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Every startup employee and publicist asks at one point, "How do I get covered by tech business blogs like TechCrunch?" The answer: Act like the photo startup Zooomr.

Today, TechCrunch writer Marshall Kirkpatrick wrote an entire entry about Zooomr's upload limits. Why was this newsworthy? Because Zooomr compared its new limits to the smaller ones at a major competitor, Yahoo's Flickr.

TechCrunch loves a good David-beats-Goliath story, and pitting a two-man startup (18-year-old Kristopher Tate and photographer-spokesman Thomas Hawk, pictured) against the robust property of Internet giant Yahoo turns a boring upgrade into an item.

There are, of course, more reasons. I've seen Tate and Hawk attend more and more dot-com parties, building friendships with other party-circuit regulars like TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington.

And Tate made a brilliant move hiring Hawk, a talented photographer who delights fellow party-goers by shooting portraits — which he publishes on Zooomr. The upshot: Everyone enjoys Hawk's flattering photos and Zooomr gets a halo effect. Meanwhile, everyone meets Hawk, who introduces them to Tate.

So a startup can get attention from TechCrunch two ways:

  • Spin every small step as a victory over the competition.
  • Learn a party trick.

Zooomr Doubles Flickr's Monthly Photo Upload Limits [TechCrunch; photo by Thomas Hawk]