Midas achieved media coverage for entrepreneur Tom Fairey for his debut book How Not to F*ck Up Your Startup.
The Brief
Midas was hired by author and entrepreneur Tom Fairey to provide publicity for the publication of his debut book, How Not to F*ck Up your Startup (12 January 2023). Our task was to position How Not to F*ck Up Your Startup as a plain-speaking and inspirational guide for aspiring start-ups looking to turn their great ideas into successful businesses. We wanted to position Tom as a relatable expert in the field, as the founder of his own start-up Stakester, and the host of the Back Yourself Show podcast. We wanted to achieve publicity across print outlets, digital media and podcasts to encourage sales.
The Work
The strategy involved a targeted PR campaign which focused on print outlets, digital media and podcasts. As the book was published in early January, we began by reaching out to planning editors and journalists who would be covering stories tied to New Year’s Resolution, offering Tom’s expert advice for anyone looking to launch a start-up in 2023. We offered copies out for review, focused on national mainstream media and put Tom forward for reactive comment opportunities.
To develop Tom’s profile and promote How Not to F*** Up Your Startup we pitched to several podcasts and media specialising in business, tech and HR and we secured several interviews for Tom in this area. These opportunities also allowed for a small promotion of Tom’s own podcast as well as promoting the book.
Over the course of the campaign, our pitches and follow-ups were refined to ensure the most was being made of news hijacking opportunities and making sure the angles were continuously appropriate for the target outlets to encourage engagement. We took meetings with event companies to explore what potential opportunities there would be for Tom to speak at relevant conferences and panels, and shared that information with Tom for future reference.
The Results
Midas secured key coverage for Tom across a range of different outlets. We secured national coverage in the Daily Telegraph, and trade coverage in The Bookseller, Startups Magazine and HR Magazine. We secured a podcast interview on the Ben Morton podcast and Always Possible Podcast was also confirmed to run post-campaign.
The feedback we received from our outreach was generally positive: journalists found Tom’s story interesting, and we were able to push through several opportunities that came our way.
