When is the Right Time to Launch a Global Technology PR Campaign?

Launching a global technology PR campaign can make or break your company’s visibility and credibility, and timing is everything. Whether you’re a startup with a groundbreaking product, a scaleup trying to shed your “secret success” label, or a global brand navigating the tricky waters of reputation management, knowing the perfect moment to go-live is vital, so let’s start at the top. 

Is your business offering something truly unique? Are you a tech startup with a product or service that you can prove is genuinely industry-changing? 

From a media perspective, demonstrable value is vital because journalists can spot ‘vapourware’ from a mile away (after all, they are writing about your industry more than you). 

Startup failure rates are MASSIVE, and journalists will not want to write about your business, product, or service if there’s a good chance it will never materialise. 

Do you have signed customer contracts, loyal and happy customers, or trustworthy partners to support your bold claims?

Simona Labianca, founder of the Italian tech PR agency Shin Communication, says: “In Italy, for highly competitive sectors like cybersecurity, it’s harder to secure media results. There are a lot of companies in Italy that want to talk about cybersecurity! To target the market in Italy, tech companies need strong, interesting content, including Italian case studies.”

Are you a scaleup that has been in the market for a few years but has operated largely under the radar? Are you a ‘secret success’ that now needs urgent change in awareness and visibility? 

“We’re the greatest success you’ve never heard of” is a common phrase among tech CEOs, but if you want to change that, what tangible evidence can you produce and communicate to audiences?

Are you a global brand giant with a reputation to manage? Once you reach the top, staying there is tough. The ever-tricky media site The Register in the UK loves nothing more than taking a swipe at big brands. Here’s its 2021 article in which it jokingly suggests that IBM (International Business Machines) actually stands for “I’ve Been Moved” in recognition of the number of employees moving between departments. Mud sticks.

Strategic Approach

Typically, PR campaigns fall into three camps:

• Boom (and Bust): A big launch event aimed at the media, backed up by some owned and paid media activities, followed by deafening silence. Sometimes, if budgets are limited, there is no option but to throw all of your efforts into one big event and plan for the impact to be so significant it launches your startup or tidies up that blip on your reputation. But in the fast-moving world of tech, I would suggest you could easily be forgotten in the aftermath.
• The Meteor: A big media event or announcement followed by an annual cycle of activities when your President or CEO is in town. Again, it happens. It can work. But the absence of activity and outreach between cycles will not help your awareness or reputation.
• Thunder and Lightning: This phrase, from the team at our UK tech PR agency The Jargon Group, refers to keeping a constant “rolling thunder” of PR activities interspersed with flashes of lightning brilliance that truly light up a campaign. It’s a great way of keeping your tech firm’s awareness at maximum levels. 

Similarly, in the UK, Rahme Mehmet, founder of TechComms, talks about working with industry analysts like Gartner and IDC as needing to be more than a one-time effort:

“Maintaining analyst relationships requires ongoing support. We help clients organise events or regular updates to keep analysts engaged. These events provide an opportunity to share research, developments, and customer success stories. We ensure analysts have the right information while making sure clients engage meaningfully. Our goal is to create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.”

Day-to-Day trends for global technology PR campaigns 

The day-to-day timing of activities depends on several factors, such as the nature of your business, your target audience, and the specific goals of the campaign. However, there are a few key moments or conditions that you might consider as key moments in your PR campaign:

• New Customers: Won a new customer, or better still, have you successfully deployed your product or service, and the customer is now happy? Perfect timing! You have all the hallmarks of a PR campaign.
• Top-Class Spokesperson: Do you have a media-friendly, articulate, and exciting spokesperson? Strike while the iron is hot.
• Industry Events: You might consider making news announcements at a show or event. CES just took place in Las Vegas, and Mobile World Congress is coming up in March, for example.

Mike Sottak, CEO of the US tech PR agency Wired Island, suggests: “For a show like CES, one of the golden rules is that most of the work happens well before the event even starts. If you haven’t lined up your meetings and interviews in advance, you’re already behind, and you are not going to get an efficient return. The most effective way to grab media attention is to share news ahead of time. Most journalists will honour embargoes and will appreciate being able to have stories ‘in the can’ and ready to break at the show before they even arrive.”

• Seasonal or Calendar-Driven Timing: For certain industries, timing a PR campaign around key seasons, holidays, or sales events (like Black Friday or Christmas) can maximise impact.

“Certain tech topics are always relevant in Spain and Portugal,” says Miguel Matías-Barreiro, Founder and Associate Director of Noizze Media, our member tech PR agency for Spain and Portugal. “Generative and ethical AI are significant themes that interest the media today, and they constantly evolve, maintaining ongoing interest. But we like to give that extra twist by linking our stories through ‘newsjacking’ or ‘dayketing,’ adapting clients’ messages to current events and stories in the media.”

A successful global technology PR campaign requires preparation, so you should ideally be launching it when you have clear messaging, storylines, content (including case studies), and exciting spokespeople in place to help. Remember, in the world of tech PR, it’s not just about having a great product or service —it’s about knowing when to tell the world.

You can learn more about Jargon, TechComms, Noizze Media and Shin Communication in our 3-minute Coffee With interviews. Alternatively, if you need help with launching a global technology PR campaign, please do get in touch and signup to our newsletter.