The Tin Shingle Blog

Member Update: Holiday Gift Guide Help

Submitted by Ashley Cox on Thu, 2017-08-03 15:21 | 0 Comments

It's Holiday Gift Guide Season!

All of your dreams of seeing your business in national print magazines are happening now. Summertime is the time to make your own luck and opportunities by pitching magazines who may be working on Holiday Gift Guides for November/December issues. Your biggest chance of landing features is by pitching the right product with the right hook. Holiday Gift Guides come in many shapes and sizes. The best ones are themed like this:

"Best Gifts for Bros"
"Best Gifts for New Moms"
"Best Gifts for BFFs"

Need ideas for what to pitch? Not sure if what you wrote will work?
Ask Tin Shinglers in our Community Board Forum! This is where member help members by group editing a pitch.

How The Pitch Whisperer Works:

The Pitch Whisperer Forum was created for you to get feedback, tips, and strategy advice on your pitch and get support from other Tin Shingle members, peers, and experts. It is a private forum available to Tin Shingle paid members only. (Membership starts at $45/month for the Level One: Community Membership at Tin Shingle.) All Tin Shingle forums are moderated, and a safe place for Level One Community Members and above to use to get productive feedback on pitches you submit. Browse some topics already started to generate and refine ideas, or start a new thread with your own pitch and questions. Here are some tips to get the best support:

Be sure to copy and paste your whole email pitch you are planning to use.
Include your email subject line.
Upload the photo(s) you will include with your pitch to your forum entry.
Include details of what outlet (Magazine, TV Station, Website etc.) you are pitching and why.
Don't forget to ask your questions!

Want More?

Listen to these Training TuneUps for expert advice and principles to pitch like a pro:

Training TuneUps are available to stream anytime for free with Level Four: All Access Pass Membership of Tin Shingle. Upgrade your membership for instant access to Tin Shingle's complete library of classes. All others can purchase individual Tuneups to listen to over and over.

Interested in what else you can benefit from with a Tin Shingle Membership? Check out what people are saying about their business membership and learn what else a Tin Shingle membership could offer you and your brand.

Ashley Cox's blog

Day in the Entrepreneurial Life on National Parent's Day

Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on Mon, 2017-07-24 13:33 | 0 Comments

In honor of National Parent's Day, Ashley asked me for a day-in-the-life write-up for the Diaries of Small Business Owners section on Tin Shingle. This is a member-produced blog platform for our small business members to share what it's like building, growing and running a business from a behind-the-scenes perspective.

It's broken down into a few sections, so take a read and see if you or your mompreneur and dadpreneur friends can identify:

Squeezing Every Ounce Out Of Every Minute
Some Things Aren't Going To Get Done, And That's OK
Final Decision on What Maternity Leave Looks Like
Teaming Up - And Keeping It That Way
And Finally...The Haunting Words

Click here for the full article >

Category:

Holistic Business

Life of Biz Owners

Katie Hellmuth's blog

Member Update: Planning For Breast Cancer Awareness

Submitted by Ashley Cox on Thu, 2017-07-20 13:09 | 0 Comments

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

You need to be planning your pitches, social media posts, and other buzz now to succeed. To help in the process Tin Shingle has added more media contacts, especially for nursing journals (a captive audience especially during BCA month!)

Media Contacts added:

Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal
Advances in Nursing Science
American Association for Cancer Research
American Health and Drug Benefits
American Journal of Clinical Oncology
American Journal of Nursing
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Annals of Surgical Oncology
Cancer Research
Clinical Oncology News
Connecticut Nursing News
Creative Nursing
Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog
Nursing Made Incredibly Easy

Want some more help, motivation, and guidance? Listen to this training TuneUp: How to Prepare for and Pitch Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Level 3 Media List Members of Tin Shingle have 24/7 access to Tin Shingle's Media Contact and Editorial Calendar Databases

Level 4 All Access Members of Tin Shingle can stream any TuneUp anytime for free. Everyone else can buy their favorites TuneUps and keep them in their collection forever.

Karen Mac Donald was inspired by her mother, a cancer patient, to start and grow Wrapped in Love. The Accessories and Fashion Boutique consists of wraps, head wraps, and other beautiful gifts, designed by Karen, to provide women with cancer or women who are convalescing with warmth, comfort, beauty, dignity, and style. Everything is made in the USA. She works with cancer patients and survivors to ensure that the design and fabrics are conducive to their needs, as well as closely with nurses to ensure the designs provide appropriate access to the patient for medical attention. Wrapped in love has been featured on WJR with Guy Gordon, Sarasota Magazine, and CBS Detroit.

We couldn't bid you all adieu without a quick fix of babysmush! Uber cute baby Charlie is Tin Shingle's co-founder, Katie Hellmuth Martin's, new baby boy and 3rd child.

Category:

Meet Our Members

Ashley Cox's blog

Are You Listening Live To This Training TuneUp: How to Get a TV Table Top Segment?

Submitted by Ashley Cox on Wed, 2017-07-19 16:05 | 0 Comments

Tin Shingle's Member Manager and PR Coordinator, Ashley Marie Cox, rocks her second TuneUp Takeover with dear friend of Tin Shingle, Sabina Hitchen. Sabina is a co founder of Tin Shingle who continues to rock the PR world with the launching of her new brand Sabina Knows in 2016.

In her latest endeavors, Sabina has launched the curated TV segment #SmallBizBigIdea, where she shows off favorite products on TV from small businesses like yours. Being on the other side of the camera - and the pitching process - Sabina reveals where businesses slip up when pitching their products to an on-air stylist, and what the winning PR pitches had in them to help her pick their product to bring on TV. Check out some of Sabina's previous Table Top Segments on Great Day Washington where she http://www.wusa9.com/features/great-day-washington features unique and affordable picnic products as well as glamorous summer accessories.

We are talking about the whole process of how to pitch a TV or “Table Top" opportunity, to what Sabina looks for in product pitches, to what do you do after you do get the press. Will you be there? If you missed it, all TuneUps are recorded and available in Tin Shingle's Training Center. Stay tuned for this TuneUp to be available to stream but before then, sign up for our newsletter to get the announcement delivered to your inbox.

BONUS!: Level 3 and Level 4 Members of Tin Shingle have access to Sabina's PR lead in Tin Shingle's Special Opps Center to have the opportunity to get your dazzling products on TV

DOUBLE BONUS!!: Listeners to this TuneUp receive a unique promo code to Sabina's PR Master class, Press for Success, a soup to nuts online PR class with lifetime access and additional free monthly classes to learn how to get local and national publicity as well as build long term relationships with the media.

All TuneUps are free for anyone to listen or watch live Wednesday's at Noon EST. Recorded TuneUps available in Tin Shingle's Training Center are free for Level 4 All Access Members to stream anytime. All others users can purchase their favorites to keep forever.

Ashley Cox's blog

Its A Boy! Special Member Update. Plus: A Freebie TuneUp All Week Long!

Submitted by Ashley Cox on Tue, 2017-07-11 10:15 | 0 Comments

Welcome Baby Charlie!

On July 3rd, Tin Shingle co-founder Katie Hellmuth Martin and family welcomed a healthy baby boy. Mommy and baby are now home resting while being protected by two loving older siblings. Thank you to all of our members and Tin Shingle family for your well wishes and congratulations.

Now that the baby has arrived, the live TuneUp is taking a break this week, but in leu of that, we have opened up one of our most popular TuneUps: How to Pitch Holiday Stories and Gift Guide in Magazines.

It is starring Tin Shingle's friend and co-founder, Sabina Hitchen, who was just featured in Entrepreneur on Fire. Stream it now or on Wednesday! Or any day this week!

About The Free TuneUp:

Do you have holiday stories and gift guides you are just dying to land some press in?! Well now is definitely the time to be pitching your ideas - even though you are poolside!

Tin Shingle is allowing you to stream this training TuneUp all week long for free!

How to Pitch Holiday Stories and Gift Guides in Magazines includes tips from experts as well as a step by step guide on what need you to do with your pitching to get holiday placement.

All other TuneUps are free to stream 24/7 for Level 4 All Access Members of Tin Shingle. Join or upgrade anytime. Any one else can purchase their favorites and keep them forever.

Tin Shingle Pro Tip: Need a Standout Product Picture For That Holiday Pitch?

Learn how to take professional rock star photos (on white backgrounds of course) at home, or in your office or studio by using these great Tin Shingle tools:

Listen or watch: Tips For Taking Amazing Product Photos From Home With Photographer Evi Abeler
Read: How to Make a DIY Light Box for Better Product Photography
Learn: 5 iPhone Apps for Product Photography

Tuneups are available free 24/7 for Level 4 All Access Members of Tin Shingle. All others can purchase to keep forever.

Ashley Cox's blog

Get Your PR Leads Here!

Submitted by Ashley Cox on Thu, 2017-06-22 14:29 | 0 Comments

Yes, that title is a play on the favorite Boston baseball game snack (Get Your Peanuts, Hee-ah). And yes, you have to say "here" with a Boston accent, after all Boston is one of the best places on Earth (ok, Im biased being from there but, still!) Anyway, have you seen the recent #PRSpecialOpps flying through our mailboxes and into yours? If not, you need to sign up for Tin Shingle's Newsletter to be among the elite who see it first! Here is a little insider's look at the newest leads.

Submission details, pitching tips, and contact information for each PR lead is available to Level 3 Media Lists and Level 4 All Access Members of Tin Shingle. When upgrade or activate your membership you will have immediate access to all PR Leads.

What do you do after getting the leads and finding the contacts? You sharpen your buzz building, pitch writing skills with these Tin Shingle Training TuneUps:

Level 4 All Access Members of Tin Shingle can stream all TuneUps anytime for free. Anyone else can purchase one or all for download and keep forever.

What is there left to do? Root, Root Root for YOUR team! Go make Buzz!

Ashley Cox's blog

New and Updated Media Contacts Galore!

Submitted by Ashley Cox on Wed, 2017-06-21 15:28 | 0 Comments

If you are a Tin Shingle Member or receive Tin Shingle's rocking newsletter, than you know we are updating and adding to our Media Contact Database. More and more members are taking their DIY PR Campaigns into TV, Radio, and Trade Magazine, and we are here to help them pave the way! Here is a look of some titles that have been updated or added:

Radio

All Things Considered
Tiny Desk
Morning Edition
Freakonomics
Fresh Air
Up First
Code Switch

TV

BBC America Entertainment
Conan
The Doctors

As well as these local San Francisco stations:

ABC
CBS
CNBC
KRON-TV-4
NBC

Trade Magazines

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor
BVP Media
ENR Midwest Construction
ENR New York;
ENR Texas/Louisiana;
ENR Southeast
The American Surveyor

Print Magazine

Allure Magazine
Ebony
Essence
Family Circle
Family Fun Magazine
HGTV Magazine
InStyle
Latina Magazine
Martha Stewart Living
Men's Journal
Women's Health
Road & Track Magazine
Traditional Home
Vegetarian Times
W Magazine

Newspapers

Wall Street Journal
New York Times

Don't See the Media Contact You Need?

Email member@tinshingle.com to request your outlet.
Media Contacts and the ability to request are available for Level 3 Media Lists or Level 4 All Access Pass of the Tin Shingle Membership. You can upgrade your level at any time by clicking here.

How to Know Which Contact to Use and Where to Go With It?

Listen or watch these training TuneUps (more of Tin Shingle's favs) to become a PR pro and slay press with your campaign:

Level 4 All Access Members of Tin Shingle can stream classes any time for free. All others can purchase their favorite for download and reference them from their library forever.

Category:

Media Contacts Updates

Ashley Cox's blog

Member Updates: TV & Radio Media Contacts

Submitted by Ashley Cox on Wed, 2017-06-21 10:47 | 0 Comments

Every Monday Tin Shingle sends out a Member Update to all awesome people who are subscribed to our Newsletter, which give insider tips and happenings to help you get the word out about your business. For those who didn't receive the goings on behind the scenes at Tin Shingle can get a sneak peak here!

More Media Contacts Are Here

Tin Shingle is focusing on contacts at Radio & TV outlets as well as specific shows this week. Some new titles include:

All Things Considered
Tiny Desk
Morning Edition
Freakonomics
Fresh Air
Up First
Code Switch
BBC America Entertainment
Conan

Got A Media Contact Request?

Send your request to member@tinshingle.com.

These are available for Level 3 Media Lists or Level 4 All Access Pass of the Tin Shingle Membership. You can upgrade your level at any time by clicking here.

Ongoing PR Leads in Tin Shingle's Special Opps Center

Several of Tin Shingle's PR Special Opps are ongoing leads, meaning you can pitch to them at any time. Additionally, if there are updates to the leads they are promptly made to that lead on Tin Shingle's website.

These are available for Level 3 Media Lists or Level 4 All Access Pass of the Tin Shingle Membership. You can upgrade your level at any time by clicking here.

It May Be Summer... But Don't Let Those Skills Slack!

Will you get TuneUp Withdrawal?

School may be out, and TuneUps are briefly paused - but don't let those be reasons to let your super powers weaken. Level 4 All Access Members of Tin Shingle can stream all archived TuneUps any time for free to keep their game on point and continue learning. All others can purchase their favorite for download to keep in their library forever. Some of our favorites include:

One last thing: Don't forget you are in the middle of pitching for placement in Holiday Gift Guides. Yes, we know it's June - but this is the time! So focus your ideas and pitches by listening to this TuneUp : How to Pitch Holiday Stories and Gift Guides in Magazines. Stay busy, stay well, and we will see you soon!

Category:

Media Contacts Updates

Ashley Cox's blog

TuneUp Update: Pausing For Maternity Leave

Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on Tue, 2017-06-13 18:21 | 0 Comments

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 2017
TIME: 12pm EST

Hello!

Tin Shingle's Training TuneUp is going on Maternity Leave for the rest of June, returning for the What To Pitch: July series on Wednesday July 5th 2017, and then on July 19th and July 26th and August 2nd.

The new little baby is not here yet, but will be any day! So it's best that we clear the calendar.

But you aren't off the hook for your June pitching...you are in prep-mode for Holiday Gift Guides, and Fall pitching. If you aren't an upgraded member of Tin Shingle yet, you best be, because there is quite a good lead from a national magazine making a guide about cool things going on in Columbus, OH, and you want in.

24/7 TuneUps
Will you experience TuneUp withdrawl? You might! Which is why we have all of them in the Tin Shingle Training TuneUp Archives that you can stream at any time for free with your Level 4 All Access Pass membership.

Category:

Membership Goodies

TuneUps

Katie Hellmuth's blog

Member Update: New Media Contacts and PR Special Opps

Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on Mon, 2017-06-12 12:58 | 0 Comments

Hello, Happy Monday!

Lots of things are going on at Tin Shingle these past weeks, and there's more to come in the following weeks. Lets do this together! Here's what's new:

New Media Contacts Available

Tin Shingle is diving into contacts at Radio, Trade Magazines, as well as Newspaper Outlets. Some new or updated titles include:

Allure Magazine
Berthoud Weekly Surveyor
BVP Media
Ebony
ENR Midwest Construction
ENR New York; Texas/Louisiana; Southeast
Essence
Family Circle
Family Fun Magazine
HGTV Magazine
InStyle
Latina Magazine
Martha Stewart Living
Men's Journal
New York Times
Road & Track Magazine
The American Surveyor
The Doctors
Traditional Home
Vegetarian Times
W Magazine
Wall Street Journal
Women's Health

We also are adding more Local TV outlets into our database including local TV stations for San Fransisco, which include:

ABC
CBS
CNBC
KRON-TV-4
NBC

Got A Media Contact Request?

Send your request to member@tinshingle.com.

These are available for Level 3 Media Lists or Level 4 All Access Pass of the Tin Shingle Membership. You can upgrade your level at any time by clicking here.

New PR Leads in Tin Shingle's Special Opps Center

Several of Tin Shingle's PR Special Opps are ongoing leads, meaning you can pitch to them at any time. Additionally, if there are updates to the leads, such as there have been with the Country Living lead for Columbus based businesses, updates will be made to that lead on Tin Shingle's website.

These are available for Level 3 Media Lists or Level 4 All Access Pass of the Tin Shingle Membership. You can upgrade your level at any time by clicking here.

TIN SHINGLE PRO TIP

Get Listed In Tin Shingle's Business Directory

Are readers of Tin Shingle's website learning about your company?

They aren't if you haven't listed it in Tin Shingle's Business Directory! One of the public-facing directory listings you get as a promotional perk to membership. Available to Level 2 (Promotional), 3 (Media Lists) and 4 (All Access) of membership, you can list your headshot in your Personal Profile, and your logo in your Business Directory.

Do this now for more exposure. Email member@tinshingle.com with questions.

NEW TIN SHINGLE MEMBERS

Tin Shingle gives a warm welcome to the following new members!

Valerie Neustadt of Valsey and Me

Personalized Soap, Jewelry and Home Accessories you won't find anywhere else. Valsey customers can customize their own message on each small chip of single use guest soap, creating the only organic personalized soap on the market. An absolute favorite for those who love to entertain. Valsey and Me also now offers organic, all natural sulphate and toxin free liquid soap. It's gentle formula leaves your hands soft, clean, and smelling delicious.

Cara Biega of Cara Bee Productions, LLC

Cara is a freelance content developer, producer and writer under Cara Bee Productions. She also works with Marketing and Brand Partnerships. She currently works with or has worked with the New York Film Festival, A&E Television, BBC Worldwide, and BBC America.

Vince Kubilus of Imagine All Better
Vince is the CTO of the stress relieving app, Imagine All Better. The app is completely confidential and meets a need that remains largely unaddressed: How to quickly and permanently eliminate-as a first step-the sources of everyday stress and anxiety on demand.

Kimberly Stoddard of BOCA Communications
Kimberly is the Media and Content Strategist at BOCA Communications. BOCA is a public relations agency dedicated to the highest quality service. BOCA has a passion for image creation, cultivation and communication. With offices in San Francisco and a network of PR professionals across the US and abroad, their team tailors programs to meet clients particular needs.

Nicole Quiroz of NICK Communications
Nicole is the CEO of NICK Communications, a non traditional public relations firm specializing in lifestyle and entertainment. Nick Communications is dedicated to propelling stories with a multi-prolonged approach to communication.