BlackSky Global is a satellite imaging company and the newest startup in Seattle’s burgeoning space industry. In June, the company announced its plan to deploy a 60-satellite imaging constellation to provide high-resolution images of the globe in near-real time. The company’s “satellite imaging as a service” business model provides cost-effective access to images from space to businesses, organizations, and governments that cannot or do not wish to capitalize their own constellations.

Like many other startups, BlackSky Global was starting from scratch and needed guidance around messaging and strategy to support its public launch. We worked closely with the company’s founder/CEO Jason Andrews to understand his objectives for the launch, which were to drive awareness for the new company in order to support recruitment efforts and raise additional capital. In addition, Andrews wanted the news to create a “buzz” in the space and satellite imaging industry to drive meetings with media and potential customers at this year’s GEOINT Symposium—an influential annual geospatial intelligence conference that draws decision-makers from the defense, intelligence, and homeland security communities.

Once we understood the objectives of the campaign, we then developed and implemented a launch strategy for the company. It included recommendations on timing, a contingency plan in preparation for potential leaks, the launch press release and pitch email, and marketing direction to ensure that BlackSky’s web site and social media platforms remained private prior to the official launch date. In addition, we curated a comprehensive press list and developed internal and external messaging materials, including a company FAQ and mission statement, talking points for staff fielding media calls and participating in interviews, and talking points for communicating with staff and stakeholders about the company’s vision and mission.

In the end, our preparation paid off, with 82 articles placed in June in outlets from the target media categories that map back to BlackSky’s communications objectives. Coverage highlights include placements in space industry publications such as SpaceNews, Aviation Week, and Via Satellite, national business and technology outlets such as TechCrunch, Fortune, and Popular Science, and local business and technology outlets including The Seattle Times, Puget Sound Business Journal, GeekWire, and Xconomy. Even more thrilling, the coverage and awareness that was secured in June has continued to drive additional media interest and articles in top-tier outlets including Bloomberg Business and The Washington Post.

BlackSky Global Launch Coverage Highlights

Following are just a few select articles representing coverage in BlackSky’s target media categories. For a look at more coverage from this launch, please visit BlackSky.com/news/.

National Business/Technology

• “BlackSky Global Wants To Launch 60 Satellites To Give You a Near Real-Time View Of Earth,” TechCrunch
• “The Race Is On To Surround The Earth With All-Seeing Satellites,” Popular Science
• “Satellite Images Show Economies Growing and Shrinking in Real Time,” BloombergBusiness
• “These Companies Are Racing To Sell You High-Speed Internet From Space,” BuzzFeed
• “Here’s why small satellites are so big right now,” Fortune
• “A stunning new look from space at nature, North Korea and Chipotle,” The Washington Post

Space Industry

• “BlackSky Global Says it’s Poised To Cover Globe with 60 Smallsats,” SpaceNews
• “BlackSky Global Details Plans for 60 Satellite Earth Observation Constellation,” Via Satellite
• “Startup sees new twist in Earth imaging-via-satellite business,” Sen.com
• “Spaceflight Industries Spinoff Promises ‘Hourly’ Earth Images,” Aviation Week
• “Paul Allen-backed BlackSky Global Plans Fleet of Imaging Smallsats,” Parabolic Arc

Local Business

• “Seattle firm says 60-satellite service will make Earth images faster, cheaper,” The Seattle Times
• “Seattle-area company to launch constellation of image-taking satellites,” Puget Sound Business Journal
• “This startup is launching 60 satellites in space to take real-time photos of Earth,” GeekWire
• “BlackSky Global Aims to Blanket the Globe with Small Imaging Satellites,” Xconomy