DOMAIN:MARKETING — PR_EARNED_MEDIA¶

OWNER: tjarda
ALSO_USED_BY: dirk-jan (human — approves all pitches)
UPDATED: 2026-03-24
SCOPE: journalist pitching, press releases, media relationships, earned media strategy for GE

CORE_PRINCIPLE¶

PR is not advertising. PR is earning coverage by being genuinely interesting.
GE has a genuinely interesting story. The challenge is telling it in a way that journalists want to write about.

PHILOSOPHY: journalists are not a distribution channel — they are gatekeepers to credibility
RULE: every pitch must answer "why would a reader care about this?"
RULE: ALL pitches and journalist contact require human (Dirk-Jan) approval
RULE: never lie, exaggerate, or mislead. One bad story destroys years of trust.
RULE: respect journalist time. Short pitches. Relevant pitches. No spam.

WHAT_MAKES_A_STORY_NEWSWORTHY¶

THE_NEWSWORTHINESS_TEST¶

Before pitching anything, it must pass at least 3 of these 7 criteria:

NOVELTY: is this genuinely new? Not "company launches product" but "company does something no one has done"
SIGNIFICANCE: does this affect many people or an important industry?
TIMELINESS: is there a news hook right now? (regulation, trend, event, competitor move)
PROXIMITY: is this relevant to the publication's audience specifically?
CONFLICT: is there a tension or debate? (AI vs human, quality vs speed, Europe vs Silicon Valley)
HUMAN_INTEREST: is there a compelling human story? (founder journey, client transformation)
MAGNITUDE: are the numbers impressive? (59 agents, 10% of human pricing, specific metrics)

GE_STORY_ANGLES¶

ANGLE_1: "The AI-native agency" — 59 specialized AI agents simulate a full software agency
NEWSWORTHINESS: novelty (no one else has this scale), magnitude (59 agents), conflict (AI vs human)
BEST_FOR: TechCrunch, Cerebral Valley, VentureBeat

ANGLE_2: "Enterprise quality at intern pricing" — ISO 27001/SOC 2 at 10% of human cost
NEWSWORTHINESS: significance (SME market access), magnitude (90% cost reduction)
BEST_FOR: The Information, business publications

ANGLE_3: "AI checking AI" — the anti-LLM pipeline where agents verify each other's work
NEWSWORTHINESS: novelty (unique QA approach), conflict (AI reliability debate)
BEST_FOR: Cerebral Valley, dev.to, Hacker News, AI newsletters

ANGLE_4: "European AI doing it differently" — Netherlands-based, EU-regulation-first, privacy-by-design
NEWSWORTHINESS: proximity (European tech publications), conflict (Europe vs Silicon Valley approach)
BEST_FOR: TNW, Tweakers, EU tech press

ANGLE_5: "The self-learning wiki brain" — institutional knowledge that persists and improves
NEWSWORTHINESS: novelty (self-healing knowledge systems), human interest (how AI "remembers")
BEST_FOR: AI-focused publications, developer community

ANGLE_6: "SME digital transformation" — making professional software accessible to small businesses
NEWSWORTHINESS: significance (underserved market), human interest (client stories)
BEST_FOR: business press, Dutch/European media

TARGET_PUBLICATIONS¶

TIER_1: FLAGSHIP TECH¶

TECHCRUNCH¶

AUDIENCE: tech industry, VCs, founders, enterprise buyers
WHAT_THEY_COVER: startup launches, funding, product news, AI advances
PITCH_APPROACH: exclusive or embargo. TC values being first.
KEY_JOURNALISTS: research current AI/enterprise beat reporters before pitching
ANGLE_FIT: "AI-native agency" launch story, major milestone, funding
PITCH_LENGTH: 3-5 paragraphs max. Data upfront.
TIMING: avoid Mondays (flooded) and Fridays (low readership). Tuesday-Thursday optimal.

CEREBRAL_VALLEY¶

AUDIENCE: AI practitioners, builders, researchers
WHAT_THEY_COVER: AI infrastructure, agentic systems, technical deep-dives
PITCH_APPROACH: community-first. Engage before pitching.
ANGLE_FIT: anti-LLM pipeline, multi-agent architecture, self-learning systems
PITCH_LENGTH: can be more technical than TC. Include architecture details.
NOTE: Cerebral Valley values technical authenticity. Marketing speak = instant rejection.

THE_INFORMATION¶

AUDIENCE: tech executives, investors, senior decision-makers
WHAT_THEY_COVER: exclusive enterprise tech stories, strategy, market analysis
PITCH_APPROACH: premium exclusive. They want stories no one else has.
ANGLE_FIT: business model innovation, market disruption, enterprise quality at scale
PITCH_LENGTH: concise, data-heavy. Business impact over tech details.

TIER_2: BROAD TECH¶

VENTUREBEAT¶

AUDIENCE: enterprise tech, AI practitioners
WHAT_THEY_COVER: AI enterprise adoption, technical analysis
PITCH_APPROACH: contributed articles work well. "Guest post" angle.
ANGLE_FIT: thought leadership, technical deep-dive
NOTE: VentureBeat accepts contributed articles — lower barrier than pitched coverage

TNW (THE NEXT WEB)¶

AUDIENCE: European tech community
WHAT_THEY_COVER: European startups, tech trends, events (TNW Conference)
PITCH_APPROACH: local angle. Dutch company, European tech, EU AI Act relevance.
ANGLE_FIT: European AI, SME market, Dutch tech ecosystem
NOTE: TNW Conference is a potential event target

TWEAKERS¶

AUDIENCE: Dutch tech enthusiasts, developers
WHAT_THEY_COVER: tech products, reviews, Dutch tech news
PITCH_APPROACH: technical depth. Tweakers audience is very technical.
ANGLE_FIT: architecture deep-dive, Dutch tech innovation
LANGUAGE: Dutch content may be appropriate here

TIER_3: DEVELOPER COMMUNITY¶

DEV.TO¶

AUDIENCE: developers worldwide
APPROACH: not pitched — publish directly. Technical blog posts.
CONTENT: architecture posts, lessons learned, technical decisions
NOTE: organic reach. Top posts get 10K-50K views. Cross-post from growing-europe.com.

HACKER_NEWS¶

AUDIENCE: developers, tech practitioners
APPROACH: not pitched — submit links organically. Community will upvote if genuinely interesting.
CONTENT: technical blog posts, "Show HN" for products
WARNING: HN is brutally honest. If the content isn't genuinely good, it will be ignored or criticized. No marketing fluff.
NOTE: a top HN post can drive 20K-100K visits in a day

AI_NEWSLETTERS¶

The Rundown AI (500K+ subscribers), TLDR AI (120K+), Ben's Bites
APPROACH: some accept paid placement, some feature interesting stories organically
CONTENT: concise company blurb + what makes GE different
NOTE: newsletter placement can be more effective than publication coverage for awareness

HOW_TO_PITCH_JOURNALISTS¶

PITCH_STRUCTURE¶

SUBJECT LINE: [specific, newsworthy hook — not "Exciting AI startup"]  

Hi [first name],  

[One sentence: why this is relevant to THEIR beat and THEIR readers — not to you]  

[One paragraph: what GE is, the specific news/angle, why it matters NOW]  

[One paragraph: proof points — numbers, milestones, specific details]  

[One sentence: what you're offering — exclusive, embargo, interview, demo]  

[Signature with phone number — journalists need to reach you fast]

TOTAL LENGTH: under 200 words. Journalists get 100+ pitches per day.

PITCH_RULES¶

RULE_1: RESEARCH THE JOURNALIST
Read their last 10 articles. Understand their beat. Reference a specific article in your pitch.
A pitch that shows "I read your work" gets 10x more response.

RULE_2: ONE PITCH PER JOURNALIST
Never mass-email. Every pitch is personalized.

RULE_3: SUBJECT LINE IS EVERYTHING
Bad: "GE — Revolutionary AI Development Platform"
Good: "59 AI agents simulate a full dev agency — shipping code at 10% the cost"
Good: "Dutch startup's AI agents caught a security bug that passed 3 human reviews"

RULE_4: LEAD WITH THE NEWS, NOT THE COMPANY
Bad: "Growing Europe is an exciting AI company founded in..."
Good: "Software agencies charge €150/hr. One Dutch company's AI agents do it for €15."

RULE_5: RESPECT THE FOLLOW-UP CADENCE
- Send pitch
- Wait 3-5 business days
- ONE follow-up (short, add new data point if possible)
- If no response after follow-up, STOP. Move on.
- NEVER: "Just bumping this to the top of your inbox"

RULE_6: OFFER VALUE
Exclusive = only you get this story (highest value)
Embargo = you get it first, others get it on date X (medium value)
General = available to everyone (lowest value, appropriate for Tier 3)

WHAT_JOURNALISTS_HATE¶

Mass emails with "Hi [FIRST_NAME]" mail merge failures
"Just checking if you saw my email" (they saw it)
Pitches that are obviously about YOU, not about THEIR readers
Inflated numbers and unsubstantiated claims
"We're the Uber of X" positioning
PDF attachments (don't open them — security risk)
Calling without prior email contact
Pitching on embargo day for another company

PRESS_RELEASE_FORMAT¶

Press releases are STILL useful for formal announcements, SEO, and as pitch attachments.

STRUCTURE¶

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
[or: UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL {date, time, timezone}]  

{HEADLINE — factual, newsy, under 100 characters}  
{SUBHEADLINE — supporting detail, under 150 characters}  

{CITY}, {DATE} — {First paragraph: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY in 2-3 sentences.  
This paragraph must stand alone as a complete news story.}  

{Second paragraph: supporting detail, context, significance}  

{Third paragraph: quote from founder/CEO (Dirk-Jan). Make it sound human, not corporate.}  

{Fourth paragraph: technical details, specifics, how it works}  

{Fifth paragraph: availability, next steps, call to action}  

### About Growing Europe  
Growing Europe is a fully AI-native software development agency based in the Netherlands.  
Operating 59 specialized AI agents — from project managers to security auditors — GE delivers  
enterprise-grade custom SaaS to SME business owners at a fraction of traditional agency pricing.  
GE maintains ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II compliance.  

### Media Contact  
{Name}  
{Email}  
{Phone}  
{Website: growing-europe.com}

RULES:
- Headline is factual, not clever. News, not marketing.
- First paragraph answers all five Ws
- Quote sounds like a real human said it (not "We are thrilled to announce...")
- Total length: 400-600 words
- Include boilerplate (About section) at the end

MEDIA_KIT¶

CONTENTS¶

A media kit should be available at growing-europe.com/press/ and contain:

COMPANY_OVERVIEW: one-page PDF with key facts
What GE is (one paragraph)
Key numbers (59 agents, pricing model, compliance)
Founded date, location, team
Key milestones
FOUNDER_BIO: Dirk-Jan's bio and high-resolution headshot
LOGOS: GE logo in multiple formats
SVG, PNG (transparent), PNG (white background)
Full color, monochrome, reversed
Usage guidelines (minimum size, clear space)
SCREENSHOTS: product/platform screenshots
High resolution (300 DPI for print, 72 DPI for web)
Annotated versions available
FACT_SHEET: key statistics and milestones
Number of agents, projects completed, clients served
Compliance certifications
Technology stack summary
PRESS_RELEASES: archive of previous releases
BRAND_GUIDELINES: summary of visual identity and brand voice

RULE: keep the media kit updated. Outdated media kits signal a company that doesn't take PR seriously.
RULE: all assets downloadable without requiring an email address

BUILDING_JOURNALIST_RELATIONSHIPS¶

LONG_TERM_APPROACH¶

PR is a relationship business. The best coverage comes from journalists who already know you.

STEP_1: IDENTIFY (month 1-2)
- Build a list of 20-30 journalists who cover AI/enterprise/European tech
- Read their work. Understand their angle and what they care about.
- Follow them on X/Twitter. Engage with their posts genuinely.

STEP_2: ENGAGE (month 2-4)
- Comment on their articles with genuine insights (not "great article!")
- Share their work on GE's social media with commentary
- Respond to their requests for sources/quotes (HARO, #JournoRequest)
- Be helpful when they ask questions, even if it doesn't benefit GE

STEP_3: INTRODUCE (month 3-5)
- Send a SHORT email: who you are, what GE does, why you think they'd find it interesting
- Offer to be a source for future stories about AI development, agentic systems, etc.
- Do NOT pitch a story in the introduction email

STEP_4: PITCH (month 5+)
- Now you have context. Your pitch references previous interactions.
- The journalist already has a sense of who you are.
- Response rate for warm pitches: 20-40%. Cold pitches: 2-5%.

SOURCE_RELATIONSHIP¶

The most valuable PR asset is being a TRUSTED SOURCE:
- Journalist writing about AI agents? They call you for a quote.
- Journalist needs a European perspective on AI regulation? They ask you.
- This kind of coverage is worth 10x a pitched story because it's ORGANIC.

HOW_TO_BECOME_A_SOURCE:
- Respond quickly (journalists have deadlines — hours, not days)
- Be quotable (concise, opinionated, specific)
- Be honest (say "I don't know" rather than guessing)
- Be available (phone number, not just email)
- Don't ask to review the article before publication (it's annoying)

EMBARGO_MANAGEMENT¶

WHAT_IS_AN_EMBARGO¶

An embargo is an agreement: "I'll share this news with you now, but you agree not to publish before [date/time]."

WHEN_TO_USE:
- Major announcements (funding, major partnership, significant milestone)
- When you want multiple publications to cover simultaneously
- When you want to give journalists time to write a thorough piece

EMBARGO_RULES¶

RULE_1: only embargo genuinely newsworthy announcements. Embargoing a blog post is embarrassing.
RULE_2: send embargoed material 3-7 days before publish date
RULE_3: clearly mark embargo terms in EVERY communication: "UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL [date, time, timezone]"
RULE_4: give exclusives to Tier 1. Embargo to Tier 2. General availability to Tier 3.
RULE_5: never break your own embargo by leaking elsewhere
RULE_6: if a journalist breaks the embargo, don't work with them again

EXCLUSIVE_VS_EMBARGO¶

EXCLUSIVE: one publication gets the story first, no one else can publish for 24-48 hours
VALUE: highest-quality coverage. The journalist invests more because they're the only one.
COST: other publications may not cover an "old" story

EMBARGO: multiple publications get the story, all publish at the same time
VALUE: broader coverage. Multiple articles appear simultaneously.
COST: each individual piece may be shorter/less detailed

GE_STRATEGY: exclusive for the FIRST major story (TechCrunch or The Information). Embargo for subsequent announcements.

TIMING_AND_NEWS_HOOKS¶

BEST_TIMES_TO_PITCH¶

BEST: Tuesday-Thursday, 08:00-10:00 journalist's local time
AVOID: Monday (inbox overload), Friday (stories die over weekend)
AVOID: major news days (elections, big tech announcements, crises)
AVOID: holiday weeks (no one reads, low traffic)

NEWS_HOOKS¶

A news hook ties your pitch to something happening NOW:

TYPE_1: REGULATORY — EU AI Act milestones, compliance deadlines
EXAMPLE: "As EU AI Act enforcement begins, here's one company that was built compliance-first"

TYPE_2: INDUSTRY — major AI announcements from Google/OpenAI/Anthropic
EXAMPLE: "While Big Tech debates AI safety, this 59-agent system has been testing AI code for months"

TYPE_3: TREND — industry reports on AI adoption, software costs, agency market
EXAMPLE: "Gartner says 30% of software will be AI-generated by 2027. This company is already there."

TYPE_4: EVENT — conferences (TNW, Web Summit, Cerebral Valley events)
EXAMPLE: pre-event pitch tied to speaking slot or demo

TYPE_5: MILESTONE — GE hitting a specific achievement
EXAMPLE: "After [X] completed projects, here's what we've learned about AI reliability"

CRISIS_COMMUNICATIONS¶

WHEN_CRISIS_COMMS_IS_NEEDED¶

Negative press coverage
A public-facing failure (outage, quality issue, security incident)
Misrepresentation of GE in media
Viral negative social media

CRISIS_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL¶

1. PAUSE: stop all scheduled content immediately  
2. ASSESS: what happened, how bad is it, who knows  
3. ESCALATE: human (Dirk-Jan) IMMEDIATELY — no autonomous response  
4. DRAFT: response with human approval  
5. PUBLISH: single, clear statement  
6. MONITOR: track spread and sentiment  
7. UPDATE: only if new information warrants it

RULES:
- NEVER respond without human approval
- NEVER delete or hide content (Streisand effect)
- NEVER blame others
- BE transparent about what happened
- ACKNOWLEDGE, EXPLAIN, COMMIT to fix

MEASURING_PR_SUCCESS¶

Metric	How to Measure	Target
Placements	Count of articles published	1 Tier 1 or 2 Tier 2/quarter
Reach	Combined readership of publications	Track growth
Share of voice	GE mentions vs competitors	Track trend
Domain authority	Backlinks from press coverage	Track improvement
Referral traffic	Website visits from press links	Track per article
Lead attribution	Inbound leads citing press coverage	Track source

CROSS_REFERENCES¶

INDEX: domains/marketing/index.md — domain overview
SOCIAL: domains/marketing/social-media-strategy.md — social media amplification of PR
CONTENT: domains/marketing/content-marketing.md — blog content that supports PR
BRAND: domains/marketing/brand-management.md — messaging consistency
THOUGHT_LEADERS: domains/marketing/thought-leaders.md — PR thought leaders (Ed Zitron)

PR/earned media strategy loaded. All pitches require human approval before sending.