Submitted by Ashley Cox on | 0 Comments
We are certainly cheering in congratulations for a determined and darling Tin Shingler, Christina Fagan this season. Christina is the owner and CKO (Chief Knitting Officer) of Sh*t That I Knit, a knitwear brand out of Boston, MA. Her dreams came true this season! With Tin Shingle's live media contact lists and a heavy dose of her hard work, she landed placement in InStyle's Gifts For The Charitable Soul.
Read below for our exclusive interview with Christina to learn how she pitched InStyle and got the press placement on her own. A big win for DIY PR!
What do you think worked in your pitch?
"I pitched various people at InStyle for years... it wasn't until I kept my initial pitch short and sweet that I finally got a response."
Here's what it looked like:
"Hi Anne,
Hope you're well! Reaching out quickly- wondering when you start taking submissions for the InStyle Holiday Gift Guide?
I'd like to send you more info on Sh*t That I Knit when the time is right!
Thanks,
Christina"
Where did you go from there?
"Once I got an answer about the right time to pitch, I was in. I also focused on giving her all of the possible angles to include us in their gift guide. They ended up biting on our charitable giving angle which was why we were included in the Charitable Gifts guide."
Did you have a relationship with anyone there before?
"No! All of my emails were completely cold! I was able to get a larger placement in this season's Real Simple because of a relationship I formed last season... it's worth checking in and staying in touch with editors you've worked with in the past!!"
Can you describe how you were using Tin Shingle that sparked the idea for you to go for it and pitch?
"Having the database available to email important people at my target publications is huge. If one person doesn't answer (which let's face it, 9 out of 10 times they won't), there are plenty of other options. I was able to send emails to probably 5-10 writers/editors at InStyle without having to do all of the work that comes along with identifying the magazine, identifying the type of interest of the editor, and figuring out the format of their email. I use the database a ton and even if it doesn't have an email that I'm looking for, I'm able to figure out the email format for the person I'm trying to reach. Having each listing include areas of interest helps you to be efficient as well, there's no need for me to be emailing an editor who focuses on Tech or Men's Health!!"
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