The Tin Shingle Blog

Share

How NOT to Answer a HARO Query

Sabina Hitchen's picture Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on   |  2 Comments

As someone who has spent many years in the world of public relations, I'm usually on the query-answering side of any PR lead email chains, pitching clients our my own brands to the press.  However, since Katie and I started Tin Shingle and even more specifically, editorial sections of the site including the blog, we find ourselves on the other end of the "querying conversation". 

These days I'm posting leads within the Tin Shingle PR Leads emails and Help A Reporter Out (HARO) in order to snag the best possible anecdotes, experts and sources for the stories we're doing.  As always, with the best often comes the worst!  This was especially noticeable this past week when I posted a query via HARO and found my inbox flooded with responses.  Being on the receiving end of some good but of so many bad reponses to my query, and experiencing first hand the sheer volume of responses I get from any query I put out there, I thought it would be good to compile a few reminders to all of you who are answering these types of leads on a daily basis. 

Happy pitching!

HOW TO ANSWER A HARO LEAD PROPERLY:

Only take the time to answer it if it's for a story you actually fit.  I put out a HARO query for "top female fashion designers to look out for in 2012" and had respones ranging from hair products to entrepreneurs who had nothing to do with fashion.  This annoyed me, filled my inbox with spam, and just got me frustrated with the sender.  Should I hear from said senders again, their image in my mind will be slightly tarnished, I'm just saying...

Include links to all relevant information I need to decide if you're a great fit for the story.  I don't want to hunt for your information or links to your website.  Even more important?  Have reliable contact information and get back to me quickly.

That is so important it should be said again:  Get back to me right away.  Janna from Style House PR was on email (a great email) back to me within minutes.  Brands doing their own public relations can also respond fast, don't think it's just publicists.  Accessories designer Jess Bolbach of Bolbach responded to any questions we had within less than an hour as well.  They both understand that it truly is the early bird that gets the worm.  Speaking from someone on "the other side", I just cannot include everyone in the story, so the best and most intriguing answers get into the story first, and it's hard to squeeze people in once the story is filled.

If you don't hear back from me right away don't think that I'm not interested in you, or won't use you for future stories.  There were some brands that I loved reading about but that didnt make the final cut for the story.  That said they answered exactly what I was asking for, their stories were intriguing and I filed them away to possibly cover them in the future.  Please note, I didn't email them to tell them this (nor will most editors or reporters) because I simply don't have the time to do this, but I didn't forget about them.  Sometimes you'll hear back from editors weeks or months later, so don't give up hope!

If I've interviewed you, don't check back with every day to see when the story will go live.  For most writers this is out of their control, unless they run the outlet they are posting the story in.  I cannot always make the final editorial timing decision, but I promise you I'll let you know when the story goes live or if I need anything else from you.  Do not "check in" with me more than once a week once we've done the interview...

Do not pitch me a story completely different than what I asked for.  So many people literally took my contact informaiton to pitch me feature stories about things that I didn't ask for. I just deleted their responses, I didn't keep them on file.  It was a waste of their time and mine.

Even if you land a story off of HARO or PR Leads that isn't about YOU you're creating a relationship that could eventually turn into a story about you!  This is one of my favorite parts of answering PR Leads.  At times I'm answering as an expert or entrepreneur and the query is for a story that isn't going to be all about me, Tin Shingle or my clients.  BUT the ROI for me in these situations is that I'm creating relationships with the press and getting my name out there in one form or another and both of these things can be used strategically for future success!

Do not give up!  Keep pitching! It DOES matter and make an impact on your brand!  I say this as both someone who does the pitching and someone who now does the receiving...you never know which pitch will be "the one" to stick...You also never know who will keep seeing your name pop up and become intrigued.  As long as you're pitching a story that you're a good match for, you're making progress. 

 

What a Lack of Sleep is Doing to Your Business & Body: Sabina's Sleep Study Part One

Sabina Hitchen's picture Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on   |  1 Comments

The first in a series of posts about sleep, while co-founder Sabina begins her new mission to sleep 7-8 hours a night.

When I sat down to write this post the first time, on a Friday evening,  I literally fell asleep on the couch with my laptop on my lap, which I took as a sign that I needed to go straight to bed and finish it up later.  The fact that I was writing a post about sleep, or the lack of it more specifically, did not escape me.  The truth is, I’ve always been one of those people who has insisted to her (physician) father, that the “eight hours of sleep” rule didn’t apply to her.  By the end of college I’d mastered the handling of late night studying sessions that left me with five hours to sleep before the day began again.  It wasn’t a daily occurrence and it didn’t seem to phase me, so I never paid it much mind.  

Fast forward one decade and I found myself a few years into the entrepreneurial lifestyle that one can only “get” by experiencing it:  you learn to pull all nighters (especially at the beginning or during “busy season”), you wear many hats, you check your email on your smartphone when you wake up in the middle of the night “just in case”, and because of all the hats you wear, seven or eight hours of sleep begins to sound like some sort distant memory or make believe world others talk about.  “What is this land you speak of where people get enough rest, are able to shut off on weekends or holidays and find time to go to the gym before getting into work?”  That was the thought that has been running through my head for years….until now.

Over the past few months I’ve watched people close to me in work and personal circles start to feel and exhibit the physical, emotional and professional effects of pushing themselves too hard and not allowing themselves enough sleep.  Whereas I used to laugh off my dad’s lectures about needing a good night’s rest, his talking points now began to echo in my head.  “Sleep is the time your body is able to heal itself”.  “Sleeping enough is one of the keys to living longer.”  “When you show up at home for a long weekend after pulling an all nighter in order to spend quality time with us, nobody gets your ‘quality side’”.  

Perhaps it’s only now that I’m noticing and acknowledging it or perhaps all of us busy workers are realizing this, discussing it  and deciding to do something about it more and more because it feels like everywhere I turn, my peers or the media are talking about the need for sleep.  The truth is, I’ve decided not to ignore my obvious lack of sleep anymore and I don’t think you should either.  I’ve decided that despite I think I need that one to two hours at night or early in the morning to work, connect, “decompress” or whatever else it is I need to do, I’m only doing it if I’m still going to get enough sleep.  Though my goal is eight hours a night, I’m going to let myself off of the book with seven – I’m just being honest with you here.  Some nights a girl is just spinning too many plates or on too good a roll and she cannot stop, and I’m going to accept that.

What I will no longer accept is my own lack of courtesy for my body, brain and soul that lack of sleep truly is.  I will accept the fact that to be the best businesswoman, entrepreneur, leader, friend and woman I can be, I need to be healthy and happy, and a large part of my being happy and healthy depends on sleep.  There is no denying it, and you don’t have to take MY word for it, as I’ve compiled some of my favorite articles below about WHY you should be getting enough sleep for you to read before bed.  

Now sweet (early) dreams when you hit the hay tonight!  I mean it!

NOT SLEEPING EIGHT HOURS A NIGHT? SHAME ON YOU, READ HERE!

Why Eight Hours of Sleep Makes You Fearless -
In this amazing Huffington Post piece, writer, life coach and what I shall dub a “sleep “crusader Terri Cole talks about how a lack of sleep can lead to anxiety and fear (something you do not need any extra of as an entrepreneur).  This should give you extra inspiration to get that sleep – it sure did it for me!

Tips and a Video (USEFUL tips)  on How to Get More Sleep -
Another must read from my new favorite sleep crusader Terri Cole.

Top Ten Surprising Effects Caused by Lack of Sleep Causes
Perhaps you’re a WebMD addict like me, if so you may have read this already.  If not give yourself a few minutes to glance at this list.  Hopefully some will shock you into an earlier bedtime tonight and every night!  These results make me think “why even tempt fate?” It’s simply way too easy to avoid these effects by getting some sweet, relaxing, free sleep.

CNN & Forbes Break Down what Lack of Sleep can do to Your Business -
If I didn’t have you at “this is unhealthy for your body” then how about “this is unhealthy for your business”?  Your pushing yourself could be having adverse effects on your performance!

Wikipedia Breaks Down the Effects of Lack of Sleep (Hint: it makes you gain weight too!) -
Still not convinced?  How about this: lack of sleep causes weight gain, temper tantrums, malaise, puffiness and more.  None of the effects are sexy, trust me.

Washington Post Discusses what Science Shows Lack of Sleep Does to the Body - 
Need I Say More?  The SCIENTISTS are telling you sleep. Trust them.  

 

Category: 
Life of Biz Owners

Featured Tin Shingle, Kim Washam

Katie Hellmuth's picture Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on   |  0 Comments

Kim Washam Newborn and Family PhotographyKim Washam of Kimmie W. Photography is a Tin Shingle of all sorts. Her career in newborn, children, headshots and family portraits sparked while she was a nanny, a post-partum doula, and co-owner of a nanny agency. Her eye for newborn and family photography is sought after by families from the New York Tri-State area to the Midwest.  No doubt her past career as a nanny has helped her lull children into picture perfect poses! And, she's offering a free photo session for pregnant mommies right now! Details are here.

Learn more about Kimmie W. Photography >

Category: 
SmallBizSpotlight

E-Commerce Promise at Pinterest vs Facebook

Katie Hellmuth's picture Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on   |  0 Comments

Part of an infographic from Steelhouse's Facebook vs Pinterest ecommerce studyIs Pinterest or Facebook better for creating sales and e-commerce activity? Journalist Erika Morphy at TechNewsWorld took a look at just that, and came away with profound testimony from on-the-ball business owners who've been tracking where their sales are coming from, and of those sales, which are better sales. She shares her juicy findings in this Pinterest vs Facebook article, and I'm honored to make a contribution to the article as well.

Erika sent out a pr lead for this article and we included it in our official PR Lead collection here at Tin Shingle for our ProPreneur members to browse and pitch. I pitched it, and one of my answers got included. In this blog post, I've included the rest of my thoughts on the subject, and would love to know your thoughts and experience as well. But do read the full article at TechNewsWorld for findings from other business owners.

Erika's question was:

A new survey (from Steelhouse) suggests Pinterest might have greater success at e-commerce than Facebook. I would like to broaden the discussion to look at what Pinterest might have that Facebook lacks. What else might make Pinterest easier to monetize than Facebook?

My answers:

Pinterest has the advantage of being new - a new toy with exciting visual things to do on it. And right now in that new time, Pinterest has a few things that Facebook does not:

  • An amazing design. It's visually beautiful, and incredibly easy to use, even on the app. While there is room for improvement on the navigation, for now, once you "get it", it's pretty easy.
  • Pinterest has a leg up on Facebook in that it uses Facebook to catch on. You don't have to create a user account, but you do have to have a Facebook or Twitter account. More people have a Facebook account than a Twitter account.
  • Viral spread in a click. Because Pinterest uses Facebook to catch on, it automatically updates your Facebook "friends" when you join Pinterest, and those friends get emails that you are "following" them. A nice ego stroke, and motivation to keep pinning to your new followers so that they have more to look at and potentially click on.
  • Both are picture based, and that visual inspiration is in part fueling the clicks.
  • Either can monetize. The question is, who will be more clever at thinking up ways to do this? Despite Facebook's popularity, it's pretty easy to see why - it's a popularity contest in there. With Pinterest, people create their own little works of scrapbook art. That's already a harder, more limited model, but it's caught on. At this point, I wouldn't put money on either one to see which is easier to monetize. They both have the potential. Pinterest's model is more unique, so in that, I'd say maybe they have a leg up in the cleverness department.

Click here to read the article with sales feedback at TechNewsWorld.

What has been your experience?

Category: 
Facebook
Social Media

Top 10 Companies That Will Make Your Life Easier When Starting Your Business

Submitted by Melissa Wildstein on   |  0 Comments

You spend a lot of time working your business – getting new clients, making product, marketing, advertising and selling – wouldn’t it be nice if someone or something could just make your life a little easier?!?

Here are 10 Companies that do just that – these companies can help you track your books, take customer payments, manage your expenses, use electronic signatures, send and receive faxes, send large files and our favorite company(!) that helps you promote your business online.

This list is by no means exhaustive – drop us a note in the Comments section below and tell us who else you’d nominate.

Keep & Track Your Books

1. Quickbooks is the King when it comes to bookkeeping software. You can use Quickbooks to invoice, receive online (and now credit card) payments, track vendor expenses and mange your company's overall financial health. I love the online version because it's synched up with my bank and credit card accounts so makes reconciling (or having my bookkeeper reconcile!) a breeze. Overdue invoices are flagged automatically which helps me make sure that I'm getting paid for the work we're doing! Quickbooks also has some great reporting features that allow you to at a glance see where your business is and how it's trending versus others in industry.

2. Freshbooks is a relative newbie to the scene. But I'm seeing it used more and more frequently because they have a system to capture time. So if you (or your employees) bill by the hour, this might be a great way to integrate those two 'tasks'.

Take Payments on the Go

Both Quickbooks and Freshbooks have an invoicing system that lets you take payments. For a while Freshbooks was the only one to offer credit card payments, but just yesterday, Quickbooks announced that they too can now accept credit cards. But that assumes that you’re actually creating and sending invoices. What if you want to sign someone up for your service on the stop, or let someone buy something from your tradeshow booth right now?! Nothing says instant gratification like these two

3. Square. Get paid anywhere, anytime is Square’s claim to fame. Their square (of course!) card reader easily plugs into your earphone jack on your iPhone or Android devices and turns any phone into a credit card terminal. Used and loved by everyone from local coffee shops to pediatricians making house calls, Square is one of those devices that has completely changed how small businesses operate. Charge is 2.75% per swipe for Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

4. PayPal Here. By inserting PayPal’s new triangle-shaped dongle (not my word!) into your iPhone, you can swipe a customer’s credit card. Or you can scan the credit card number by using your camera’s phone. There’s no charge for the actual app and card reader, but you will be charged 2.7% for card swipes and PayPal payments. Great for people who already use PayPal.

Manage your Expenses

When I worked for ‘the man’ I didn’t really worry about my expense reports, if I missed a receipt here or there, I kind of figured – eh it’s just a couple of dollars. BUT now that I’m working for myself and my expense reports are my own, it’s a completely different ballgame. Walking around with an envelope full of receipts is messy, they get lost and it’s just a pain to file and track. That’s why I love

5. Expensify. Expensify is a fantastic app that allows you to track your spending on the go – whether you need to track transportation costs and mileage, food, advertising expenses, their simple integration makes tracking expenses a snap. You can import expenses directly from your credit card or actually scan your receipts using your cell phone. Plus, they have some cool reporting software that allows you to track spending by person, by merchant or by category.

Create and Send Forms with Electronic Signatures

6. DocuSign. We are constantly being asked to sign things – payment notices, non-disclosure agreements, orders, etc... and the more hoops the company requires us to go through to sign (hello – print, sign, scan and fax back!?) the slower we are to do it. But DocuSign simplifies the process – you Send them your documents, you add the Signers who are then automatically notified that a document is pending signature, they Sign it and you Save it.

Fax Documents

Unless you happen to frequent your local Kinkos or Staples a lot, faxing can be a real pain. Why some require that you print out a form, sign it and fax it is beyond me especially when you have sites like DocuSign mentioned above. But when you absolutely need to send and receive faxes, why buy a fax machine and set up a land-line with the phone company (if you don’t already have one) if you don't have to?

7. eFax allows you to send and receive faxes via email – you can even have your own fax number. Look at how legit you are now!

Transferring Large Files

8. DropBox. If you’re constantly sharing files with your co-workers (and aren’t using a collaborative project management system like Basecamp), consider using DropBox. DropBox is a free service (although I paid for an upgrade to a larger account) that lets you keep and share files easily. You download a little DropBox shortcut and load up any and all files you might have. DropBox automatically synchs to your computer providing an automatic upload of your latest saves so that you – or anyone that you give folder access to – can work off of the same proverbial page. I use DropBox as my back-up file server and as a way to share projects in progress with my designers, writers and clients.

9. YouSendIt. If you just need to simply email a large file, YouSendIt is a great way to do that. Simply create an account (another freebie!) and send away. Your files are sent as downloadable links that do expire so not a good place to ‘store’ files, but perfect for one-time use (www.yousendit.com)

Promote Your Business Online

10. Tin Shingle. Of course this list wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t include a big shout-out to Tin Shingle. When you’re looking to ‘go big’, you need to be able to expand your reach exponentially. You need to get your name, your product, your service in front of tens of thousands of potential customers.Tin Shingle helps you do just that.

With our easy ‘Post and Go’ dashboard, you can upload your businesses, products, services, events, sales, specials, etc… and our proprietary Personalized Social system goes to work Tweeting, Facebooking and Pinning what you post on our networks. Click on the Member Benefits page to learn more.

Didn't see your favorite company on the list? Tell us about it and what they do that makes your business life that much simpler.

Category: 
Life of Biz Owners

Featured Tin Shingle, Kimmie Smith

Katie Hellmuth's picture Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on   |  0 Comments

Featured Tin Shingle, Kimmie SmithKimmie lives Accessories-Forward. One of the first fashion bloggers back in 2004, she went on to launch Kitten Lounge in 2007, curating accessories-centric luxury fashion and lifestyle looks daily. With a following of over 250,000 industry, affluent-consumers, and fans, Kimmie and Kitten Lounge have been inducted to the prestigious Cosmopolitan's Beauty, Brains and Blogs; Lucky Mag's Style Spotter; People's StyleWatch Style Hunters; and Vogue Influencer Network.

She is currently an official brand ambassador for Aveeno, Avon, Crest 3D White, Eucerin and Mauboussin. She has a design collaboration with Sebago footwear available in Bloomingdales. She has led campaigns for and partnered with numerous brands, including 20th Century Fox//Water For Elephants, and many more. Learn more about her here at Tin Shingle, and at her website, She's Kimmie.

Category: 
SmallBizSpotlight

Tin Shingles Do the Hustle

Katie Hellmuth's picture Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on   |  0 Comments

Hey Tin Shingles! It's Katie, checking in from the land of a preneur-like maternity-leave, where work is never quite off, and the passion for the business certainly never is. I was going to write an updated blog post about life in my planned entrepreneurial maternity leave, to update you as to how it's been going, but I took beauty-preneur and mogul Jennifer Walsh's music advice from her Tin Shingle Monday Motivation Mix to put on Mumford & Sons, and whoosh, it pumped some love-based adrenalin in me for Tin Shingles! I am overcome with the rush behind all Tin Shingles who are doing the hustle to grow and live their business!

Consider this a giant shout out to all of you who have turned your ideas into action, who are constantly balancing learning new business tactics, and turning around to apply those tactics. You are doing the hustle, and no research prepared you for the dedication that consumes you after you willingly and excitingly commit yourself to an endeavor. It is that passion that keeps you going, keeps you sharp, keeps you having stellar ideas that keeps your business different from anybody elses'.

As a Tin Shingle, you know you can't do it alone. You do it better with others. You learn from others, get inspired by other's successes, learn from their failures, seize opportunities passed to you. You're outsourcing when you need to, what is not your specialty or desire to do something, and you've spotted tools to use to grow your business. And I'm just going to point blank say it - you've found us at our company called Tin Shingle, which we named after all of you, and it's going to help you in a multi-pronged approach to your business. We keep you fresh, we keep you informed, we keep you filled with insider leads to get your business into press doors that others may keep knocking at with little answer.


When I'm feeling the least bit lumpy in my passion or my brain or anything, I get on this website and I look to the lower left hand corner to our Twitter list of business members of Tin Shingle. From their tweets, which are all so different because of their different businesses, their hustles are oozing out of the black and red type of our Twitter list into my motivation to stay fresh and alive in this game. Business owners everywhere inspire me, but our members are dear to my heart and I love following their hustle.

Here are a few highlights from today:

 

 

 

Holla!

That is all. :)

Motivation Mix Monday: Beauty Pioneer & Entrepreneur Jennifer Walsh's Soundtrack for Success

Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on   |  0 Comments

The entrepreneur taking on the role of Motivation Mix Monday DJ today is Jennifer Walsh, who is a true pioneer in the beauty business. Her role within the industry began more than 15 years ago, and I'll get to that story in a moment...Beyond her many accomplisments in the beauty industry, I've wanted Jennifer to take the decks show awhile now as to me, she epitomizes what these Monday mixes are all about: getting pumped, positive, motivated and ready to take on whatever the day or your business present you with throughout the week.  I've had the pleasure of getting to know Jennifer as a fellow entrepreneur on both a professional and personal level and am regularly inspired by the way she faces every day with grace and a positive attitude.  Her motivating energy is infectious and spreads to everyone around her. Today, she'll be sharing a bit of that energy with you as well, via her mix.  That said, first let me tell you a little bit about Jennifer's decade-plus of Tin Shingleing!

In 1998 she founded what became one of the very first beauty boutique chains in the US called The Beauty Bar & grew it into a multi-chain, multi platform, multi million dollar company before selling it in 2010. Jennifer was the first beauty branding pioneer who leveraged the TV/retail/website concept in 1998 where no one else in the country had yet ventured into this space. This, my beauty-lovers, was way before Sephora making her a true business pioneer!  She was bringing beauty outside of the department store setting for the first time, when it just wasn't done and had not been seen before. By doing this, Jennifer helped launch Kiehl's, La Mer, Stila, Fresh, Philosophy, and more in a arena that was yet to be seen in the US.

Since 1998, Jennifer has been on TV showcasing brands, brand stories, their ingredients, & educating millions of viewers as well as serving as a small business expert.  What I also love about her story is that it is one based on true perseverance and passion the necessary ingredients to any success story, no matter the field it's in.

With all that success, I wanted to know what tunes get Jennifer moving on Monday, or any day, and she made the time to share them via today's Motivation Mix.  Sit back, take a listen, and let the good tunes provide a soundtrack to success for your day!

PLAYLIST OF JENNIFER WALSH: FOUNDER OF THE BEAUTY BAR, SMALL BUSINESS EXPERT, BEAUTY BRAND STRATEGIST

Just Fine > Mary J. Blige
I feel like this is MY song -- whenever I feel like less than my usual happy person, I crank this up and I am singing a different tune automatically

Run the World (Girls) > Beyonce
This song makes me want to sing it from the mountain tops - if you believe it ( that "it", being anything!), than you can do it!!

Dog Days Are Over > Florence and The Machine
I hear this song and am just happy for where I am in my life - be thankful for the moments, the good and the bad and acknowledge them for what they are in your life!

These Shoes > Paolo Nutini
Fun fun fun - that's all I can say!

Get Right > Jennifer Lopez
I used to have this as my ring tone - I would blare this song in my stores all of the time and I know it probably drove my staff crazy but it did get everyone moving :)

Little Lion Man > Mumford and Sons
This makes me feel like I am outside dancing in the grass at a summer time concert

Sweet Disposition > The Temper Trap
The melody and the beat keep me going to POWER thru anything

Come On, Come On > Scott Hardkiss
One of my all time favorites - the ups the downs and how we need to move on, come on, come on - very powerful song for me as it got me thru a "rough patch" in life! I love this song! MAKE THE MOST OF THESE HOURS!!!

Each Day Gets Better > John Legend
I think John Legend's voice can move anyone -- its even better to listen to on a Monday morning when you want to kick it into high gear!

 

Category: 
Motivation Mixes

Snagged: How Colette Ellis Landed Real Simple & How You Can Model It, from Pitch to Press

Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on   |  0 Comments

The Snagged series at Tin Shingle gives us the chance to virtually celebrate some of our members who are small biz owners just like you and have snagged fantastic press.  It also allows us to use their experience to educate small businesses and entrepreneurs trying to do just the same thing as they did. 

We love this Snagged moment that member Colette Ellis of InStep Consulting experienced that landed her in a Real Simple story because it teaches an important DIY PR lesson in patience.  Oftentimes from pitch to placement a lot of time can pass, but eventually good things truly to come to those who wait!

Colette was kind enough to take the time out of her busy day to answer a few questions for us about the process, and just how long it took her to gain that valuable press that further validates her as an expert and grows her brand.  At the end of her interview be sure you check out the three lessons we'd love you to gain from her experience, as Colette did some things really correctly from the start of the process to the end!

Walk us through the process that led to your advice being featured by Real Simple Magazine, including when it started time-wise:

I saw a PR lead on Tin Shingle last December that was seeking a stress management expert for an article on Optimism. I responded to the reporter via email with 3 tips based on my coaching philosophy, and a link to a radio interview of me on a similar subject (Flip the Script to Unlock Your Potential & Achieve Your Biggest Dreams). I also included a brief bio and a URL link to my author profile on Amazon Central.

When did they get in touch with you after you pitched them & what happened next, what did you have to provide Real Simple with?
 
The reporter contacted me in January requesting that I provide more advice based on some feedback from her editors, to which I responded (within 24 hours) with more tips and suggestions. The fact checker from Real Simple magazine contacted me in February to verify my name and contact information; she also let me know that the article would appear in the April issue of the magazine.

Note: Which it did! Click on the link here to see her story in the online version of How to be more Optimistic.  You can also see Colette in the print version of April's Real Simple Magazine.

The cool part was having one of my college friends post to my Facebook wall that she enjoyed reading my advice BEFORE I’d seen it or had the chance to spread the word!

What advice would you give other entrepreneurs who are pitching and following up with PR Leads but feel like responses are taking too long?
I’d advise our Tin Shingle members to be patient (it may take time to hear back), yet persistent and responsive to reporters’ needs and requests.

Lessons to Learn from Colette's Experience?

  • When you pitch a reporter who is specifically asking for information, PROVIDE THEM WITH INFORMATION, do not simply tell them to reach out to you if they want it, you need to simplify their job.  Colette sent them tips right away, which led them to follow up with her for more information.
     
  • Be able to validate yourself as an expert - send them your credentials, links to you doing radio/television interviews or sharing information (in noncompeting outlets only).
     
  • Be patient.  It takes time for reporters to file stories and gather sources.  Sure, sometimes press can happen overnight, but other times it takes longer - especially if your story is going somewhere with a long lead time (meaning it will take 3 to 6 months to go "live").  It may be hard to wait, but we know that as an entrepreneur you have plenty of other things to keep you busy in the interim. 
     

#SmallBizSpotlight Featured Member Interview with Peggy Li of Peggy Li Creations (Part 1)

Katie Hellmuth's picture Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on   |  0 Comments

Featured Tin Shingle, Peggy LiSince 2001, Peggy Li has been creating designer handmade jewelry that has caught the attention of TV shows including Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Without a Trace, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and magazines including Oprah Magazine and Lucky. A stark contrast to her beginnings as a Chemical Engineering major at UC Berkeley, Peggy's handmade jewelry design began with inspiration from the artisans on Berkeley's famous Telegraph Avenue.

In Peggy's own words: "I enjoy designing jewelry, making things that help women feel beautiful. When women feel beautiful, they feel powerful and have more confidence."

We interviewed Peggy via email and again via video because we love talking face to face to our small business friends. Here's what she told us about her entrepreneurial beginnings:

What inspired you to get started?
I think like many startup stories, I started making jewelry because I couldn't afford what I wanted to wear and thought I could make the pieces I wanted for myself. The more I made, the more I enjoyed it, and the more people started noticing what I was wearing. Then, they began asking if they could buy the pieces. Voila, business born!

What was your background? Was it in what you were doing now?
Not at all! I have a science degree from UC Berkeley and was living and working as a writer in Los Angeles when I started making jewelry. Living in Los Angeles was great, however, since it is a city that thrives on newness and creativity.

What challenge have you had to face that led to a big growth for your company?
I think understanding when to say "yes" and when to say "no" is key to managing the growth of your company. I haven't grown "big", per se, and choosing to grow my company slowly has been both an advantage and disadvantage.

What do you have going on in your business right now that you're excited about?
I'm excited that I've finally made the leap to full-time with my business after many years of working full-time and part-time with it. As a result, I get to feel more creative and energized. I'm excited to see where I can take the business now that I can focus my energy on it 100%.

Where would you love to see your business in 5 years?
I'd love to still be creating and making people happy with my work. I'd love to continue see my jewelry designs featured on TV shows and in magazines and movies. I'd love to up the quality, originality and ability to fill larger orders. I'd love to further green my business practices and support local manufacturing and business. I guess that's a lot of wishes!

I don't know how I'll do it, but I'm very happy to have found Tin Shingle to help me with this journey.

 

Peggy lives in San Francisco, CA where she creates her handmade jewelry from her studio/apartment. She enjoys watching movies, playing golf (handicap 23.8), writing for her jewelry design blog, and helping other small business owners. Please visit her website www.peggyli.com to browse her gorgeous goodies!

Category: 
SmallBizSpotlight

Pages

Subscribe to The Tin Shingle Blog