Perception Problem
PagerDuty came to Method with an issue: approaching an IPO, it wanted to be seen as the heart of the software ecosystem but was misunderstood as a technical tool for developers. PagerDuty was not well-known to business audiences, and its sophisticated but technical software platform was pigeonholed as an alert system for developers when IT systems went down.
CEO Jennifer Tejada wanted the company to be regarded as crucial to the digital transformation of Fortune 500 companies and among the most admired brands in Silicon Valley.
A New Narrative
Our strategy kicked off with the placement of an exclusive profile in Bloomberg that changed the conversation about PagerDuty. By showing the company’s strong growth and emergence as a software platform for Fortune 500 companies, we were able to accurately position PagerDuty to a mainstream business audience within weeks of beginning our work with them.
By developing a narrative that showed PagerDuty at the heart of everyday experiences – from listening to a playlist to ordering a coffee – we were able to give it further mainstream appeal.
Our team orchestrated a two-pronged approach, starting with a strong cadence of product news tied to the industry trend of digital transformation. We amplified this with thought-leadership platforms for PagerDuty executives, shaping the conversation on how companies can ensure the health of their digital operations when consumers expect digital services to be always on and working perfectly.
In September 2018, PagerDuty raised a Series D investment from notable private equity firms T. Rowe Price and Wellington Management. By enlisting investors to explain PagerDuty’s importance, we were able to secure widespread and detailed coverage in publications such as Forbes, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and Fortune. Further extending our reach to an investor audience, Jennifer appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Alley, explaining PagerDuty’s place at the heart of the software ecosystem.
This news allowed us to carefully tease that PagerDuty was heading for IPO, increasing interest and excitement. This effort produced follow-up profiles in TechCrunch and Business Insider, which called the company “one to watch.” We also spoke on background to reporters who cover equity events, preparing the groundwork for the next phase of our strategy.
A Media Mammoth and One of the Biggest IPOs of the Year
Method’s multi-pronged PR strategy helped propel PagerDuty through the crucial 18-month period in the run-up to its hugely successful IPO. By IPO day, influential reporters at every key business outlet knew and understood PagerDuty. During IPO and immediately after, the company was featured, often multiple times, in The New York Times, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune and others.
In such a highly competitive IPO market, PagerDuty was able to break out as the company to watch, with a level of awareness and excitement that belied its small size relative to the other companies going public alongside it.
