For start ups or scale ups looking to carve out their space in the dynamic smart home landscape, a strategic PR approach is absolutely essential. The global smart home market size is expected to reach a staggering £516.99 billion in the next 7 years alone. That’s a compound annual growth rate of 22.9% between now and 2032[i].
At Vitis PR, we've helped a number of smart home technology companies transform from promising start ups into established industry players. Here are our top five PR tips based on our extensive experience in this sector.
1. Build your brand and product stories around real-world impact
The most compelling PR narratives don’t just market the new product – they showcase your brand and products or services’ unique selling points aka what you bring to the table that competitors do not. So, you need to discuss how your technology transforms lives. How do you do that? Decide what makes your smart home technology or solution unique and focus on those specific messages and selling points.
Go beyond the "smart" label and answer these questions in every media communication that you have: What truly differentiates your product? Is it superior in offering customers and product users extensive energy efficiency, enhanced security features, unparalleled user experience, or does it provide a unique integration with other smart home devices?
Which users are you trying to reach – early adopters, families seeking convenience or climate friendly homeowners trying to switch to more sustainable home options and appliances?
When working with our clients, we focus on crafting stories that demonstrate tangible benefits, whether it's energy savings, enhanced security, or improved accessibility for elderly users.
One of our client success stories involved positioning a connected home IoT devices platform not just as an innovative product, but as a solution that offered actionable insights into the health of homes, reduced damp and mould issues, improved energy efficiency and indoor air quality, and mitigated fuel poverty. This human-centric approach resonated strongly with both consumer and trade media, resulting in coverage across technology publications and mainstream media outlets.
2. Make use of any data to drive media interest
Media outlets covering the IoT space are increasingly data-hungry. Original research and concrete statistics about your product's performance, market potential or user behaviour can transform a standard product announcement into a compelling news story. We recommend conducting regular user surveys, analysing product usage data, sourcing analyst forecast report stats and figures, and commissioning market research to generate newsworthy insights.
For example, a team member has helped a smart thermostat client generate significant media coverage by analysing anonymised user data to reveal patterns in home energy consumption across different regions. This data-driven approach led to features in leading technology publications and established our client as a thought leader in energy efficiency.
3. Be sure to navigate the technical-consumer balance
Smart home products often involve complex technology, but your PR messaging needs to resonate with both technical and consumer audiences. Don’t focus comms on the in-depth technical details that some media may not understand, but at the same time don’t forget to include the tech involved as that’s often your story angle’s strength. We've developed a dual-track approach: creating detailed technical materials for industry publications while crafting accessible, benefit-focused stories for consumer media.
When launching a new smart home security system, we placed in-depth technical articles in IoT-focused publications while at the same time securing lifestyle coverage that emphasised ease of use and peace of mind for homeowners. This balanced approach helps build credibility across different audience segments, so a wider circle of people know all about you and what you are offering for them to consider buying.
4. Create an integrated launch strategy
The most successful smart home product launches combine multiple PR elements working in harmony. This includes pre-launch teaser campaigns, strategic embargo timing, influencer partnerships, and coordinated social media activity. At Vitis PR, we orchestrate these elements to create maximum impact.
We managed a report launch for a white label smart home base that acted as a single platform allowing integration and control of multiple devices from different brands. We began the launch promotion with exclusive previews for key tech journalists, followed by coordinated reviews from smart home influencers and other media that this smart home base platform would interest, before hosting interviews at a smart home event in London that media targets attended to introduce them to this new smart home solution. The event was a great success and generated coverage in the likes of BBC and Forbes.
5. Establish IoT thought leadership positioning
Smart home technology doesn't exist in isolation – it's part of the broader internet of things (IoT) ecosystem, which in itself is a crowded, busy sector. Rather than having your product be a drop in the ocean of new IoT-related product announcements, we recommend establishing yourself as a voice worth listening to – and you can do that by securing articles and interviews to introduce yourself to the IoT media and their readers.
We help our clients position themselves as thought leaders by contributing insights on industry trends, participating in roundtables and commenting on broader technology developments. This approach helps us to secure speaking opportunities at major technology conferences and events for our clients, contribute guest articles to influential publications and build relationships with key media and analysts focused on IoT and innovations in that space.
Vitis PR: your partner in smart home success
The smart home sector presents unique PR challenges and opportunities. Our team combines deep industry knowledge with proven PR strategies to help smart home companies achieve their goals. Whether you're preparing for a product launch or looking to scale your market presence, our team can help you craft and execute a PR strategy that delivers tailored, measurable results.
At Vitis PR, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities facing smart home scaleups. We have experience working for a number of international smart home device and solutions’ companies, from promoting connected home platforms to launching smart home devices. We have also supported clients at major consumer technology trade events like CES, IFA, ISPA, the Smart Home Expo and the Smart Home Summit.
Our team possesses a real understanding of the entire IoT landscape, and we have a proven track record in helping startups and established smart home players. By partnering with Vitis PR, you can effectively navigate the competitive smart home market to build brand awareness and ensure growth.
Want to learn more about how Vitis PR can help your smart home company make its mark? Contact us today to discuss your PR objectives and discover how we can achieve smart home success and support your growth journey.
[i] https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/smart-home-market-101900
