For venture backed, and other privately held tech startups, earned media is a powerful tool that drives visibility, credibility, and growth. Unlike paid media, earned media comes from third-party validation, such as media coverage, analyst mentions, customer reviews, and social shares.
We reached out to Amy Hesser, CEO, Hesser Communications Group, to learn how her PR firm is helping tech startups outshine bigger competitors by driving earned media results, and in the process positioning these next gen companies as quotable news sources of choice for top tier media outlets in their respective markets.
What’s the benefit of “earned media” versus paid advertising in terms of audience perception and trust?
For tech startups, earned media results build credibility and trust that validate a product, service, team, or vision in a way that paid ads cannot. You obtain high-impact exposure without draining limited marketing resources, and there is no doubt that positive media coverage signals momentum, drawing attention from investors, strategic partners, and potential customers.
Google loves earned media. Mentions and backlinks from authoritative sources improve search rankings and drive sustained inbound traffic. What I have seen is that a strong earned media presence helps cut through the noise, amplifying your story and positioning your startup as a category leader.
In early growth stages, where every impression counts and budgets are tight, earned media can be a game-changer in accelerating brand awareness and market traction.
How do ongoing relationships with journalists and media outlets create long-term value for brands?
Building ongoing relationships with journalists and media outlets creates sustained, long-term value for brands by positioning them as trusted, go-to sources within their industry. By obtaining consistent visibility, companies stay top-of-mind with their target audiences, it’s not just a one-off story.
We’ve found that journalists often return to trusted contacts when they need expert commentary, industry insights, or breaking news sources. Our team ensures clients are being cited repeatedly by credible media outlets which establishes trust with customers, investors, partners, and employees. Investing in journalist relationships transforms media exposure from a one-time event into an ongoing asset that strengthens brand reputation. In turn, it fuels growth and provides strategic advantage.
When challenges or crises arise, brands with strong media relationships are more likely to receive fair, balanced coverage because they’ve already established credibility and goodwill. Earned media gives a storytelling advantage, helping to shape their narrative over time, showcasing innovation, milestones, and growth in ways that build compelling long-term stories.
Why is media training essential for companies seeking earned media placements?
Media training ensures every interaction with journalists, or the public reinforces your brand’s credibility and reputation. Our step-by-step methodology ensures when our clients are being interviewed, they know how to properly tell their story, so it is quotable and elevates their reputation. If for some reason the interview goes negative, media training helps to turn the interview around to safeguard the company’s reputation.
We specialize in helping technology startups outshine the competition. From cybersecurity to AI-driven healthcare and HR solutions, the Hesser team teaches our clients to take a complex story and make it universally understandable, relatable, and compelling.
Can you provide an example of media training success?
A great example of media training and storytelling is work we completed with Capsonic, a globally recognized expert supplier in customized insert molding and electromechanical assembly. Our team developed authentic messaging and a way to tell their story to show how Capsonic is leading the way forward in electrification making complex products easier to design and build.
Customer stories developed by Hesser Communications Group showcase Capsonic’s ability to constantly elevate the engineering possibilities of what can be done to make things run more cost-effectively and efficiently while driving new ideas forward. You can read, A Precision Part Plays a Role in the History of Money to learn about the magic of ATM machines, and just how things went from being not-so-dependable to successfully predictable. If you guessed that it was engineering ingenuity that quickly changed everything – you’re right!
Video interviews are contained within Capsonic’s stories that bring the content to life. The president of the injection moulding division participated in our media training and was able to tell the story succinctly and with authenticity.
What sorts of clients does Hesser Communications like to work with now and into the future?
If you have technology that is going to make the world better, we want to connect with you. Our expertise is giving a voice, relatable stories, and actionable ways to elevate your messaging and brand. Working with tech startups means we always have our foot in the future, and are working daily behind the scenes to drive the headlines of tomorrow.
About Amy Hesser
Named as one of “The Top 25 Most Powerful Women in the New Economy,” by i-Street Magazine and The Chicago Sun-Times, Amy Hesser, CEO of Hesser Communications Group, is celebrated for her work in preparing start-up companies to position their stories in compelling contexts and present them in ways that spotlight their unique value propositions. As a former broadcast journalist, Hesser has a knack for leveraging her media insider insights to empower the people and organizations she works with as they gain top tier global exposure in outlets ranging from “The Today Show”, to The Wall Street Journal, and The AP. Connect with Amy on LinkedIn.