Submitted by Jackie Nees on | 0 Comments
When member Kalyn Johnson Chandler was little, her grandmother, who worked at a greeting card company, inspired her to fall in love with stationery and the idea of having her own personal supply for any occasion. Kalyn carried her paper obsession into adulthood and eventually founded her own stationery company, Effie's Paper which is named after, you guessed it, her grandmother Effie.
Effie's Paper is known for it's clean, modern designs and bold, eye catching colors and after Kalyn responded to one of our member's only PR Leads last Fall, those designs caught the eye of an editor at Ebony Magazine.
Read more of Kalyn's story below and find out how kissing a lot of frogs can lead to great press!
How often have you been working on your own PR?
2 years.
What press opportunity did you snag by replying to a PR Lead?
A product feature in one of their Editor's Picks pages.
How long did the entire process take?
The process took a couple of months.
Can you walk us through the process, from pitch to placement?
The query came out in November/December 2012. We got an immediate positive response requesting samples. I sent the samples out the next day or so and the editor let us know when she received the package. A week or so later, she let us know that she would be featuring Effie's Paper in the February 2013 issue of the magazine.
Did you learn anything through this process that you can share with other small business owners?
This may sound a little crazy, but this whole DIY-PR experience reminds me of the saying that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince. I say this because, so much of it seems to come down to what's going to be the best fit for a publication which means that you've got to cast a fairly wide net to yield positive results. I've learned that you have to be creative, consistent and determined with your pitching and follow-up is key. As an entrepreneur, if you don't have time to pitch consistently, the best advice I can give you is to hire an intern or an assistant to make sure you're pitching consistently.
Read more SNAGGED! stories like this by clicking here and don't forget, you can get access to PR Leads and unlock other exclusive Tin Shingle benefits by becoming a member.
