Mom Invented

Dear Tamara,

What are some of your strategies for getting marketing exposure and publicity?

-- Delia K. in Plano, TX

Dear Delia,

Early on, I realized there were two distinct ways to generate awareness about my product -- one would involve paying (traditional advertising) and one would not! Fortunately, I found that the unpaid kind -- via public relations -- would better meet my needs as a new entrepreneur with a new product and a tight budget.

So what exactly is unpaid publicity? Certainly there is some cost -- your time and energy, or the dollars associated with hiring a public relations firm to do it for you -- but the common denominator is that you're not paying for advertising space. Instead, you're submitting product information to potentially interested parties -- like magazines, newspapers, TV shows and Internet sites -- and hoping they will pick up your information as part of their regular reporting.

Seems easy, right? Well, there is some finesse to it. Part of your job is convincing the reporter or editor that yours is a worthwhile product or story to cover. These individuals get countless press materials crossing their desks daily. That means you need to give them a compelling reason to include your product. On the other hand, reporters are grateful for interesting, inspiring stories and idea proposals -- so give them a good story or interesting product, and it's a win-win situation for you both.

How, specifically, can you do that?

Look at it from the reporter's perspective. What would compel them to cover your product? What need does your product fill? How does it fit into the bigger picture? Does it address a trend? Relate to a pop culture story? Is your backstory compelling? Is there a human interest angle -- ie: does it make people safer, healthier or happier? Does it reach diverse markets? Be sure to include an angle that gives larger context to your product. For instance, we present our product, Tidy Table Covers, as doing more than protecting the dining room table from stains and glue from kids' crafts. It allows kids to unleash their creativity without worry! And with more and more kids getting into kitchen-table crafts -- and millions of women embracing the scrap booking craze -- the product is fulfilling a need based on today's trends. We focus on these points when "selling" our story.

That goes the same for pitching to a TV producer. Include national statistics that explain why this story will speak to the TV show's viewers. Your pitch should also include ideas for other guests (including yourself, of course) that support the story idea and add color to the segment. In other words, give the TV producer a full picture -- even though they will likely change it – to help do some of their legwork for them, and to allow them to see how fabulous a segment this could be.

In all your communications, include as much relevant information as possible without bogging down the reporter with unnecessary details. That means including high-quality product photos, a product sample, if possible, plus contact information and all pertinent details -- it all goes back to the old Who, What, When, Where and Why's.

When approaching media, it's also important to contact the most appropriate people at the most appropriate media outlets. Fortunately today you can do most of it online very easily. Do some research to create an appropriate target list (ie: Maxim magazine won't be interested in your baby product, unless it's gadget-y and specifically for dads) and be sure you have up- to-date reporters' and editors' names. Getting them is relatively simple:

• Get on the Internet and Google the TV show, magazine, or newspaper you're interested in pitching, and get the phone number
• When you call, don't be afraid to ask the receptionist for the name of the specific reporter that relates to your area (ie: the fashion reporter for your new line of jewelry; the IT reporter for your newly invented software)
• Ask for the email address and voicemail extension for that particular reporter

Good luck!

If you’re ready to receive phenomenal media coverage for your product, there are still a couple of slots left in our PR program for April & May. This media opportunity is designed specifically for moms in our community! Submit an inquiry on our Special PR Opportunity page if you’d like more information.

Do you have a question for Tamara? Send it to her or leave it in the comments.

Tagged as: Ask Tamara, Business Advice, business marketing, PR, PR advice, public relations, TV appearances