Oh the thrill of seeing news about a worthy product travel far and wide and in perfect timing. I love that.
This morning, news about the Dot Girl First Period Kit landed on CNBC.com and quite a few other news outlets, just in time to serve last-minute back-to-school shopping needs for young girls who may soon be experiencing their first periods unexpectedly at school.
Here’s the lead paragraph, which I had a lot of fun writing:
SEATTLE, Aug 23, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — With the news from Pediatrics about puberty coming as early as seven years of age for girls around the world, Kathy Pickus — co-founder Dot Girl Products (http://www.dotgirlproducts.com) — says parents and their daughters should take a lesson from the Boy Scouts when it comes to back-to-school shopping: Be prepared. Pickus recommends that parents stock backpacks with one additional item so girls are not caught with their pants down, not knowing what to do when they see red.
You can read the full release as it appears this morning on CNBC.com at this link.
This release “piggybacks” on major news that broke earlier this month about puberty coming early for young girls. It also “piggybacks” on the timeliness of the back-to-school shopping season that is now in full swing. Most importantly, it offers timely tips and information to guide parents and their daughters to navigate an important time in the lives of those young girls.
I can’t wait to learn what happens with respect to new website visits, inquiries and sales of the new product, and additional media pick up about this timely news.
If you have a young girl at home who is anticipating the first day of school, follow the tips Kathy Pickus recommends in this release and be prepared. And, if you are a mommy blogger or journalist who writes about parenting topics and prepares product reviews, Kathy is happy to chat with you and offer even more useful information to serve your readers.
Business anniversaries are important to the business owner, but they are only important to the media when you make your pitch relevant to the reader.
I’ve been shopping at Heartland Interiors for over 20 years. During a January 2010 visit to the store, the owners mentioned they were preparing to celebrate their 25th business anniversary. After extending congratulations, I asked some questions, just as any curious journalist or DIY publicist might.
How did your business get its start?
How have things evolved over time?
What have been the most powerful lessons you’ve learned over the years?
As Co-Owner Val Scalzo shared her answers, I knew right away that their anniversary story had value to offer for readers of the local media. I made my pitch by email to the editor of the Bothell/Kenmore Reporter, and — voila! — the story ran in the paper just this week.
(By the way, this result stemmed from Val Scalzo renting my PR brain for one hour. Since I had 20 years of personal experience as a client with her company, the story came together in record time.)
Now, I know that staff members of community papers are short on time, so I prepared a very thorough pitch to make their job of telling the story as easy as possible. To follow is the pitch I prepared so you can see how I made my approach and enlisted interest.
Dear Andy and Mary:
I’ve got a business story that is likely to have interest among the readers of both the Bothell/Kenmore AND the Redmond Reporter that is well times for Valentine’s Day. Here comes the pitch:
In today’s demanding and slowly recovering economic times, it has grown challenging for small businesses to survive and thrive a few years, yet alone reach a 25th anniversary. Heartland Interiors (www.heartlandinteriors.com), a Bothell-based furniture store that provides custom interior design services, is set to begin a year-long celebration of its 25th anniversary starting next month with a series of customer appreciation events, special sales and Girls Night Out celebrations. How this business built by two best friends who love what they do got its start and took root to grow into a million dollar company is what makes this business anniversary story timely and interesting right now. The practical, wise, and hard won lessons they have learned are especially relevant for those who are pondering starting businesses of their own.
Owners Diane Wainhouse, a third generation Bothell native , and Val Scalzo, a resident of Redmond, started their company on February 7, 1985 with high hopes and humble beginnings. They each deposited $75 into a local business checking account and started along their journey to create and manufacture a gift line from their homes that they sold to specialty gift shops in the area as well as Nordstrom stores. Soon outgrowing their homes, they moved into a small manufacturing space and then into their first retail store where they incorporated their own gift line with other merchandise from local artists and suppliers. From the very beginning, the store took on its own personality and offered the public a fresh, new look in home furnishings. Since then, Val and Diane have grown their company into Heartland Interiors — a retail boutique now located in cozy quarters at Country Village in Bothell. The store offers artwork, lighting, furniture and accessories, along with a very personalized interior design service that addresses choosing paint colors to furnishing an entire home. What once was a cottage industry has transformed into a destination shopping experience that has generated revenues in excess of $1 million for each of the last several years, thanks to a team of staff members that has fluctuated from 10-12 people to today’s staff of 3-4. That is no small accomplishment, given today’s daunting economic times.
Val says one of the best moves she and Diane made was aligning with John Heller’s Street of Dreams Tour of Homes in 1988. During this showcase event of model homes, Heartland Interiors earned a number of “Best of Show” awards for their work over a ten-year period, along with awareness, fans, and followers who now gladly travel from all points around the Puget Sound to Bothell to experience and enjoy the elegant French country chic and natural relaxed designs for which Heartland Interiors has become well known. Prominent business executives, sports personalities from the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Mariners, and people who love to make their houses homes they are proud to share with others have come to rely upon Heartland Interiors to make their houses homes they love. Val says that participating in the Street of Dreams delivered extraordinary exposure and credibility to Heartland Interiors among a perfect audience of potential customers. Val and Diane remain incredibly grateful to John Heller and all the builders who have been part of the Street of Dreams for their part in creating the success and longevity that Heartland Interiors enjoys today.
Along their 25 year journey as successful women business owners, this duo has learned a lot of useful lessons that can inspire others with business ownership dreams. Here are some of those lessons, along with explanations from Val:
* Go ahead and dream big, but start small.
We started small and built our business one order at a time. Creative energy and financial worries don’t mix well. By never taking out a loan the business had to support itself -so if it worked, TERRIFIC!, but if not – it didn’t cost much more than a dream. I think this was a crucial part to the partnership working as well. Financial burdens may have changed the overall focus from creativity to survivability which would of changed the tone of everything.
*Good customer service is critical, and customer appreciation is key.
How you treat your customers really comes down to your core values as a person. In our partnership, our personal foundations were so similar because we were raised with the same values and believed in the same principles. Developing our policies and reputation grew from that foundation. Giving really good customer service is pretty basic; we do our best to make customers happy, even when it’s a stretch of patience and fairness to do so. But we feel there is another important component of good customer service. That is appreciation. We genuinely appreciate our customers and the fact that out of all the choices for shopping that they have available, they chose us. It’s gratitude plain and simple. It keeps you humble and willing to go the extra mile when you need to.
*Offer what you are excited about and you can sell it.
From the very beginning, we have always offered things that we are excited about. When we buy for the store we only order merchandise that we like ourselves. This helped us establish our own niche in the retail home furnishings industry in our area; and fortunately, there were a lot of people that liked what we liked so we developed a following over the years. Our motto has always been “buy what you love.” It’s what we believe in, whether we are buying for the store, or helping our customers buy for their homes.
In partnership with this would be to know the art of selling. Being creative is one thing, knowing how to sell your creativity is another. We believe “selling” is half knowledge and half enthusiasm. If you’re excited about something, know a little bit about it, and it’s priced fairly, you’re on your way. This is probably the one thing most overlooked when people want to get in to the interior design field. You not only need to be able to sell merchandise, but you must be able to sell yourself.
*Know your customers-study them so that you know what they are looking for.
*Be flexible – and have a sense of humor.
*Be consistent with your policies and principles.
*You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just get on the wagon.
*The economy may be challenging, but don’t let it change who you are.
*Hire those who love what you do.
Andy and Mary, don’t you agree that the story of Heartland Interiors’ growth, success, and longevity is one your readers will love to read more about? I will follow up with you by phone in a few days to check your interest, unless I hear from you first. Of course, I am happy to coordinate a convenient time for you to meet with Val and Diane at Heartland Interiors to interview them and take photos when you elect to proceed. Thank you for your consideration.
If you’ve got a business anniversary story to tell or any other story that is local, timely, newsworthy, relevant and INTERESTING, try telling your own story to your community paper and see what results you can bring about that will bring your message to a much wider audience. It’s well worth the effort.
He and I worked together to craft a press release about a “Gun Shots Fired on Campus” training event he has planned for April 22 in Seattle for college-aged kids and their parents.
Larry said the TV interview came about as a result of him emailing the press release to a reporter he knew at KCPQ TV Fox. He sent it out on Friday and mentioned the press release was going out over the PRWeb on Monday. The station called and asked if they could have the interview before everyone else got the release. Getting first crack at a local story is always a compelling benefit.
Larry’s personal approach and the news release compelled the news team at KCPQ TV 13 to create a broadcast story, and you can see it here. You can also read about the details of the FREE training workshop at the PRWeb release you’ll find here.
Larry reports that the PRWeb system is easy to use and well worth the fee to get the word out. He said, “All sorts of other websites that I don’t recognize have picked up the release and posted it. I am really keen to use PRWeb again soon.”
How did all this happen? Well, Larry rented my PR brain for one hour to share the details of his event and have me write the press release for him. I advised him to post the release to PRWeb. I also suggested he post his event for $19.95 to Full Calendar — a very efficient event promotion service that is also quite affordable. And, it’s always a good idea to target your news to a specific media outlet that is a perfect target for your message.
Now, one of the local TV stations in his Seattle backyard is promoting his free public safety workshop. And, that broadcast clip will be a persuasive future marketing tool to help Larry advocate for his other training programs that keep people safe.
I won’t be the least bit surprised when the event fills to capacity as other local news outlets follow suit. What would be an even more compelling outcome will be when corporations learn more about the corporate training Larry’s company provides to help keep employees safe when they travel or navigate dark parking lots alone.
The company’s new 90-minute webinar entitled, “Gunman in the Building” debuts April 7, 2010 and is available for purchase and licensing agreements. To learn more and bring this life-saving content to your company, call Larry Kaminer at larryk@personalsafetygroup.com and visit www.personalsafetygroup.com.
I love it when my clients get into action to earn media attention that delivers sales. Here is a compelling and very recent success story shared by Alice Cunningham, co-owner of Olympic Hot Tub Company.
“Now, I want to say that the blog idea of YOURS is still really cooking along and I love it. It has improved my writing and customers love it!! So, THANK YOU again for encouraging me to do it. On the PR front, you taught me well I ran an ad on KING-FM for saunas. This was the only station or medium I used. I ran the ad about a month. It was a very inexpensive radio buy. The results were amazing. People actually called, came in & bought! I’m not sure why exactly. Maybe the weather; maybe the product is hot; maybe they trusted my voice or knew of Olympic. At any rate, they bought. So, thinking of you, I volunteered to do a testimonial for KING about my experience with the station. I wrote it in 20 minutes & it took two takes to record. So far they’ve played it 57 times! And, we sold one today from the ad which is running at no charge. FREE! I highly recommend that anyone who has had success with an advertising medium ‘volunteer’ to do a testimonial. It works and makes you look good.”
Listen to Alice’s testimonial ad by clicking on the play button right here:
Thank you Alice for getting into action and setting a wondeful example to inspire other DIY publicists and marketers to follow your lead. You all can enjoy Alice’s blog at www.hottubbliss.com.
And, of course, if Santa is looking for a bit of inspiration to warm up the holiday, a hot tub or sauna could be just the ticket to make everyone in the family very happy. This photo at right is of the three cheerful Olympic delivery team members who happily shared a cup of tea at my home two years ago after successfully delivering my holiday hot tub. Ah, bliss. Ho, ho ho and go to Olympic Hot Tub Company. Why wait another minute?
The Bellevue Reporter — my community newspaper — shines a light on my business in this story link.
If you are wondering how I made this happen, check out the email story pitch I sent to Reporter Lindsay Larin to invite her interest. I followed up with a phone call, the interview was scheduled, and now the story is reaching all of my Bellevue neighbors in perfect timing to support their DIY publicity success.
Hi Lindsay,
As a resident of Bellevue and a regular reader of the Bellevue Reporter, I am connecting with you today to share a story that locals may find useful and of timely interest, especially since the economy is giving so many people a run for the money right now.
No matter what we are doing to make our ways in the world — running a business, working for others, freelancing, or contributing in some other important way — everyone needs a bio that makes them fun, memorable, and magnetic so more of the right opportunities can come their way. The fact is that most people struggle with the idea of self promotion. Many suffer from humility disease. Whether people intend to seek out free publicity or just connect with people in a winning way in person or online via the social networks, they need a great way to share their stories so the right people will listen.
The good news is that I have just created the “Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action eGuide” that helps people get this done with speed, ease, and impact. I would be honored if you would see fit to review this guide for the readers of the Bellevue Reporter and/or consider doing an interview that would address some of the most essential elements that any bio should include to attract more of the right opportunities to their door.
The recipe that works so well for getting this mission accomplished includes the following ingredients: stunning results, succinct stories, sassy sound bites, and social information to help ideal clients connect with you. You can watch a fun video of me broadcasting from the backyard deck of my Somerset home at www.byebyeboringbio.com as I speak about this new tool. I was fortunate to be featured in a July 2007 issue of the Bellevue Reporter in connection with the Media-Savvy-to-Go Publicity Toolkit I created to empower business owners to earn their own publicity without spending a fortune. A photographer from the Bellevue Reporter came to meet me in my Bellevue backyard to talk about the toolkit.
I have found a way to be of service to my own neighbors and beyond from the comforts of a home office, and the view from here inspires me to create even more ways to be of service. People are raving about how I help them.
Please let me know if you are game to review this new tool that debuted quietly last week and is selling briskly from the online shopping cart at my DIY Publicity Blog at www.mainstreetmediasavvy.com. I’ll be happy to send the PDF file your way and offer sassy sound bites to make for a compelling interview to delight and inform your readers. Thank you for your consideration. I will follow up with you by phone in a few days, unless I hear from you first! Thank you for your time and consideration.
Nancy Juetten, www.twitter.com/nancyjuetten
DIY Publicity Tip: If you ask for what you want, you often get what you ask for. I wanted a story in my community newspaper to bring attention to the ways I support my neighbors’ business success. I asked for what I wanted and made the information relevant to the readers. A story resulted.
What do YOU want to have happen for your business and how you contribute to the marketplace? Where is the best media placement to share that story? And are you ready to ask for what you want so you can achieve the awareness you are after?
When you are ready to get into action, study this story pitch and present your own story to the right reporter at your community newspaper in a way that will invite attention to your product, cause, service, or idea, while serving the readers. Great results await.
A few months ago, David Cox, general manager of Graebel Quality Movers, got in touch with me to share how a group of typically competitive moving companies joined together in collaboration to do something really wonderful for women and children in need.
The more we spoke about it, the more clear it became that we had a good story to tell in one of the leading trade magazines in the relocation industry. This week, the tale is integrated within the cover story for Mobility Magazine. Click on the active link to read all about it.
Now, all the participating organizations can share this article with their clients, referral sources, and employees to demonstrate that even in tough times, magic can manifest when people pull together to make a powerful difference. That is a welcome message, especially given the daunting economic times we all face.
DIY Publicity Tip: What are the trade journals that the influential people in your industry read? Is there an avenue within them to share tips, stories, expertise, or information to help others in the industry navigate the marketplace to achieve winning outcomes? Visit the “press kit” section of the websites for the trade industry publications that have influence for your business. Read about the writer’s guidelines and study the editorial calendar to identify suitable opportunities to contribute. And, of course, read the publication so you know enough about it to make a winning pitch to the editor. In the case of Mobility magazine, I have read the magazine for a number of years, know the editor, and have familiarity with the magazine format. When I called him by phone to suggest a story, I suggested a column for “The Last Page” column in the magazine. It was delightful serindipity that the story became part of the cover feature. Ask for what you want, deliver what you promise, and good things happen. Try this for yourself, and let me know how well it works for you. I’ll gladly blog about your success.
Jean is a member of the Bellevue Club and is one of the regulars in the club’s early morning spinning classes. When I found that out, I immediately got in touch with the editor of the magazine because shining a light on its own members is a high priority. Now, that story idea has turned into a fabulous profile, just in time to invite Valentine’s Day purchases. Sometimes, it takes a few months to earn the thrill of the publicity you seek, and stories like this are well worth the wait.
Take heart knowing that 100% of the net profits from the sale of Survivor Chick Chocolates and the Extreme Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar are donated to women’s cancer charities. That makes the choice of giving and receiving Seattle Chocolate Company chocolates this Valentine’s Day or any day especially good for the heart and the soul.
Check out this fabulous story in the Tacoma News Tribune about the inspiration behind the Publici-Tea™ Half-Day Workshop and how it is helping others. Tacoma News Tribune Columnist Dan Voelpel and Michele McGehee, publisher of South Sound Woman magazine, will each have places at the table at tomorrow’s Tacoma event, offering guests access to the straight skinny about what they are looking for. I’ve got 25 guests coming, and I can hardly wait.
And, to show you the power of publicity, the owner of the Mad Hat Tea Company saw the article in the paper and called today to offer to be the tea sponsor for tomorrow’s event. Now, my guests will sample glorious teas from a passionate business owner in their own backyard as they savor the Publici-Tea™ inspiration. How cool is that?
If every week could be like this week for my clients in the media, I’d be a happy camper indeed.
The week started in an 8 a.m. phone call from a style editor at O Magazine, confirming that Seattle Chocolate Company’s new Extreme Dark Truffle Bars with 100% of the net profits to benefit breast cancer charities will be photographed and featured in the October issue of the magazine. O Magazine! These products will soon be available at thousands of grocery stores across the nation, making it easy to treat yourself to delicious dark chocolate and give back to women who deserve a cure for breast cancer at the same time.
Yesterday, the Seattle Post Intelligencer ran a story about how candy sales are sweet even in a sour economy, and Seattle Chocolate Company CEO Jean Thompson provided commentary and sales data for the story.
And, today the Puget Sound Business Journal ran a great story about the business owner who created Biscot-Tea™ as a result of an “aha” moment he had while ordering tea at a local Starbucks. (Note, the full text is available to subscribers only, so if you are not yet a subscriber, buy a copy of the paper at better news stands around the Puget Sound region.)
I love the big ink because it helps my clients look big in the media and lends powerful momentum to their missions to bring more of what they offer to the nation.
Just for fun, here is an excerpt from the pitch I shared with the reporter in April with Puget Sound Business Journal Dierdre Gregg to bring Laurance Milner, founder and creator of Biscot-Tea™, to her attention. She connects with me from time to time to ask about interested local retail stories that might be a perfect fit for the paper:
This businessman who lives on the Eastside and who is originally from South Africa with 30 years in the food business walks into a Starbucks for a really good cup of Earl Grey tea. He asks the barista what he has in the bakery case for a died-in-the-wool tea drinker. Most of the items in the bakery case are too sweet to be a perfect complement for tea. That was Laurance Milner’s “aha” moment. He then created Biscot-Tea™ — English shortbread made from the essence of real tea. This is fast growing into a $1 million dollar business. Milner was an award-winner at the Fancy Food Show earlier this year for his latest innovation. The products can be found at better grocery stores around town and beyond. He is proof positive that great ideas are waiting, right under our noses if we just have the insight to see the opportunity and act. You can learn more at www.biscot-tea.net.
The funny thing is, he learned about my Publici-Tea™ events and said that his product and my event would be perfect partners. He was right! Now, I serve Biscot-Tea™ at all of my events, and there are never any leftovers.
This brief pitch gets to the “why we should care” part of the story in a way that enlists interest. It is conversational in tone, and it is clear I prepared this message specifically for this reporter. I called out how this product earned major industry honors at a prestigious trade show. I hinted at the significance of his sales growth with real numbers. And, please note that I made the pitch in April, and the story debuted in July. This proves that good stories are worth the wait. Keep these tips in mind as you prepare winning pitches for influential members of the media who have the power to take your story far and wide.
And, if you want to taste Biscot-Tea, register for the August 15 or September 12 sessions of the Publici-Tea™ Half-Day Workshops. Visit www.publici-tea.com to read the fabulous comments from prior event guests and register for the date that works perfectly for you. I can’t wait to learn more about how you contribute to the marketplace so we can craft the perfect pitch to bring your story into the media spotlight.
I love it when folks get into action after hearing me speak about the power of free publicity. Coach and Business Growth Strategist Tammy Redmon of Redmon and Associates was among the guests in the audience when I spoke at the North Seattle Community College Network Breakfast about how to pick the low hanging media fruit to create a fabulous local publicity basket. As a direct result of hearing that presentation, Tammy sprung into action. Now she has proudly posted her first article entitled, “Online Networking — Leading at the Speed of Whoosh!” to www.ezinearticles.com, and here is the link. It’s a great read, so do check it out. And, she’s create a social networking profile to start building buzz in that way. She is really thrilled to be spreading her message far and beyond.
Here is what Tammy had to say about my approach to empowering her with this useful information:
“Your information does make a difference, and here is why. You make the notion that I can get published, or get someone to write about me, or attack a blog, seem doable and non-threatening. You told me what worked and took the fear right out of it by giving me the steps to results. Your energy and enthusiasm for what you do and the success that you and others are having as a result is what I personally caught hold of. It said to me, ‘You too can do this and get noticed in a new and different way.’ Oh and did I mention it is pretty cool that it is at low to no cost??? Simply perfect. So thank you for showing up in your true essence as a bold and enthusiastic woman on a mission to get people noticed.”
With feedback like this, is it any wonder that I wake up smiling with anticipation about the difference for others I can make today. If you were not able to attend the presentation and want to listen in after the fact, you can purchase the audio file for a song. Here is the link to make it easy for you to read about and purchase Audio Presentation #6.
And, if you want to jump in with both feet and immerse yourself in a half-day of do-it-yourself publicity information and inspiration, sign up for the August 15 Publici-Tea™. Because this event will be held at a fabulous historic home in Tacoma and all the 400 guests at Jazzy June are going to receive the invitation to attend, don’t delay in securing your space. Seats are most definitely limited. Here is the link to make it easy. SBA 2008 Women in Business Advocate Rachael Costner will be my very special guest, and she’ll share small business marketing tips and resources to catapult your business to a higher level of fabulous.
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Oh the thrill of seeing news about a worthy product travel far and wide and in perfect timing. I love that.
