Submitted by Jackie Nees on | 0 Comments
Tin Shingle member Kelly Kepner is always looking for opportunities to promote her business, Kelly Kepner PR, as any savvy entrepreneur should. One of the ways she does this is by consistently staying on top of the PR Leads that we offer exclusively to our members and pitching the ones that she thinks are a good fit for her business.
Kelly knows that time is of the essence when deadlines are tight and that you have to jump on an opportunity when it is presented, which is how she landed press recently in Business Insider. As soon as Kelly saw the lead, she acted on it and it paid off. Read on to learn more about Kelly's story and why knowing your audience and taking swift action are a winning combination when it comes to getting press.
How often have you been working on your own PR?
10 years
What press opportunity did you snag and how did Tin Shingle contribute to your success?
On March 25th, I received the weekly PR leads from Tin Shingle. I took a look, as I always do, and noticed there was an urgent query about working from home. As an entrepreneur looking to promote my new business, I jumped at the opportunity to reply to the article and give my tips to Business Insider about working from home!
How long did the entire process take?
Minutes actually. That's the thing with these urgent PR leads. Most of them need the information ASAP and I've found that many of the spots fill up on a first come basis!
Can you walk us through the process, from pitch to placement?
The email came in around 2:15 PST and I emailed Richard by 3pm! About 10 days later, Richard sent me the press! Pretty simple actually. I think it proves a point that if you stay on top of these PR leads, and then send a thoughtful and creative pitch (especially meeting any and all deadlines) that your placement had really great odds of being included.
What made your pitch extra special? What type of highlights did you include in your pitch to make it stand out? Was your subject line snappy or clever?
Knowing my audience was critical for this pitch. I knew it was a business publication, rather than a fashion magazine, so my subject (Working From Home) was direct and to the point for the article. While I love to whip up something creative for the fashion magazines, I knew something along the lines of "Crop it Like it's Hot" was not going to work this time around. The best part about my pitch was that it was thoughtful and contained good tips. I focused on the target publication and provided tips in a bullet point format for them to easily review.
Did you learn anything through this process that you can share with other small business owners?
First off, be sure to always check the dashboard for PR leads! They are a wonderful resource for all businesses. Second, make note of deadlines and always respond in a timely matter. And third, know your target audience. I love a playful fashion pitch (hey, that's why I'm in fashion PR!) but I also know the tone that is more appropriate for business journals and publications too.
Keep up the good work Kelly and thank you for sharing your tips and your story!
###
Click here to read even more inspiring SNAGGED! stories like Kelly's and don't forget, you can get access to juicy PR Leads and unlock other exclusive Tin Shingle benefits by becoming a member. We'd love to feature you in our next SNAGGED!
