I had so much fun working on a recent DIY PR Pack for small business PR client and culinary concierge extraordinaire Alejandra Ramos from the blog Always Order Dessert.  In addition her online daily dose of mouth-watering recipes and cooking advice, Alejandra offers a number of personalized food services including group cooking classes, menu planning, cooking demos, and pantry/kitchen make-overs.

If you are in the NYC area, I highly recommend checking out some of her cooking courses!  I’ve listed her upcoming classes below and as you can see there is definitely something for everyone.  Alejandra’s classes are kept small (max 12 students) so the environment is relaxed and everyone has a chance to participate in making all the dishes.

Busy Weeknight Dinners

Cook Once: Feast all Week! (Brilliant! Might have to put this on my gift list. Hint hint if you’re reading hubby:)

Beginner’s Basics: Easy Dishes for Novice Home Cooks

Oh, and I can’t finish up this post without mentioning one of of my favorite recipes from Alejandra’s blog.  Her chocolate banana nut smoothie is to die for and it’s a regular of mine for breakfast.  YUM!

Alejandra has been featured in a number of segments and articles including Martha Stewart Radio, NY Times, Shape.com, NY Post, FoxNews.com, NBC Latino and The Daily Meal.  To see these and more of Alejandra’s publicity, visit her press page.

I like to use this small business public relations blog as an opportunity to showcase some of my clients and the work that we’ve done together.  Brooklyn Cruiser, one of my retainer clients, is a new commuter bike company that came onto the scene this past August.  The company offers city bikes that combine the function, comfort, and style of a classic Dutch bike with the stable and smooth ride of a hybrid bike.

With the expansion of the NYC bike lanes and the upcoming NYC bike share program, to say urban biking is becoming mainstream would be an understatement!  That being said, the timing for the launch of this new bike company was right on target (and a publicist’s dream!).

Brooklyn Cruiser’s initial model of bikes includes a unique two-speed kick shift hub, allowing riders to quickly shift between gears with a slight pedal backwards (so there are no cables or hand shifts).  I’ve included a photo of my favorite model here, but check out the Web site for more color options.  Every Brooklyn Cruiser includes its signature double top tube and cream colored tires.  The men’s bikes are available in black and cream and the women’s bikes are available in black and tangerine.

Since the August launch, this vintage inspired bike company has been featured in Vanity Fair, New York Times, Vogue Brazil, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Maxim, Next, Momentum, Refinery 29, Daily Candy, Gear Patrol, Cool Hunting, Re-Nest, Inhabitat and more.  For all the press clippings, check out their press page.  I’m looking forward to more success working with Brooklyn Cruiser in 2012!!  They have some fun plans in the works so stay tuned….

I usually forward the original email and include one or two sentences referencing the pitch.  Remember, the media is more likely to read emails if they are on the short side.  For example, here is an example of a follow up note:  Hi Erin – I’m writing about the email I sent last week (see below) for a possible article in Entrepreneur about DIY PR tips for securing your product on national television.  Please let me know if this is of interest to you.

I generally only send one (or maybe two) follow up notes.  If there is still no response, then it’s OK to place a phone call.  Beyond this you should consider the journalist not interested in your pitch.   In a perfect world, it would be great to get a “yes” or “no” response either way, but that doesn’t always happen.  If you’re not getting any type of response, then it may be time for a new strategy or perhaps you’re not pitching the correct media contact.

Any other clever ways that you have followed up with the media with success?   I’d love to hear from you.

One of the most frequent questions from my DIY PR clients is:  When do I follow up with the media?  It’s a really great question because there’s a very fine line between being persistent to bring attention to a relevant pitch vs. being a bit annoying (and ending up on a journalist’s blacklist – yes, they exist!).

First up, “following up” with the media is a term used in public relations which refers to checking in with a media contact about the status of a pitch.  After a pitch is sent to a journalist or producer, a follow up email is typically sent if there is no response from the initial pitch.  If there’s still no response then a follow up phone call is placed.

Following up is a very important part of the pitching process and placing an email or phone call can really help in the process of securing a placement.  There are many situations where my first pitch may not initially capture the attention of a journalist but a quick, short follow up email does the trick (remember journalists receive TONS of pitches every day).   My general rule of thumb (and typically what I recommend to my small business public relations clients) is to follow up via email about five business days after the initial email is sent (assuming the email received no response) and then a phone call 2-3 days after the follow up email (if still no response to the 2nd email).   Keep in mind, these are general guidelines because there are many factors that can change this strategy including the urgency of a pitch and/or your exiting relationship with the contact.

In some cases, you may not receive any response which can be very challenging as you can’t close the loop on your outreach for that publication.  While it’s frustrating to not to get a simple “yes, i’m interested” or “no i’m not interested,” there comes a certain point where the pitch just might not be a good fit for the publication or contact and you have to know when to hang it up.   That’s not to say that you can’t pitch another person at the same publication or go back to the specific contact with a different pitch a few months later.

Have you had success with follow up emails or phone calls?  I’d love to hear from you about your experience.

Photo Credit: Workattheyard.com

Last week I wrote about my top three New Year’s goals for 2012.  Topping the list was to secure an office space that made sense from a commuting perspective and would be a convenient place to meet small business PR clients.  I’m excited to share that I’ve crossed that goal off my list and I’m officially part of a very cool new co-working space in my neighborhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn called The Yard.

From speaking with my friends and colleagues, working from home vs. an office is a personal decision and really depends on your personality and any distractions at home (kids, hubby, etc.)

Obviously, I feel the pros of working from an office far outweigh the cons.  Here are the advantages in my book:

1. Productivity: I am simply more productive in a work space outside of my home. Hands down.

2. ADD Be Gone!  Laundry and cleaning the bathroom do not all the sudden sound appealing on Tuesday at 10:30 am.

3. Professional:  While I don’t mind meeting up with retainer and DIY PR clients at coffee shops, it’s simply more professional to have a dedicated space that’s quiet without any time constraints.

4. Networking:  On a self-serving tip, working in a co-working space is a great way to network and meet other small businesses.  Maybe even a friend or two

5. Quittin’ time:  It’s easier to “shut down” at the end of the day.  I can declare that day is DONE and I can look forward to spending time with my husband or plans with friends.

Aside from the cost of rent, I had a hard time finding a list of pros to working from home.  Of course, I should point out that I lucked out finding a space that is affordable and within walking distance to my condo.  A long commute would probably deter me choosing an office space although even with the commute I think I would STILL be more productive.

What are your thoughts about working from home vs. working from an office?  Do you have a hard time “shutting off” at night?  Did I miss any pros from working from home?

With each New Year, it’s customary to take some time to review the year that’s passed and make resolutions/goals for the future.  Small business owners tend to stick to this tradition in their professional life as well as their personal life.

While I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions in my personal life, I find the New Year is an excellent time to spend some time thinking about things that worked well with my small business public relations clients and reviewing those tasks that didn’t work well.  Plus, it’s a good opportunity to be honest with yourself and set some realistic goals for the year to come.  I’m not just speaking about financial goals, but specific tasks that have been lingering on the “to do” list for the past six months.

I’ve been keeping a running lists of things I’ve been meaning to implement and picked the top three for this year as I think it’s easy to underestimate the time certain tasks take to complete.  For example, I’ve been wanting to start a YouTube channel, but I know that this will require a bit of education on my part in addition to learning to be compelling in front of the camera.   That being said, I think it’s realistic to start with three goals than a long laundry list of tasks that seem overwhelming to complete.

My three goals for this year include…

1. Secure an office space

2. Start free monthly office hours (in person at my office or over the phone)

3. Create a DIY PR YouTube channel (I’ve started a temporary one here for now)

What are your business New Year’s resolutions/goals?  I’d love to hear them!

Wishing you all wildly successful 2012!

Thea

During this Thanksgiving week, many of us are asking ourselves, what are we thankful for?  From a work perspective, I know I am most thankful for the amazing small business public relations entrepreneurs that I’m able to meet on a regular basis.  With my DIY PR Pack, my clients are always changing so I’m able to meet new small business folks on a regular basis, which keeps my job interesting.

Today I’d like to take a moment to highlight a super inspiring entrepreneur and DIY PR Pack Alum, Renee Pena!  Renee is one of those people you meet and you’re immediately impressed with all she’s already accomplished.  (She is also the most prompt person I have ever met!)  Most recently, Renee has launched her own business called Creative Sitters, which is a NYC-based babysitting service that uses arts activities to promote learning, exploration and growth to ensure babysitting is fun and engaging.  Here’s the best part – all the sitters at Creative Sitters have an educational arts background so they’re all about playing with kids through arts-focused activities.  So, if you ever walk out the door and hear the TV go on before you’ve even hit the down button the elevator, Creative Sitters is probably for you.

Renee gets a PR rock start award as she recently finished up the DIY PR Pack and has received press from Daily Candy, Urban Baby and has a pending upcoming article in Time Out NY Kids!   Congrats Renee!  Looking forward to seeing more success!

I am frequently asked by my small business public relations clients to estimate how much revenue a specific media placement will generate.  The answer is not so cut and dry, but here’s a quick story that might help.

After leaving my corporate PR career, I followed my dreams to start an online cookie company. I launched and ran the cookie company for about three years, but I decided that while I loved to bake for friends and family, I wasn’t interested in baking every single day.  I sold my business last year and I’m so thankful for everything I learned from the experience.  In fact, one of the most interesting insights that I’m now able to share with my DIY PR clients, is the impact of public relations efforts on sales – while all the articles/segments helped with third party credibility, there’s no question that some articles/segments generated more sales than others.  It was interesting to be on the other side of the coin.

One pivotal “other side of the coin” moment was when my cookies were featured on The Today Show for a Valentine’s Day segment. The minute the segment aired, my email started dinging like a slot machine for each order I received – this did not let up for hours!  It was the biggest day of revenue for my little cookie company – $10k!  It was both exciting and exhausting – I did not sleep for four days straight!

I was on the Today Show exactly a year later for another Valentine’s Day segment for a cookie product for kids – I sat anxiously by my computer waiting for the slot machine to start again!   The segment didn’t have the same excitement as the first, but it still resulted in about a quarter of the amount of the sales as the first segment – nothing to turn your nose up at, but it’s a great example of how much a segment on the same show can really differ.

Needless to say there are a lot of factors involved in how a specific segment or article impact sales.  For Valentine’s Day segment #1,  the cookie orders were time sensitive and orders needed to be placed the day the segment ran in order to arrive by Valentine’s Day.  The segment ran on a Monday and Valentine’s Day was Thursday.  Perfect for gift-buying procrastinators!  The segment also aired earlier during the broadcast so there were more viewers and the product – custom cookies – was a gift that could appeal to anyone – husband, girlfriend, mother, grandchild, aunt, etc.   The second Valentine’s Day segment aired later (and, NO you can’t “pick” your time slot like in advertising!) and this specific product was targeted just for kids so the audience wasn’t as big.

So, the moral of the story is that it can be incredibly difficult to predict what type of sales will result.  Timing and the type of product I was offering had a big impact on that first segment.  With an online or print piece, the same applies.  Will there be a photo included?  How long is the article?  There are a lot of variables that can often be unpredictable.

Have you had a big PR placement that generated some nice revenue for your company?  I’d love to hear about it!

A few weeks back I wrote a post about three things that are muy importante when thinking about beauty public relations.  Well, it seems that there are a whole lotta peeps that can’t afford a beauty public relations agency and were hungry for this type of info.  So it got me thinkin.  I decided to create a specific DIY Beauty PR pack to help bring my DIY PR process to life a bit more for those entrepreneurs in the beauty industry.

BUT before I tell you about the DIY Pack…a little bit about moi and my beauty credentials in case you’re wondering “who the heck made this girl the beauty authority?”  I did PR for four years for this itty bitty brand, and this brand and this one too!  You can also read more here about my journey of launching and selling my cookie biz if you are interested.

Now onto the details.   The DIY Beauty PR Pack includes…

• Press Release  – If you want to preview my press release writing style, email me and I’ll send you my free press release template.  If you follow my blog you know that I search optimize all the press releases I write based on your top key words so you can distribute it over the wire.  Included:  One search optimized press release.
• Media Lists – My many years of working in the beauty industry and endlessly reading magazines and beauty blogs have led me to create a robust list of contacts.  We’ll align on the outlets in advance of creating the lists to make sure you’ll be targeting strategic media outlets that are relevant for your brand. The list will be tailored, but will likely include beauty editors at lifestyle magazines and beauty blogger contacts. Included: 30 media contacts.
• Pitch Notes – Pitch notes are SUPER important.  I would even dare to say more important than a press release since it’s your first contact with the media.  Included:  Two pitch notes each highlighting a different media angle.

• One hour Consultation -  Once you receive the DIY PR Pack, then WHAT THE HECK do you do?  Do. not. panic.  I’m here for ya.  I’ll send you your DIY PR Pack in advance of our call so you’ll have time to review it and think of some good questions that you can grill me on during our chat.   Included:  One hour phone consultation with yours truly
• Price:  $895 (2010 pricing)  It tis a steal if I do say so myself.

Once you finish the pack and we do our consultation call, you’re ready to hit the ground running and start getting some press!!! Yay!  Now, don’t puff your chest up just yet “Ms. I’m going to be in Glamour magazine” as we’ve got some housekeeping to take care of. First up, drop me a note and tell me about your new magical lipstick formulation that changes from ballerina pink for day to sexy Louboutin red for night without reapplication! If you’re interested in doing the pack, I’ll put together a proposal for you.  If you’re still interested after you receive the proposal, I’ll have you fill out a questionnaire – I know, snoozeville – but it won’t take you but 15-20 minutes and it will really challenge you to ask yourself some important questions when it comes to PR.

So sign up today!  You won’t regret it!  These folks didn’t!

P.S. If you’re not interested in doing the PR yourself, I understand.  The DIY PR Pack is not for everyone and I’d hate for anyone to spend their entrepreneurial coin on the pack and not put it to use.  That being said, I also take on my own retainer clients too so feel free to drop me a note about this as well.

If you have been researching affordable public relations, you may have heard the term “deskside briefings” or simply “desksides” as they are called in the PR industry.   I thought this photo would catch your attention, but this isn’t what deskside briefings in the PR industry implies! (at least not the ones that I’ve participated in).

Deskside briefings are short meetings – generally 15 to 20 minutes – where you meet with an editor at a magazine to give a brief presentation or demonstration about a specific product you’re interested in getting in the editorial pages of the magazine.  These meetings are a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with an editor and, in some cases, get some initial feedback.   Here are Q&As based on some questions I received from my small business PR clients about desksides:

Q: How do I schedule a deskside briefing?  A:  To schedule a deskside, a short three-sentence email is appropriate.  Keep it even shorter than a pitch note, including a pitch about the product or service you would like to discuss.

Q: Where do deskside briefings take place?  A:  Unlike the name implies, deskside briefings typically take place in the lobby of the office, in a conference room or at a coffee shop nearby.

Q:  How do I prepare for a deskside briefing?  A:  Even though desksides are more casual meetings, you should still be well-prepared and have your key messages down.  Brainstorm any possible questions that the editor may ask so you can be prepared with an answer. Practice your presentation in advance of the meeting so the flow is not awkward.  Additionally, if you have a demonstration (e.g. food tasting, make-up demo, etc.) of some sort, then you should run through this a few times as well.

Anyone been on a deskside briefing recently as part of their DIY PR plans? Did it result in a placement?  Share your experience in the comments!