Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on | 0 Comments
Happy Spring! Every month brings new ways you can pitch your business or yourself into press stories that could bring you powerful buzz that will change your business by putting it on the map, increasing your sales, introducing you to new customers and heck – just making you feel great about your business.
If you want press, sales or brand validation next month, read on for quick and easy story ideas that you can pitch to the press in April. Use this monthly guide for strategic inspiration, and remember that whether you’re a product, service or expert based business, if you get creative you should be able to turn one or more of these topics into pitches. Then don’t forget to make that content work triple time for you! Don’t know what I mean by that? Don’t worry! We outlined it in this quick and powerful blog post for you!
MOTHER'S DAY (it’s not just for gift guides anymore!)
Mother’s Day (MD) is not officially until May 11th. But if all the stories about the holiday ran in May, none of us would be prepared when May 11th rolled around. MD will be here before we know it, and that means that right now is the time to begin strategizing your Mother’s Day story angles. Ideas include:
- What should you buy Mom as a gift?
- Where should you take Mom to lunch or dinner?
- How to throw the perfect Mother’s Day brunch? Send 3-7 tips to an editor who might be interested in them.
- Gift guide pitches are a no-brainer. Be sure that your present is actually suitable for a Mother’s Day gift as well as for the audience of the outlet you’re pitching.
- Share some Mom-approved recipes.
Here are a few other Mother's Day ideas that are underutilized and very powerful:
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How about sharing what your business is offering for moms on the big day. Free dessert with meal? Free coffee? A discount on your massage services? A combo deal with other businesses?
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What lessons did your Mom teach you that impact you as a business owner, wife, mother, etc? Share those with an outlet who covers similar stories.
- Are you a mom and business owner doing cool and interesting things? This is your season and time to shine! Share your “mompreneur” story with your local press.
SPRING & ALL THAT SHE BRINGS WITH HER
Yes, I can just hear you are thinking “that is quite a broad topic, Sabina”, and you are right – which is why it works in your favor. Just like the media in January is filled with stories about New Year’s Resolutions and “New Year, New You” topics, Spring brings you the opportunity as a business to spin your story into something spring related. This can range from topics that directly include:
- “Spring Break Safety Tips”
- “Spring Allergy Prevention”
- “Spring Fashion and Accessories”
And to the more indirect yet timely topics that everyone starts thinking about as the weather gets warmer. These can be things related to anything that goes on during the Spring like, including:
- Rainy days (“Rainy Day Activities for the Whole Family)
- Weight loss and fitness (“Outdoor Work Out Safety Tips”, “Get a Great Body By Summer Plan”)
- Or even something out of the box but super creative and relevant. An example of this that I saw do very well last year was: “How to Teach Your Kids About Money and Taxes,” which went on-air right around April 15th.
Whether you go the direct or indirect spring story route, this story angle is full of possibilities for every type of business!
APRIL'S HOT NEWS TOPICS
Every month it takes as little energy as a flick of the mouse or a remote to see that your local or national media have latched onto a story, and like a dog with a bone, they’re going to refuse to let it go until another story takes its place. Though I can’t speak to what your own local press is buzzing about, here are some hot topics in the national news that may inspire you to grow a story from them.
- Small Business Minimum Wage Increase
- Baseball Season is Back!
- Conscious Uncoupling and the Modern Divorce
- Game of Thrones (hint - use #GOT when live tweeting this online) – it’s back and it’s everywhere
- Taxes
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Earth Month/Earth Day
EASTER (log in to see this full tip in our Forum!)
Easter is different than spring. Easter (this April 20th) introduces other pitch opportunities including “what to wear for Easter service/parties/brunch” but that’s not all. It’s also the perfect time to talk about a wide range of Easter-related topics like Easter travel tips for the millions of Americans hitting the road/skies this April, the health (more like unhealthy facts) behind our favorite Easter candies and...
Click here to read full tip >
NATIONAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
April is National Health Awareness Month. To be honest, April is also packed with other health and wellness observances that cover everything from IBS to your eyeball health! What’s my prescription for pitch success using this angle...
Click here to read full tip >
Hey Tin Shingle members, want to get your hands on two more awesome pitch angles for the press that you can use for your pitches, blogs and social media? Head on over to the member forum and check 'em out!
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