Do you wish you could see your handmade creations in your fave magazine? Or maybe get a feature on a podcast?
If so, you need to do some PR – public relations – and get in touch with them!
But how should you go about doing this? What sort of email is most likely to pique their interest and get you the chance to land a feature?
In this episode, I pick the brain of PR expert Brigitte Lyons, as she explains what PR is, and how to use it to spread the word about your business – for free!
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Quote and highlights from this episode:
- “As you get started with PR try to cultivate a mindset that you have something of value to offer.” {Brigitte}
- When you have a product, traditional media is a solid place to start. Print media and online outlets that do regular product round-ups mean you can develop and reuse one pitch. The energy needed is low but the success rate is also low.
- “The cost benefit to pitch a podcast and being on the show is so incredibly strong.” {Brigitte}
- Have your business gaining momentum then invest time into your PR – use the time to be selling your products at the start.
- “PR is not a replacement for sales – it will never fix a sales problem.” {Brigitte}
- Make PR part of your marketing project flow.
- With your pitch, tell the story of how your work fits into the coverage they already have.
- “We don’t need to know your life story to feature you on my blog.” {Jess}
- “When you are looking to pitch your PR, look for places that already cover other products that are similar to yours.” {Brigitte}
- A good guide for pitch length – “If you have to scroll down it is too long.” {Brigitte}
- Do your research to assist with your pitch and look at show notes, read blog posts and examine features.
- Avoid your pitch being too short – two sentences is insufficient to get your story across.
- Ensure you address your pitch to the person’s correct name!
- “For people who are busy or receive lots of pitches you need to stand out.” {Jess}
- Limiting it to one follow up enquiry ensures you do not pester the person you are contacting.
- If you decide to outsource your PR, look for a person or agency who knows your industry.
- Check out Brigitte’s work here!