Coffee With: Toni and Mike Sottak, co-founders, Wired Island International
Q: Can you start by giving us a brief elevator pitch about Wired Island?
A: We are a small, very focussed, very experienced B2B tech PR consultancy with deep roots in sectors like electronics and semiconductors. We like to stick to our knitting around deep tech. Both Toni and I hail from Silicon Valley, where we worked as communications professionals. We established Wired Island to deliver effective communication strategies and tactics to tech companies that align with our expertise.
Q: How did the idea of launching Wired Island come about? Was it a planned decision?
A: It wasn’t a planned venture. We were moving out of Silicon Valley when the concept of the agency began to take shape. Our experience in-house – as clients of larger PR firms – showed us what worked and what didn’t. We wanted to create a consultancy – we didn’t even want to call it an agency – to share our knowledge that emphasise accessibility and effective communication without the overhead of traditional agencies.
Q: So, your hands-on approach stems from your previous experiences. What does a typical day look like for you now?
A: We remain very hands-on. Our model allows us to engage directly with clients. We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality results efficiently. While this means scalability for us as an agency is more challenging, it also fosters deep relationships and satisfaction among our clients.
Q: Speaking of clients, what types of companies do you typically work with?
A: Our focus is on deep tech, which includes startups, scale-ups, and occasionally larger firms. We enjoy collaborating with startups because they often have innovative stories to tell and are quicker to adapt to our local market. We enjoy having a seat at the table with CEOs, founders and the entrepreneurs. But, we do have a few mid to larger size clients, even publicly traded ones too.
Q: You mentioned you often act as an external marketing department for smaller companies. How has your service offering evolved over the years?
A: Our offering is expanding as the communications landscape has changed. So, in addition to delivering earned media, which was always our focus, we’ve taken a more content led approach and look at all the communication tactics that our clients may need. It starts with a clear message. Knowing what you want to say, who you want to say it to, and why it matters is crucial. While earned media is still vital, we recognise the importance of a cohesive messaging strategy across all channels, including social media and website content.
Q: As a long-established agency since 1998, have there been any standout years for you?
A: It’s hard to pinpoint a single year. Each has had its highlights, influenced by our physical locations (we’ve operated from three locations including the Caribbean) and the types of clients we’ve worked with. We’ve adapted to changing market dynamics and technology trends over the years, and we’ve been fortunate to retain clients for a decade or more.
Mike: With the help of Collectivist, the next year is going to be the banner year for Wired Island!
Q: That longevity is impressive! What does your core team look like?
A: We have a small core team based in Charleston, South Carolina, where we operate out of a tech incubator. We also collaborate with specialists nationwide. This flexibility allows us to bring in the right talent when needed while keeping our core team tight-knit.
Q. Given your global experience, what advice would you give overseas tech companies looking to enter the U.S. market?
A: The most powerful tech companies at the moment are American companies, and they suck a lot of oxygen out of the room when it comes to media coverage. It’s hard for smaller companies – especially those from overseas – to compete against the big 5 of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, etc. Right now, NVIDIA now is killing it in our space, right?
But, if you have a good story, if you have an innovative story, if you are doing something disruptive, the American media is very open to understanding and learning about that, regardless of your country of origin.
If you give us the right ammunition to work with, we can be effective as a consultancy, but it takes time. You’re not going to come to the US, put out an announcement, do a bunch of press meetings and get coverage right away. It takes time to build relationships and gain traction. You need to commit to the process, as effective PR is a long-term investment.
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