The PR boss behind Groupon, Lemonade and Squarespace shares how to land press coverage at TechCrunch Early Stage – TechCrunch

Fledgling early-stage founders need two essentials to get their startups off the ground and onto solid footing — funding and media exposure. Earned media can translate into funding, but it can also translate into more recruiting options for folks who have just fundraised. And, if you place an article in the right publication, it can also grow your customer base.

Media coverage in credible outlets can shift your startup’s trajectory in the right direction without using any of your marketing dollars. It introduces your company to a wider or more targeted audience and, ultimately, it can be a sign that you’ve finally made it.

Sounds great, right? But you’re not the only startup looking to score high-quality media coverage. Journalists are inundated with a veritable firehose of pitches on the daily. They, like their audiences, can have short attention spans and will likely grow impatient with pitches that are too long-winded or aren’t relevant to them.

Learning how to establish mutually respectful, enduring relationships with journalists will serve you now and throughout your entrepreneurial career. Developing your media-pitching skillset ranks right up there with honing your investor pitch.

That’s why we invited Elliot Tomaeno, founder and CEO of ASTRSK, to share best practices in the aptly named session, How To Get Earned Media at TechCrunch Early Stage on April 14. He’ll detail the way journalists think about news and outline effective strategies to cut through the noise and grab their attention. In short, he’ll explain why he believes the most important work takes place before you send the first email to a reporter.

Tomaeno founded ASTRSK, a NYC-based PR firm, in 2012. He brings a wealth of experience weaving compelling startup stories and pitching them to the press. During the past decade, Tomaeno’s client roster has included dozens of innovative companies including Groupon, Lemonade, Misfits Market, Moo, Prime Video, Squarespace, THINX and TomboyX.

ASTRSK has participated in launching more than 300 startups and tech products, and it’s been part of 12 exits. An angel investor, Tomaeno placed bets on the Female Founders Fund and is an LP in Primary Ventures.

Prior to ASTRSK, Tomaeno spent 15 years developing his PR acumen at various agencies in San Francisco, NYC, London and Paris. Companies he worked with include Facebook, Eventbrite, Squarespace, Frank & Oak, Glu Mobile, ClassPass and Zola.

Tomaeno’s spent his life telling startup’s stories to the press, and at TC Early Stage, he’ll share the right way to attract and pitch journalists to help you land invaluable media exposure for your business.

TC Early Stage sessions provide plenty of time to engage, ask questions and walk away with a deeper, working understanding of topics and skills that are essential to startup success. There are just a few more tickets left at this price so register now to reserve your seat before prices almost double!