Tag: how to get publicity for your business

How to Get Publicity for Your Business by Pitching Attention Getting Headlines

March 5, 2015 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Want to know how to get publicity for your business by pitching attention getting headlines.

When you are trying to get publicity for your business, I have always said you have to pitch a story, not a product. Essentially, you want to give a potential headline to a writer or editor, and the more grabby (and timely) the better.

The print and online world is inundated with content, so attention-getting headlines have to stand out among the noise. Why make the writer come up with one on their own, when you can do part of the work for them. How do you get that headline? Try looking at current ones.

Products or Services Attention Getting Headlines

Maybe you want to get press for one of your products. Certain publications do product reviews or will write about a product that is innovative or cutting edge (i.e. Apple) but if you really want to get your product mentioned as part of an editorial, you need to give a story idea and then mention how your product would fit the story. Below are real headlines from popular blogs that might inspire you:

The Jackets You’ll Want To Wear All Spring (Refinery29)
18 Dream Items to Punch Up a Master-Bath Wish List (Houzz)
15 Easter Kids Outfits That Get the Celebration Started (Popsugar Moms)

Business Attention Getting Headlines

If you do have an innovative product, service or invention, or your business has enjoyed some recent success or accomplishment, that can be newsworthy to a writer, if you give the right headline, like these:

Forget Apple Pay. A Michigan startup says what you truly need is a Buetooth-enabled supercard (Mashable)
How This Entrepreneur Reworked His Business Idea in the Face of Financial Armageddon (Entrepreneur)
This Couple Ditched Their Tech Jobs to Pursue Their Passion for Beer (Business Insider)

Quirky Attention Getting Headlines

You know that I have always said the “quirky” or “unusual” will always get press. Here are some ideas for these types of stories:

13 of the Most WTF Maternity Tops Ever Made (Buzzfeed)
25 Books to Get You Through a Quarter Life Crisis (Bustle)
The 20 Most Amazing Things Only Rich Jerks Can Afford (Cracked)

Newsworthy Events Attention Getting Headlines

You also want to pitch headlines that are timely, based on upcoming events, current pop culture or trending topics.

The 3 Best Drugstore Sunscreens for Spring Break (College Fashion)
50 Shades of Grey Activewear for the Gym (Shape)
The Best Way to Celebrate National Cherry Month (LONNY)

How to Write the Pitch

Now, if you have your headline, you are ready to write the email pitch. Keep it short as editors will not read a long winded pitch. For example:

Hello {name of writer or publication}

I see that in your April issue you will be focusing on Spring Fashion Finds for Kids. I was hoping that if you were planning any articles such as “Easter Dresses for Girls Under $100” that you would consider including my best selling lavender tutu dress for girls available at my online shop below:

{link to product}

Just $45, the dress comes in sizes 6x to 12 and is perfect for any spring event.

Thanks so much for your consideration.

Mary Smith

www.kidsdressshop.com

It’s that easy. Good luck pitching your business. If you need help, I do offer a very affordable publicity pitch writing service.

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Should Your Small Business Create an Annual Publicity Event?

November 28, 2014 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

annual publicity event small business Should Your Small Business Create an Annual Event, Just for the Publicity?

Annual Publicity Event: Victoria Secret

Every year Victoria’s Secret, the lingerie store, creates a “Fantasy Bra”. This is a bra that they unveil at the end of their annual fashion show, and it is typically jewel encrusted and worth millions of dollars. The bra isn’t for sale, merely a publicity opportunity that they started in 2001 …. and it does get lots of press from television, print and online media. #VSFantasyBra even started trending on social media simply when they announced which model would be wearing the bra. That is how popular it has become.

Screen shot 2014-11-28 at 8.01.05 AM

Annual Publicity Event: Pantone

Next week Pantone will announce their color of the year. This isn’t a haphazard pick, but based on extensive interviews with fashion designers worldwide about which colors they plan to use in upcoming seasons, as well as sales of certain color swatches. Pantone’s announcement, which first started in 1999, has become an annual event that captivates not only the fashion press, but also the mainstream media.

So, would your small business benefit from an annual event, merely for the publicity it would generate? The key is to think of what it is you sell or offer, and how you can “own” it (so to speak) for an annual event. It can be in conjunction with a holiday or just the start of end of the year.

Here are Some Publicity Ideas to Consider:

A bar that annually runs a contest to choose its “Locally Brewed Beer for 2015”
A dental office that makes its yearly list of “Top 10 Celebrity Smiles”
A photography studio that sponsors the announcement of the first baby born in the new year with a free birth photo
A hair salon that chooses their “Hair Style of the Year”

Whatever event you decide to go for, simply pitch the story idea to your local press who is always looking for that fun, common interest story to write about. It may take a few years before the momentum for your event really takes off, but once it does you can leverage that local exposure into national exposure for your business.

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About Me

A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Forbes, Success Magazine, Yahoo Finance, American Express, GO Banking Rates, Big Commerce, Business2Community, SheKnows to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

I sell online on Shopify, Etsy, Gumroad and on Amazon back in its early years. This, combined with my decades of marketing & business experience means I can advise, mentor as well as come up with creative new ideas for your business. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective.

I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride – just to name a few. Be sure to try my Publicity Pitch and other Marketing Services.

3 Ways to Make the Most of Your Publicity

January 20, 2014 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

how to make the most of your publicity I recently secured a feature article for one of my clients, a children’s book author, in a popular Canadian magazine called, Our Canada (a Reader’s Digest publication). Hopefully the feature transpires into sales, but there are so many other opportunities for the author to take this press and leverage it to further help the sales of her book; tactics you can use when you get publicity for your business.

1. Use Your Publicity to Get Your Products into Stores

The author had been trying to get her book into more book stores. This article poses a huge opportunity to do that. If you take your press into any store and say, “I just had a national magazine write about my product, I think you may want to carry it” (say it much nicer than that, but you get the idea) what store would say no? Press creates demand.

make the most of your publicity

2. Use Your Publicity to Get Credibility

You can leverage any media exposure to gain credibility and trust with new customers who may not know of you. For example, “As featured in this month’s issue of …”. It essentially tells customers you are a player.

3. Use Your Publicity to Get More Publicity

Once you get that first press, use it to turn it into more press. For example, go to your local newspaper with a story pitch where your business success is the story, “My business was just featured in a national magazine, so I thought maybe your readers would be interested in hearing about how my small company has really taken off in the last few months…”. As I’ve always said, local press loves writing about local success stories.

Be Patient! Publicity Can Take Time

Now, I should note, I pitched this story to Our Canada magazine last March and it is just appearing now. That is how long it can take, so be patient. The reason it took so long is because they had to fit it into their editorial calendar, which is planned in advance. Blogs and newspapers move a little faster, but magazines can take a long time.

My Publicity Pitch Service

My publicity pitch service is just $59 USD where I will write a story pitch with 10 top media contacts for you to send to. Just email me at attentiongetting@gmail.com to discuss.

Tag: how to get publicity for your business