and why – and give the reporter an understanding of how your technology impacts the world and why the consumer will need or want it.
Consider:
1. How it improves someone’s quality of life
2. How it solves a serious issue
3. Why your solution the answer
4. How it makes performing a certain task easier
5. How it provides valuable data and feedback to make a change or provide the right course of action
6. Why it is important to the target audience
7. How it helps someone take care of those who matter most to them
8. How does it differ from/how is it better than another product on the market
This applies for the wearable that is, say, making disease management easier and the wearable that serves more as a cool, luxury item. Your product exists for a reason and that reason must come across in your story. Focus on the impact you are making, not just what you created.
Anecdotal and statistical data are both great ways to prove your points. If you are a wearable focused on gaming and entertainment, provide a statistic on how, with your product, performance is enhanced. If you are a wearable for parents, share a story about how the product helped track a lost child who had wandered away from playgroup. There are endless possibilities for how to showcase need and benefit. Providing the media with this information right off the bat will help with telling the story and immediately understanding how a reader can benefit from knowing about you, instead of the reporter trying to decipher it from only being told what your product does and who makes it.
This post was written by Ashley White, Account Director at the Uproar PR, a leading full-service public relations and social media agency based in Orlando with offices in Chicago and Toronto. Uproar PR works with many technology clients, including wearables, connected home, IoT and apps, and have been supporters of the We Are Wearables Toronto & Chicago chapters since the start. Learn more about Uproar PR at www.uproarpr.com.