Global recognition & 500+ citations with strategic data story
Background & Context
Our client, a prominent HRTech player with operations in both the United States and India, specializes in recruitment technology, particularly Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Despite having a strong product offering, the client recognized the need to enhance their credibility and visibility on a global scale. To achieve this, they aimed to secure citations from reputable global journals, including well-known newspapers and specialized subject matter journals.
This strategic move was intended to not only boost the client’s reputation but also to position them as a thought leader in the competitive HRTech space. To realize this goal, they engaged us to develop and execute a plan that would effectively garner these high-value citations.
The Challenge
Securing citations from reputable journals and newspapers is a daunting task, particularly for startups. Unlike established brands, where the brand name alone can often secure media coverage, startups must rely on the strength of their story. For our client, the challenge was clear: to get their recruitment technology featured in these prestigious publications, the narrative had to stand out on its own merit.
Reputed journals and newspapers are highly selective, only picking up stories that are original, compelling, and directly relevant to their audience. The client’s story needed to be not only unique but also incredibly interesting or useful to the readership of these publications. This meant that we had to craft a narrative that resonated deeply with the pain points and interests of the HR and recruitment industry, ensuring it was both newsworthy and aligned with the editorial standards of top-tier media outlets.
The Solution
To overcome the challenges of securing citations from top-tier journals and newspapers, we devised a two-part strategy focusing on both the story and its distribution.
A. Crafting a Compelling Story: We recognized that our best chance of getting picked up by reputable publications was to provide original and valuable insights. Leveraging the client’s ATS data, which had accumulated over time, we decided to conduct our own research to uncover actionable insights that would resonate with the target audience.
Our analysis revealed a significant finding: on average, firms were taking 32 days to hire a candidate. This insight was not only intriguing but also highly practical, serving as a valuable benchmark for companies to plan their hiring processes more effectively. By highlighting this data, we crafted a narrative that was both informative and useful, providing a new “thumb rule” for HR professionals and recruitment teams to gauge their own performance against an industry standard.
B. Strategic Distribution: Understanding that even the most compelling story needs the right platform for distribution, we decided to partner with a leading press release syndicate. This partnership was crucial in boosting our chances of getting the story picked up by the desired publications. The syndicate’s extensive network and credibility in the media landscape meant that our press release would reach a broad audience, including the editors and journalists at the reputable journals and newspapers we were targeting.
This two-pronged approach—crafting a data-driven, original story and ensuring its wide distribution through a trusted press release syndicate—significantly enhanced our chances of securing citations in high-profile media outlets.
Results
Our strategic approach yielded remarkable results, significantly boosting the client’s visibility and credibility in the HRTech space:
Widespread Media Pickup: The story was picked up by over 500 newspapers and journals, including prominent publications like Business Insider, Times of India, and The Week. This extensive coverage not only amplified the client’s reach but also established them as a thought leader in the recruitment technology space.
Industry Benchmark: Since the data was published, the average time-to-hire figure of 32 days has become a commonly cited benchmark in articles and discussions on recruitment. This has further solidified the client’s authority in the industry, with their insights continuing to influence HR practices and discussions.
