What it's about:

Catch of the Day is a daily (two to four times a week) column by me, Rafe Needleman. The column covers trends and ideas for the new economy. Most days I write up my thoughts on a particular startup company, after I've met with the CEO or founder. I try to discuss what the company does, and what it means in a broader sense. I also cover public companies. Sometimes I discuss an idea without mentioning a specific company. Occasionally I compare companies.

When covering a company, I almost always mention its competitors, its funding, the vision behind it, and how, if it's successful, it could change the landscape. I always have links at the end, pointing to the company's site and related stories.

The column is short, 200 to 300 words. Readers like it that way.

Who Reads it? Most readers are in the technology economy: CEOs, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists. From 1999 through 2001, the column was published by Red Herring, and it had 100,000 readers.

Where and When they read it: The main distribution platform for Catch of the Day is email. It is available in both text and HTML formats. It is emailed, generally, between 8pm and 2am each night Sunday to Thursday, so people see it in their morning email at work.
On the Web, the column runs on the Catch of the Day site (www.catchoday.com). The column posts on the Web site at about the same time as it is emailed to subscribers.

How to pitch:

1. Email Me. Don't fax. Don't phone. Never send gifts. My email address is rafe@catchoday.com.
   
   
   • Keep it Short. Two paragraphs, tops. If you can't explain your business in that space, you don't understand it.
     
   • Use the Subject Line. I delete all emails with the following subjects: "CEO in town;" and "Press release attached." Here is a good subject line: "Pitch: XYZ has new peer-to-peer wireless service." Be sure to put the company name in the subject line.
     
   • Will I Answer Your Email? Only if I think there might be a column in it. I sometimes get hundred pitches in a day, and I can't reply to all of them, sorry.

    

2. Give me an Exclusive. It helps.
   
   
3. View From the Top. When a CEO, president, CTO, or founder writes to me, I notice.
   
   
4. Don't Call to Pitch. I like to think about a pitch before I accept it, and I prefer to have the pitch in writing to mull over. And whatever you do, don't call to see if I got your email! That pushes all the wrong buttons. The phone is good for figuring out details of appointments and such, for critical issues, interview follow-ups, and if you get lost on the way to my office.
   
   
5. The Interview. What if we agree to meet? some pointers:
   
   
   • When? First of all, please be advised that I take one or two CEO or VC meetings a day, and my schedule is usually booked three or four weeks out. Most Catch of the Day meetings last about 45 minutes. I apologize in advance if I am rushed and we can only spend 30 minutes together. It happens from time to time.
     
   • Where? Most meetings happen in my San Francisco office. I try to get down to the South Bay every two or three weeks for a day of off-site meetings. In the Bay Area, I try to reserve on-site meetings for companies that have unusual hardware that can't be toted to our office, or industrial plays where the physical setting is interesting. I do like to visit companies when I'm on the road.
     
   • Bring the CEO! Or founder, or CTO or something. Marketing types, as a rule, don't do much for the column.
     
   • Be Prepared. I will ask the CEO about business model, technology, funding, exit plans, profit model, and competitors. Hint: "We don't have any competitors," is a lie.
     
   • Be Quiet. Almost all PR professionals understand this, but a few don't. I am writing about a company and the people who run it -- not its PR counsel, no matter how stunning it is. I want to get to know the people behind the company.
     
   • Powerpoint? No. I can sleep with my eyes open. Try me. Discussions yield better columns than canned presentations.
     
   • Product Demo? Yes. But bring your own hardware and don't count on having a live Internet connection in our office.
   • When Will the Column Appear? Maybe that evening, maybe not for a few weeks. Some meetings don't result in column. It's unpredictable.
   
   
   
6. NDAs? Not a good idea. I am not opposed to NDAs but I don't like delaying my writeups of a meeting, as I have a poor memory for the juicy details that make for entertaining columns.
   
   
7. Leave-Behinds: A press kit and info on where to contact you and the CEO. Cell phone numbers help, just in case.

Thanks for reading. If you have questions, please email me.

- Rafe Needleman