how to get publicity for your small business Archives

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

Do you ever get frustrated trying to get publicity for your business with the media outlets specific to your industry? For example, fashion magazines are besieged with requests from vendors to use their products in editorial, so how good are your odds? But you do have other choices. Have you ever thought about stepping away from your industry’s mainstay magazines and blogs, and try a different approach?

Let’s say I owned a restaurant, I would typically be trying to get a review or included in articles from local magazines, lifestyle and travel blogs, and as such would be competing with many others for the same editorial. However, consider a story pitch that would work with a different type of publication and have the same effect.

For example, I was recently planning a trip to Boston and I searched on Google for “Top restaurants in Boston”. One of the articles that came up was from the business blog, Business Insider, entitled “The 10 Best Restaurants For A Business Lunch In Boston“. Do you see where I am going here? Would you normally expect to see restaurant suggestions in a business publication? But this article makes sense for this particular type of publication.

Maybe you have a pet products business. You are likely always targeting the pet-related media. However, earlier this year the men’s fashion magazine GQ ran an article called, “The Ultimate Dog Accessories for a Gentleman’s Best Friend“. Would you have thought to pitch to them?

If you own a resort or tourist-related business, I imagine you are always trying to get featured with the travel media. However, Time Magazine ran an article last summer entitled, “7 Great American Vacation Spots That Won’t Bust Your Budget” as part of their money feature, and it listed and linked to several hotels, restaurants, bars and attractions.

What if you sell beauty products and you have had no luck with the beauty editors at the popular beauty blogs. But did you know that Shape Magazine, which typically focuses on fitness-related editorial for women, also has regular beauty editorial, even an annual beauty awards?

I hope this gets you thinking about how you can increase your chances of getting publicity for your business by targeting non-industry media with a story relevant to their editorial.

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top holiday gift guides Remember back in July when I told you, Why You Should Start Pitching to Holiday Gift Guides Now? Well, the holiday buying season is upon us and pretty much every online newspaper, magazine and blog will have a gift guide. These are great opportunities for free publicity, so here are 5 holiday gift guides you should be approaching NOW.

Today Show– This is the top holiday gift guide that appears on page one of Google search, with 24 million visits a month.

InStyle – This site comes in second, and covers all kinds of gifts from tech to beauty, with over 6 million visits a month.

Goop – Goop is from the high end lifestyle blog, but it tends to favor very expensive products for its gift guides and typically top brands.

Good Housekeeping – Good Housekeeping is a women’s magazine has been around for decades, but its online gift guides always rank high in search. They like gift ideas for all members of the family and typically under $100.

Your Local Newspaper – Don’t forget your local newspaper. Local media loves local business, so pitch the gift guide idea to the Lifestyle editor today!

How to Pitch to Get Included in a Holiday Gift Guide

You will see the name of the writer or editor on last year’s gift guide. Provided they haven’t moved on from the publication, that is who you should pitch to. Send them an email with “Product Submission for your Holiday Gift Guide” in the email subject line.

A small tip, do not attach anything to the email as this is the quickest way for your email to end up in their spam folder. Instead, include a link to the product, pricing and contact information. Keep it short and sweet, they don’t have time to read a long-winded pitch.

Good luck and let me know your success at getting your products into the holiday gift guides!

Need Help Marketing Your Online Business?

With 20+ years experience in all aspects of marketing (I know, I look young), I currently specialize in helping small businesses selling online, and I make it very affordable! Just see my Shopify store above, or email me at attentiongetting@gmail.com.