Case study · Earned Media
Two Virtual Briefings Turn the PLAUD NotePin Into a Category Launch Story
An embargoed media strategy generated 32 earned stories within 48 hours, more than 416 million impressions, and 29 product sample requests for the PLAUD NotePin.
32
Stories in 48 hours
416M+
Media impressions
29
Sample requests
Overview
The brief from PLAUD.AI
PLAUD.AI needed to introduce the PLAUD NotePin as a serious new option in AI note-taking. The announcement came on short notice near Labor Day, leaving little time for an in-person launch. The team also had to separate a young brand from competitors that had already received negative press and persuade leading technology reporters to try a new product in the category.
Discover
The timing made a traditional launch event impractical, but the product still needed direct explanation and demonstration. Reporters needed access to the CEO, a clear view of how the NotePin worked, and enough exclusivity to make the story worth covering when the embargo lifted. A flexible virtual format offered a faster path without reducing the quality of the briefing.
Define
“Short notice did not require a smaller launch. It required a more focused room.”
5W replaced one in-person event with two embargoed virtual pre-briefings. Attendance options made the sessions easier for reporters to join, while limiting product details to participants preserved the value of the access. Each briefing combined a CEO presentation, live questions, and a real-time product demonstration.
How 5W ran the program
Drive
- Created two flexible embargoed briefings. Multiple session times increased access for priority technology media while keeping the group focused.
- Put the CEO and product demonstration at the center. Reporters heard the category story directly from leadership and saw the NotePin operate before the public announcement.
- Protected the value of early access. Detailed information was reserved for attending media, giving reporters a stronger reason to participate and prepare coverage.
- Built an ongoing review pipeline. Launch outreach continued after the embargo through product sampling and follow-up with reporters interested in hands-on testing.
Results
32 stories in 48 hours · 416M+ media impressions
More than 20 top-tier media representatives joined the briefings. TechCrunch, The Verge, and WIRED published marquee stories as soon as the embargo lifted. Within 48 hours, the launch had produced 32 earned media stories, more than 416 million impressions, and 29 requests to sample the PLAUD NotePin.
- Secured immediate embargo-lift coverage in TechCrunch, The Verge, and WIRED.
- Generated 32 pieces of earned media coverage within 48 hours of the announcement.
- Delivered more than 416 million media impressions from the launch campaign.
- Received 29 PLAUD NotePin sample requests for the ongoing product review program.
- Extended coverage through Forbes, Digital Trends, Engadget, TechRadar, ZDNet, and additional technology outlets.
Coverage included
