Stellar Case Study
Capitalizing on PR Leads to Stellar Launch for Early-Stage Startup
Stellar is a pioneering startup dedicated to enhancing business operations through the integration of generative AI, large language models and machine learning. Operating in stealth mode, Stellar prepared for its market debut, focusing on key sectors such as healthcare, human resources and industrial IoT. Their objective was to engage influential decision-makers including C-level executives, business owners and managers across large enterprises and SMBs. Recognizing the need for effective communication to reach their target audience, Stellar engaged Dittoe PR in strategic public relations to build brand awareness, establish credibility and expand their market presence to ensure a successful launch.
Challenge
Stellar is a start-up that helps companies find their competitive edge by integrating generative AI (genAI), Large Language Models (LLMs) and machine learning across all facets of business operations.
After months of operating in stealth mode to prepare to bring the company to market, Stellar began to plan for its public launch. Its leaders had specific audiences in mind it needed to reach and inform at large enterprises and SMBs in the healthcare, human resources and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) industries. They aimed to reach C-level executives, owners and managers, as well as those who oversee customer experience, information technology and data management.
With a team of technologists and innovators working intimately in AI for more than 20 years, Stellar was confident in its ability to transform businesses through genAI and LLMs. What Stellar needed was support to reach and effectively communicate with its target customers.
To ensure a successful launch, Stellar recognized the importance of strategic public relations to build brand awareness and recognition, establish credibility and authority, and increase its reach to target audiences.
Solution
Stellar turned to Dittoe Public Relations to secure favorable and informative press coverage in relevant media outlets that attract awareness and action from prospective customers.
Dittoe PR began by working with Stellar to develop clear, compelling and concise key messaging that enforced its value proposition and position in the crowded AI space. Messaging was established about the company, its leaders, the products and platforms powering its capabilities, and the business risk and cost of lagging in AI adoption. This key messaging served as the foundation of all PR and marketing efforts, ensuring alignment across these functions and sales.
Next, the agency identified company spokespersons and subject matter experts who could be leveraged for contributed content, thought leadership and media interviews. Together, Dittoe PR and Stellar identified the most relevant and unique story angles to pitch to journalists throughout the partnership. The goal was to establish Stellar and its leaders as experts and innovators in integrating AI and LLMs to help companies find their competitive edge.
Dittoe PR led an in-depth competitive analysis to identify opportunities to proactively shape its PR strategies, ensure communications resonated with target audiences, and key messaging stood out from the crowd of competitors. Among the recommended PR opportunities were submitting award nominations; creating customer case studies; and announcing customer wins, new hires and promotions, partner recognition and achievements, new solutions capabilities, and more.
An instrumental part of Dittoe PR’s strategy included developing and executing ongoing media relations strategies with aggressive outreach to digital and print outlets. Target media included local market, enterprise tech, SMB, AI and priority customer verticals and outlets popular among key decision makers including CIOs, CTOs, CEOs and VPs of Engineering. The agency’s proactive media relations approach included sharing news announcements from the company, proposing interviews with Stellar leaders, developing thought leadership angles relevant to each audience and more.
The first step in publicly launching Stellar was earning its first-ever piece of media coverage. Dittoe PR and Stellar agreed that an impactful first media hit should happen in Stellar’s own backyard with the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ). After developing a pointed yet creative and informative pitch, Dittoe PR gave the IBJ first rights to the story. Shortly following the IBJ’s coverage of the Stellar launch, the press release written by Dittoe PR was distributed via Business Wire, educating thousands of viewers and driving visitors to the website.
As company spokespersons would be speaking with the media for the first time about Stellar, Dittoe PR created interview prep sheets ahead of all interviews that included logistical details as well as journalist and outlet overviews, anticipated questions, key talking points and more. To ensure media had access to all important and relevant company and executive backgrounds, Dittoe PR created and shared digital press kits that were included in all media outreach.
In addition to working from a well-researched and highly targeted press list, Dittoe PR identified and pitched applicable editorial calendar opportunities, or pre-planned stories, on behalf of Stellar.
An important part of Dittoe PR’s efforts included the development of content for Stellar, inclusive of press releases, byline articles and press kit items. Bylines represent an editorial means to interject perspective and earn credibility amongst a target audience. The byline articles secured on behalf of Stellar aligned with topics and issues pertinent to target industries without being promotional. These opportunities were vetted beforehand and secured in priority media outlets targeting C-level leaders, customer verticals, AI trade, enterprise tech and more.
Stellar Results
In the three-month partnership with Stellar, Dittoe PR secured:
- 35 target media placements.
- 161+ million media impressions.
- $1.5 million in ad value equivalency.
In addition, the agency developed nearly a dozen pieces of content, inclusive of thought leadership articles, press releases and media kit content for Stellar.
Key media placements to reach target audiences included:
- CustomerThink
- Datanami
- DestinationCRM
- Healthcare Business Today
- HR Executive
- HR Strategy & Planning Magazine
- HR.com
- Indianapolis Business Journal
- Inside Indiana Business
- MSN (US)
- SearchCIO, TechTarget
- Spiceworks
- Tech News World
The launch press release distributed on Business Wire led to nearly 4,000 views and hundreds of link clicks to the Stellar website.
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