Tips for Public Sector Product Releases

During my career, I’ve focused on a lot of different areas of technology. One news item that has typically garnered a decent amount of reporter enthusiasm in the B2B world is a new product release (not to be confused with product updates or version releases).

However, this does not ring true when it comes to the public sector. It might be the procurement process, or the speed at which the government moves, or the number of other mandates and directives that reporters have to cover, but it is a rare case when product news is covered by the public sector press.

That said, many companies expect product coverage in the public sector trade publications (especially if they’re seeing this type of coverage in another vertical).

With 69% of our client makeup interested in the public sector, we’ve gotten creative and have put together a few tips for getting product-related coverage in the public sector press.

1.  Tie to trends – Mandates, directives, and the like abound in the public sector. Tying into these cross-government trends can give your product story a whole new twist.
2. Look at the problem and solution – Products are meant to solve problems. Focus on a common problem and suggest a way to solve it, subtly referencing the product.
3. Find a customer – While this can be a tough task, it’s not totally impossible. State and local customers are typically easier to secure as a reference than a federal customer, but contractors can work as well.
4. Find a partner – Partnering with a noncompetitive but similar technology to tell a larger story of change or trends within the government can turn a reporters head and save them time when looking for additional sources.

Following these tips and thinking outside of the product box for other story ideas that relate back to a new product should increase the chances of getting attention in the public sector press.