* Don’t Believe Your Own Press Releases

17 Seconds #47

Advisor to politician OK, let's go back to the stuff we said you believed in initially and see how that works.

I consider myself a marketing person who happens to be a lawyer (which happens to be a good fit, because selling a patent to the USPTO is a lot like selling a product to a customer). I have advised and mentored hundreds of startups, and the number one piece of advice I give is this: don’t believe your own press releases.

Of course you should write press releases (or the equivalent) and of course the press releases should be true. But the content, especially the aspirational portions in the “about us” paragraph should be just that: aspirations.

Believe that you are great. And keep seeking to be better. But like a master chess player – or a master politician – think three moves ahead. Do not be satisfied with your current product or your last press release. Because if you believe your own press releases, then you may become complacent, which gives your competitors the opening they are looking for.


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