Day: October 4, 2025

While gating content can be a powerful tool to boost engagement, PR pros need to carefully consider which stories are worthy of exclusivity and ensure the value proposition justifies the restriction of access. It also requires a strong understanding of the media landscape and a clear agreement with the journalist/media outlet in order to prevent miscommunication.

PRos use exclusives sparingly and strategically to elevate important news that would otherwise get lost in the shuffle of daily announcements and media frenzy. However, the tactic comes with a few pitfalls that can damage relationships and tarnish the brand’s reputation.

One of the biggest mistakes is offering an exclusive to several journalists at once. Aside from the risk of burning bridges and causing conflict, this can create an imbalance in the relationship between your organization and the press. Additionally, if the selected reporter chooses not to run your news, or even worse, changes their mind last minute, it can deter other journalists and media outlets from pitching you in the future.

Joseph recommends contacting only one journalist at a time and clearly defining the terms of the agreement in your initial pitch. In addition, she suggests writing a short, succinct email to make the news stand out in the journalist’s inbox and use “EXCLUSIVE: [name of the reporter]” as the subject line so it is immediately noticeable in their inbox.

Investor updates are a monthly communication between a startup and its investors, designed to share recent wins and losses, financials, team updates, customer wins, and core metrics. Investor updates are typically sent via email, though they can be delivered in any format that best suits your investor base.

An investor update should be concise and navigable, with clear sections for each of the key items you want to communicate. It’s a good idea to keep a running list of highlights for each month, so that you have something to include when it comes time to write an investor update.

For the highlights section, highlight a few things that went right during the previous month, from big new customer wins to exciting partnerships to new hires. It’s also a good opportunity to give a shout-out to any team members who deserve special recognition.

Then for the lowlights, lay out a few things that didn’t quite go as planned. It’s important to be honest and not try to sugarcoat anything — investors are much more understanding if they know that every startup has its fair share of challenges.

Finally, end the investor update by letting investors know what you need from them going forward. This could be anything from help sourcing a new office to introductions to potential customers to more funding. Asking for help is an excellent way to strengthen your investor relationships and set the stage for future fundraises.

A tech startup is a newly founded company that uses technology to create or improve products and services. Some of the biggest companies in the world today, such as Google, Apple and Facebook, were once just small startups. Tech startups are driven by innovation and a pursuit of the unknown. This makes them a powerful force to be reckoned with in the ever-evolving tech landscape.

A successful tech startup must have a unique, compelling product idea and market potential. Then they must create a prototype or minimum viable product to test the feasibility of their idea with real customers and collect feedback before expanding and launching. Finally, a strong marketing strategy is crucial to building a brand and driving customer acquisition. According to CB Insights, the number one reason for tech startup failure is a lack of product-market fit.

Startups must also secure funding, establish their core team and craft a business culture to attract talent. They must also consider their legal structure (such as Limited Liability Company or C corporation), based on their stage and investor goals.

To help them succeed, many tech startups seek out incubators and accelerators that offer programs such as working space, small investments and eligibility for major discounts on great tools and services needed to scale up. Moreover, they should implement HR and payroll automation to streamline processes and save time. Finally, they must make sure to protect their intellectual property by registering trademarks, copyrights and domains.

World news (also international news or foreign news) is the term used in the news media for stories that are global in nature or deal with a topic across national borders. It is one of several specializations for journalists and can be distinguished from national news, which focuses on events occurring within a country’s borders. World news is usually reported by foreign correspondents or by a news agency, though the latter is not always a specific journalistic designation.

The word “correspondent” refers to a full-time reporter stationed in a foreign city for a newspaper or magazine and filing stories on a regular basis. Correspondents are often able to gather valuable information from local officials, members of the community and even events they witness directly.

While much of the news we consume tends to focus on crises, controversies and what’s going wrong in the world around us, many remarkable things are happening, too. u/cthulhus_spawn recently asked readers to share their favourite good news stories from around the globe. Their answers were both hopeful and eye-opening, highlighting environmental comebacks, scientific breakthroughs and other global efforts that go unnoticed.