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PR is marketing, and Elon Musk 100% nailed PR. Tesla doesn't do advertising. You know why? Because they 100% nail PR. Some people claim tesla doesn't do market

PR is marketing, and Elon Musk 100% nailed PR. Tesla doesn't do advertising. You know why? Because they 100% nail PR. Some people claim tesla doesn't do marketing because they don't do advertising, but that is completely wrong. PR is marketing. Shooting a Tesla into orbit was just brilliant PR. Every news outlet covered it. And for them, because they both have SpaceX and Tesla, it was both unique, and very doable. And the flamethrower the same thing. We are talking about it now, right? Elon Musk remains at the top of the news pages. Incredible how he can pull that off. If you think PR is easy, try doing PR. I tried doing PR, and I can tell you it's fucking hard.

iancmceachern 4y ago
Yes, we're talking about it, but I don't and won't own a Tesla product. I don't think it's incredible, it's easy. What's incredible is the work product of the engineers and technicians they work for him. Not a man baby making sharp pointy things that burn down the house. That doesn't take vision or knowledge, just no one to tell you "no".
- koonsolo 4y ago
  > I don't think it's incredible, it's easy. I'll give you $5000 if you can get my product rpgplayground.com on top of the mainstream media. If you find it easy, I will be happy to pay you the $5k.
  - koonsolo 4y ago
    Getting downvoted here. Putting your money where your mouth is doesn't seem to be appreciated here on HN. Anyway, anybody selling a product will tell you that building the product is the easy part. But of course, if you never ran a company, it's easy to think that the engineering is the hardest part.
  - iancmceachern 4y ago
    It would be easy given his resources (publicist, etc.) I don't have those same resources. It would be like me saying it's easy to design a 3d printed box, given I have solidworks and the skillset. It doesn't mean it's hard just because someone else may not have those resources. It's still easy.
    - eric_cc 4y ago
      > a man baby > It would be easy given his resources (publicist, etc.) I don't have those same resources. How did he get those resources? Start there. Do what he did to get those resources.. Or don't. Just post online like a hater instead.
      - greycol 4y ago
        Leaving alone whether or not people pointing out definicies in Musk are doing so from a place of uninformed jealousy you seem either uninformed on Musk or in a rather out of touch priveleged position. Start at being born to an emerald mine owner (or equivalent) and use that capital for your first business is not advice that many people can follow, regardless of Musk executing the steps after that to the point that he was richest man in the world.
        koonsolo 4y ago
        > Start at being born to an emerald mine owner (or equivalent) and use that capital for your first business Zip2 was the first company Elon started: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1211064937004589056 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1211064937004589056 "We started Zip2 with ~$2k from me plus my overclocked home-built PC, ~$5k from my bro & ~$8k from Greg Kouri (such a good guy — he is greatly missed). My Dad provided 10% of a ~$200k angel funding round much later, but by then risk was reduced & round would’ve happened anyway." > from a place of uninformed jealousy "Daddy provided the capital for his first business" seems both uninformed and jealous.
        iancmceachern 4y ago
        Your points here serve to back up the points of the comment you replied to, not yours.
        koonsolo 4y ago
        That's probably because your standards are different than mine. I don't call a $20K investment "capital from an emerald mine owner", I call that "pocket money". Your consultancy firm probably earns more than that in a month. Or not?
  - iancmceachern 4y ago
    I can connect you with people that do this. I get calls from them weekly. They offer to write an article about me, my work, my companies, and get it published in a few fairly famous places. All this in exchange for a few thousand dollars. I also know a publicist that was able get an article written about me in a local business journal. I'm not going to invest the funds up front for you, but I'd be happy to connect you with these folks and I'm sure you can get what you want, or close, within your budget. I just don't want to be the middle man.
    - koonsolo 4y ago
      Get calls weekly? Which companies do you own?
  - iancmceachern 4y ago
    I cannot reply to your comment/question below as it's nested too deeply. Information about me, my company, and other companies which I'm co-founder and/or co-owner of can be found by googling my name and finding my website, looking at my profile on HN which has links, or searching the patent database for my name.
    - koonsolo 4y ago
      So you're a freelance mechanical engineer. Are you sure those calls you get are not just scams?
      - iancmceachern 4y ago
        I run a consultancy (different than simply being a freelancer), among many other things. Perhaps we take this discussion offline? You now have my contact information. I'm happy to answer any further questions via email, and make the appropriate introductions to get you your PR.
        koonsolo 4y ago
        No thanks, I'm wasting enough time here already. When I want to hire a PR firm, I'll hire a real one. Not one that is desperately calling people, only to get rejected every time.
        skinnymuch 4y ago
        When someone responds to your defense of Elon schtick, you mockingly dismiss them? I see you’re trying to be Elon already.
        koonsolo 4y ago
        I know enough about PR to know that the other person doesn't know enough about PR. So yeah, when they make suggestions about PR, I indeed dismiss them. If he claims Elon Musk knows nothing about mechanical design, I'm willing to listen.
prawn 4y ago
Previously the stunts were smart. Now, I'm not so sure. He's in the news cycle at the moment for consistently negative reasons. It's deterred me from buying a Tesla. He might get some traction with a new set of customers by playing the culture wars, but I'd guess he's alienating a number of people who would've otherwise been very interested. Creates a great opportunity for rival manufacturers as they (slowly) bring products to market.

iancmceachern 4y ago

Yes, we're talking about it, but I don't and won't own a Tesla product. I don't think it's incredible, it's easy. What's incredible is the work product of the engineers and technicians they work for him. Not a man baby making sharp pointy things that burn down the house. That doesn't take vision or knowledge, just no one to tell you "no".

koonsolo 4y ago
> I don't think it's incredible, it's easy. I'll give you $5000 if you can get my product rpgplayground.com on top of the mainstream media. If you find it easy, I will be happy to pay you the $5k.
- koonsolo 4y ago
  Getting downvoted here. Putting your money where your mouth is doesn't seem to be appreciated here on HN. Anyway, anybody selling a product will tell you that building the product is the easy part. But of course, if you never ran a company, it's easy to think that the engineering is the hardest part.
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  It would be easy given his resources (publicist, etc.) I don't have those same resources. It would be like me saying it's easy to design a 3d printed box, given I have solidworks and the skillset. It doesn't mean it's hard just because someone else may not have those resources. It's still easy.
  - eric_cc 4y ago
    > a man baby > It would be easy given his resources (publicist, etc.) I don't have those same resources. How did he get those resources? Start there. Do what he did to get those resources.. Or don't. Just post online like a hater instead.
    - greycol 4y ago
      Leaving alone whether or not people pointing out definicies in Musk are doing so from a place of uninformed jealousy you seem either uninformed on Musk or in a rather out of touch priveleged position. Start at being born to an emerald mine owner (or equivalent) and use that capital for your first business is not advice that many people can follow, regardless of Musk executing the steps after that to the point that he was richest man in the world.
      - koonsolo 4y ago
        > Start at being born to an emerald mine owner (or equivalent) and use that capital for your first business Zip2 was the first company Elon started: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1211064937004589056 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1211064937004589056 "We started Zip2 with ~$2k from me plus my overclocked home-built PC, ~$5k from my bro & ~$8k from Greg Kouri (such a good guy — he is greatly missed). My Dad provided 10% of a ~$200k angel funding round much later, but by then risk was reduced & round would’ve happened anyway." > from a place of uninformed jealousy "Daddy provided the capital for his first business" seems both uninformed and jealous.
        iancmceachern 4y ago
        Your points here serve to back up the points of the comment you replied to, not yours.
        koonsolo 4y ago
        That's probably because your standards are different than mine. I don't call a $20K investment "capital from an emerald mine owner", I call that "pocket money". Your consultancy firm probably earns more than that in a month. Or not?
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  I can connect you with people that do this. I get calls from them weekly. They offer to write an article about me, my work, my companies, and get it published in a few fairly famous places. All this in exchange for a few thousand dollars. I also know a publicist that was able get an article written about me in a local business journal. I'm not going to invest the funds up front for you, but I'd be happy to connect you with these folks and I'm sure you can get what you want, or close, within your budget. I just don't want to be the middle man.
  - koonsolo 4y ago
    Get calls weekly? Which companies do you own?
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  I cannot reply to your comment/question below as it's nested too deeply. Information about me, my company, and other companies which I'm co-founder and/or co-owner of can be found by googling my name and finding my website, looking at my profile on HN which has links, or searching the patent database for my name.
  - koonsolo 4y ago
    So you're a freelance mechanical engineer. Are you sure those calls you get are not just scams?
    - iancmceachern 4y ago
      I run a consultancy (different than simply being a freelancer), among many other things. Perhaps we take this discussion offline? You now have my contact information. I'm happy to answer any further questions via email, and make the appropriate introductions to get you your PR.
      - koonsolo 4y ago
        No thanks, I'm wasting enough time here already. When I want to hire a PR firm, I'll hire a real one. Not one that is desperately calling people, only to get rejected every time.
        skinnymuch 4y ago
        When someone responds to your defense of Elon schtick, you mockingly dismiss them? I see you’re trying to be Elon already.
        koonsolo 4y ago
        I know enough about PR to know that the other person doesn't know enough about PR. So yeah, when they make suggestions about PR, I indeed dismiss them. If he claims Elon Musk knows nothing about mechanical design, I'm willing to listen.

prawn 4y ago

Previously the stunts were smart. Now, I'm not so sure. He's in the news cycle at the moment for consistently negative reasons. It's deterred me from buying a Tesla. He might get some traction with a new set of customers by playing the culture wars, but I'd guess he's alienating a number of people who would've otherwise been very interested. Creates a great opportunity for rival manufacturers as they (slowly) bring products to market.