How to deal with the press.

News stories providing third-party validation offer credibility for your company among investors, customers and partners. Positive stories can attract angel and venture funding and strategic alliances. Here are some tips and cautions:

1. Craft concise differentiation messages. Avoid hype. Be quotable.

2. Prepare to commit your time for interviews and educating reporters. Don't sell, be helpful. Attitude cements credibility.

3. Get to know how the media works and thinks. Read bylines, analyze stories, become a student of news.

4. Build relationships - expect to be a part of a bigger story, don't expect to be the story.

5. You can’t control the media. You can control how you present yourself and your message, and you can influence by offering other trusted contacts as sources.

6. Think trends. What's happening in the market that might be interesting to a particular reporter? What gossip could you share?

7. Be a little crazy. Don't be afraid to try something new and different if it will help define your business or product.

8. Don't sit on news. Timing is critical to an editor's decision to use a story.

9. Build viral public relations efforts. Coordinate with your strategic partner's public relations efforts and compound your opportunities.

10. Always remember:
- You're never off the record.
- You’ll never have the opportunity to read a reporter's story before it appears, so don't even ask.
- Don't get angry, you'll lose.
- Don't ever lie to a reporter.

Next week, I'll switch to marketing. But first, tune in for poetry Friday............