You make great work and have great photos of it. Your customers love you- you just wish there were more of ‘em. You’re on all the social media outlets, you’re blogging as much as possible, you’re in the groups and going to the events…
…but it seems like you’re still not getting “noticed” by blogs and magazines, the type of exposure you know could take your business to the next level- “What gives?” you think.
Meanwhile, you’re watching and wondering, how do they (ya know, the “competition”) always get on blogs? Why do they always get the cool opportunities?
And you know what the answer most likely is? They ASK FOR IT. And now it’s time for you to do the same!
If you’re not actively pitching to blogs, mags and shops, looking for promotional opportunities online, then you’re effectively sitting back and waiting to be discovered, and who knows when that’s going to happen?
Instead it’s time to take the opportunity in your own hands and ASK for the exposure you’re looking for. Ask the blogger if you’re a good fit for a feature. Ask how to be included in a giveaway. Ask a shop if they’d be interested in carrying your work. Ask a blog if you can send an item in for review. Ask to be part of an event in your niche or networking group.
The doors are all out there waiting for you, but it’s your responsibility to knock on them!
So let’s take some of the fear and intimidation out of it and talk about how easy it is to “pitch” blog editors about your online shop:
● Remember, you’re just a person talking to another person:
Don’t let the intimidation factor get to you when approaching editors. Don’t worry about making your pitch “perfect” or following a set of rules. The only real “rules” when it comes to making an effective pitch are to:
- address the editor by name (you know, cause they have one)
- introduce yourself (you know, how you would to a person in real life)
- keep it short and sweet and remember to include links to all your stuff (you know, so they can look at it)
- say please and thank you, be respectful and polite (you know, just like how you’d like to be spoken to)
And that’s it! Nothing scary about it, just introducing yourself to someone new, a skill you already use, all the time.
● You don’t have to convince them, or “sell” them:
Worried about sounding spammy and salesy? Then don’t! Just have a conversation, introduce your work, include awesome photos of your already awesome goods and let it speak for itself. The editor will decide whether or not it’s right for their blog, no convincing necessary.
● You don’t have to relay your years of experience and the depth of your work in one little email:
The shorter you can make your email, the more likely it will be read. Keep the text short and sweet and just include links to where they can find out more about your backstory/production process/experience online- your about page, pdf resume, lookbook, etc- don’t explain now, just linky linky.
● Don’t focus on the what-ifs, just focus on getting it done:
If you stop to think- what if they don’t like it? What if they see my stuff and laugh? What if they write me back and tell me I suck and should get out of this business?
STOP MAKING UP STUFF THAT HASN’T HAPPENED YET- come back to right here, right now and hit that send button!
The worst thing that’s going to happen is a) you don’t hear back at all, or b) you hear back with a polite no. All the other what-ifs are your own doubt creeping in, trying to stop you from getting to where you want to go. Don’t let them stop you!
For more no fear pitching strategies that’ll help your pitch get read and responded to, check out my Tip-Top Pitch Kit! (psst: keep reading to see how you can win one!)
It’ll show you how to find the right blogs to pitch to for you (that’s the most important part, really), how to build your media list and plan pitches. Plus you’ll get to hear from popular design/handmade blog editors themselves what makes a pitch really stand-out and what their pet peeves are. You’ll also get a look at actual pitches that I sent as a PR rep for my clients that worked and landed write-ups!
It’s darn-tootin’ handy-dandy if I do say so myself, and because I love Kerry and what she does here so much, I decided to giveaway 4 copies of the Tip-Top Pitch Kit, so that 4 of you awesome readers can win! (4 is my favorite number- it’s a good way to go!)
HOW TO ENTER:
Please submit a question about pitching or self-promotion, or talk about what your biggest fear/hang-up is around those topics in the comments below.
Please be sure to leave an email address (if not in your profile) so I can contact you if you are the winner.
GIVEAWAY RULES:
END TIME – This giveaway ends on Tuesday June 26th, 2012, 6:00pm PST.
WHO CAN ENTER – Anyone with a valid email address (will be notified this way).
PICKING WINNER – Each entry will be assigned a number. After the contest is closed, 4 numbers will be randomly generated. The entries associated with those numbers will be the winners! If we do not hear back from the winners within 3 days of notification, new winners will be drawn.
WINNER NOTIFICATION – The winner will be notified via email as well as a post here on the blog on Wednesday, June 27th.
Good luck!
Jena Coray — Miss Modish
Jena Coray is Miss Modish, a marketing/PR coach and mojo-maker! She works with creative entrepreneurs who want to grow their online biz but are unsure what the next step is- she helps with the next step offering solutions, encouragement, resources and a plan. Get free tips on how to grow your biz mojo over on her blog (also, lots and lots of cat photos.)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
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Writing a pitch about one’s own work is challenging! Self promotion is not often the number one strength amongst creative types!! Would you recommend delegating and having a professional write one for you or does the tip-top pitch kit make it seem easy enough to D.I.Y??
My biggest hang up is rejection. Yes I’ve experienced it and couldn’t see why. So I would love to read this book and maybe there might be a genuine answer.
How to pitch without actually sounding like someone who wants a little word of mouth/blog advertising… or like someone they’ll just suggest should purchase an advertisement “button”… that’s my hangup. Then again, perhaps it’s ok to call a spade a spade? We are pitching so that they’ll create word of mouth advertising for us. Self-promotion without sounding sales-y is a huge mountain in the way for many of us.
The most challenging part for me is something it looks like you’re addressing in the book- finding appropriate blogs to pitch to. I feel like the blogs I follow and know of aren’t the best venues for my product, and I’d love to figure out how to find some great ones to pitch to!
Wren@SunriseFiberCo.com
I carry the product Candylights that customers seem to Love, I would love to know how to get another Blog to promote them too. However, I don’t know which Blog would be the right Blog to ask? I would Love to win this Book too!!
Thanks for your help & the Give Away!!
Nancy
My biggest hang-up is finding the confidence needed to actually contact other blogs/media outlets about my work. It seems to all come down to me questioning if what I do and what I produce is good enough to pitch to others – is it going to be a waste of their time, will I even be contacting the right people… all of that. I think once I can get past the second-guessing, I can become a better pitcher of my work.
Thanks for this
Keeping it short and sweet is the hardest thing when pitching I think. Particularly being your own work I always feel the need to explain and explain and justify everything – like you said I need to get more linky linky!!
My hangup with pitching my shop is in the fact that I don’t want to pitch anything less than perfect, and I ALWAYS find something that needs improving!
I think it goes back to plain jane fear of rejection, but just because it’s normal doesn’t make it any less real!
Savannah said it for me! I am looking for guest blogger opportunities but won’t pitch a post unless I am 100 percent sure they would say yes. And since I am so hard on myself perfect rarely happens, so neither do my guest post submissions!
self promotion is hard for me. I dont know how to get over the fear of it. I would love to win.
What a great article!
My biggest hang up with pitching? The prices for getting some advertising on blogs: for giveaways, reviews etc. These amounts are so too high for my small and growing business, that needs so many investments… Probably I’m focusing on the wrong blogs, maybe I should search for those not so “famous”?
The other problem is that I keep thinking that before I write to anyone I should make first
* a new banner,
* a new web site,
* the three gorgeous pairs of earrings and the lovely ring I designed yesterday
So this is the same problem that other girls above me already mentioned – the need of perfection is killing the action!
I think I’m in the same boat as a lot of these other commenters. I’m not really sure where I should be pitching. I have a list of blogs I follow but they don’t really seem like the right avenue for my business. Also I am concerned about coming across like I’m selling and I would definitely like my pitches to feel more conversational.
Even though I realize that exposure on famous blogs that target my market might do wonders for my business, I still put off the task of writing a pitch. It’s always on my to do list, but it keeps getting moved to the next page. I feel like a teenager, wanting to be loved by everybody, afraid of rejection. I should really listen to my own advice (which I pass on to my children) that you don’t have to be liked by everybody and that you never know until you try.
The biggest hangup I have is knowing which are the best blogs to approach. I don’t want to be pitching my stuff to a deadbeat blog, or feel like I’m wasting my time approaching a ‘professional’ one.
My challenge is writing the pitch. I over think what I want to say, and then my fear of not sounding professional or interesting takes over. I have lots of pitches I have written but never sent. I need to work on sounding more conversational, trusting that what I have written is good, and hitting the send button. Great post, thanks for the opportunity to win a copy of your e-book!
i have oodles of creative ideas and often immerge like a lil squirrel with something new which my family n friends all coo over i delight..so far so good..i would love to step up and be noticed, and have the opportunity for promoting and selling some of my wares..i guess i have 2 questions/ lines of thought:
as a creative person i feel that i lack the ‘business/ practical’ know how of how to do this marketing yourself stuff..it feels alien to me and i struggle with it…secondly, how do you deal with the rejection of your ideas..it can often feel very personal tho i know thats not the case..
as a sensitive being trying to offer my means of expression to the world i am curious about any tips to support this
thank you
alchemyofthearts.blogspot.com
I’ think my biggest problem right now is not knowing the right places to pitch tofirst… most place (blogs anyway) you have to pay to play, so I can only do a little at a time. What ones should be prioritized?
I agree with Heidi in many respects. I am creating my product for Etsy(repurposed furniture and accessories), I am on twitter and Facebook but do not blog ( yet) and marketing is really not my expertise so I am always holding back, let alone pitching my stuff. I don’t think we can be good at everything so where do we go for outside help? The more stuff I read from forums and other sources the more overwhelming it becomes.
Since my craft business is a sideline right now to my full-time job as a teacher, I need to use my time as efficiently as possible. How do I find the right people to pitch to without spending hours checking out blogs and websites?
My question about pitching is how to approach stores. Do i email and see if they are interrested in setting up a meeting or do I go down to the store wiyh priducts in and and introduce myself that way? If I do go down to the store who do I approach them with confidence?
Thanks
Alesha
I have a shop on etsy with not many things in there yet but I feel like there are some items that would do very well in stores. When should I be asking for blog features and shop shelves?
My biggest hang up is that I HATE talking/writing about myself! I know that at the end of the day self promoting has to be done, but I find myself feeling like I’m in a Nightmare on Elm Street movie without any pills or caffeine to keep me awake!:)
I always love Jena’s tips and I’m sure I would benefit from the Tip Top Pitch Kit! My biggest challenge/hang up is: as a vintage seller, I’m not sure how to appropriately market myself. It’s a bit different ballgame than handmade sellers, and I fear bloggers will hesitate to feature my goods since there is such a limited quantity. What sort of approach is best for my situation?
I do not like to start talking about myself or my work. . . answering direct questions about it is reasonable, but I do need some major work on getting to promote myself better. . .
The biggest hang up for me is actually having the confidence to pitch my work to others. I love what I make, but I often feel like other people won’t like it or think it’s good enough to give their attention to and write about.
QUESTION: How do you go about writing a professional pitch while in the back of your mind not thinking “I sound like an amateur”, or “I look like Im begging or nagging”? What style of writing or template should be used?
EMAIL: Info@JudiPaintedit.com
First off, finding the time to write the pitch! I’ve read that you should make your pitches to each blog not sound like something you spammed to a bunch of blogs. So it just seems to take a lot of time to make it more individual.
Second, I would LOVE to send samples or a press kit or a pitch to some wedding magazines, but I do not know where to send these things to. In past research it’s been made clear that you have to send it to the right person, but how on earth I find out who that is?
Thanks!
My biggest fear is not that a blog or store will reject me, its that a consumer will. That my item will be featured and noone will want it. Or it will sit at a store for weeks and they will have to give it back because it never sold.
Talkin myself up and the fear of rejection are my biggest fears. I never know what to say and I am afraid of sounding full of myself. Plus I totally psych myself out waiting for a return email! craziness.
Excellent post, as always!
On the self-promotion side… I can kick ass at public speaking when I have to, but it’s always a bit nerve wracking right before you go on. Definitely need more practice so I feel like myself and comfortable before doing a presentation.
I always insert lots of randomness and humor in my presentations. That helps!
Another problem I have is taking self-portraits. Yet again, it’s awkward and hard to get the photo to translate as approachable and authentic. Practice, practice…
I too would like to know how to find appropriate blogs to pitch to?
I see that we are all in the same boat! I think that the fear of rejection is probably number one. And it is hard to not take it personally, because we put ourselves into our work. The next thing for me would be , it’s hard to sell yourself. You feel like you are being pushy, I know that I even hold back a bit on my tweets and FB promoting because I don’t want to ‘push’ myself out there too much, afraid of turning others off. Which is silly of course.
I guess that learning to be more self-confident and taking the risks is what it’s all about. Your book sounds great, and it is helpful to have something to go back to (like a good friend) and read over and over. Kind of like a support group. Thanks so much for the offer! The tips above are great, and of course they make wonderful sense! All anyone can do is say ‘no’.
Thanks again!
This is a whole new world to me. Any information is appreciated and helpful!!!
I guess my biggest issue is in following up with blogs/press when you don’t hear back from them right away. How long should you wait? What’s a good way to approach the follow up?
Self promotion is so difficult. Talking about myself is hard and something that I am working on so I can become more successful and get the exposure I so desperately need.
My question is about pitching to magazines. What is the best approach to pitching to them, via email or via mail? If by email, what’s the perfect subject line? and if by mail, how should one beautify my package to get noticed/opened?
I am amazed at how many other people mentioned that they too have a hard time getting past the need to feel like things are perfect before they pitch their stuff. I keep thinking “after I get my website looking better, then I’ll…” When you make a pitch, do you need to offer a giveaway or send a sample?
I always think my designs are good but never good enough for a pitch or a giveaway. I’m more confident selling them through my store, then having to sell them verbally through email/pitch. This post helped tremendously getting over my nerves. Congrats to the winner!
My question is when writing to editors of magazines: Do I need some fancy press kit that allows me to stand out? And by fancy, I don’t mean expensive, but just something unique?
My biggest hangup is getting a linesheet designed and organized. And the feeling that most shops want to carry pieces in the $20-$50 range, which is hard to do when you’re working with Sterling Silver and trying to make a decent wholesale price for yourself.
Are linesheets necessary? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were templates for them!
I have pitched to big blogs a few times , that I know are great for exposure. But, my biggest hangup is the niggling doubt when I send the pitch- Am I good enough for the pitch , will the editors like what I send across, have I told my story in an engaging manner or is it another car salesman pitch ?! If it does get featured, my next big fear is will the readers like it or will it be crickets – no response is my worst fear.
My other questions is – How often should we pitch ? 2-3 times a week ? Big blogs have insane amount of submissions. So when’s the right time to follow up ?
My biggest question is always how do you find the right blogs to pitch? Should you go for traffic over relationships, or vice versa? I want to make sure I’m setting myself up for success.
I love to do self promotion when it comes in the form of product/items to share and show. But when it comes time to figure out how to talk about myself, I freeze. How do I go about speaking about myself without feeling like I’m bragging/boasting or taking it overboard? I love what I do and want to share that with everyone but just wish I knew how to make it work for me. Does it get easy eventually?
The biggest hang-up I have is knowing how to make requests to blogs and magazines so that they don’t sound too sales pitch-y, but at the same time, don’t sound too amateur. I have a hard time finding a balance.
Question: How can these same tips be translated to other types of pitches, for example pitching to a wholesale distributor or store to carry your products or a book publisher or agent for your book.
Fear/hang-up: Following-up after sending off a pitch.
So any kind of self-promotion is incredibly uncomfortable for me – I know that it is necessary and not necessarily unwelcome but how do you balance humility with conviction? I dread coming off as a pushy, narcissistic, desperate or completely out of touch. Any tips for standing out (in a good way) would be super helpful!
Thanks!
One of my hang ups is my on line shop/product line isn’t robust enough to “share” yet.
Hey Jena and Kerry, I got lucky and found this blog post right before the entry deadline! Writing is such a chore for me – I never know what to say. Any tips on finding my angle to write a compelling story? Or could I submit a photo story to a blog?
Thanks!
This is a good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate information… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read post!
Chillax everyone. Matt Moore is a solid QB and will only get better. Garrard as a backup could work. Flynn should have to compete for the starting job and no way Smith comes here. He is going to Seattle. San Fran may be the one without a QB when the music stops.