January 24th, 2009
Students: how to pitch a killer product
As I am a British citizen, I like to keep abreast of issues at home; land of Queen Elizabeth II, home of crap dental treatment, Yorkshire puddings, witty sarcastic humour, Monty Python and fish ‘n chips. By all that, I mean I read the ZDNet.co.uk pages from time to time. Today I found something rather amusing.
One of the editors, Rupert Goodwins, has devised a cunning yet perfect formula for public relations people and in theory anyone, including entrepreneurial students, for pitching ideas to him.
Don’t be put off by the maths; it’s serious, but a bit of a joke. If I’m honest, the numbers confuse me, but then again I was always awful at maths.
P = probability that journalist will be interested
nt = is it a new technology?
up = is it a unique product?
bi = the amount of beer involved;
eai = the number of engineers available for an interview;
m = stands for “marketing “managers” or “mornings”;
ace = “already covered elsewhere” - if anyone else has covered it;
l = the word “leading” or “leader” in the first paragraph.
So, if you are a student ready to pitch to a journalist, you will need something fresh, something new and unique, people available for interview, buzzwords to grab the interest of folk, and plenty of beer.
Zack Whittaker, the youngest in the ZDNet network, is a British student at the University of Kent, Canterbury, where he studies BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy. His insight into the next-generation is unique and first-hand, sharing his knowledge of the here and now but more so what's next and how to get there.
You can read his public biography and his work disclosures of his current and past industry affiliations.
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