The Tin Shingle Blog

Share

Member Update: Updated Media Contacts, PR Challenge, Orientation

 
Hello!

The following outlets were updated in Tin Shingle's Media Contacts database, with more on the way:

Glamour
Seventeen
Allure

 
Talk to Tin Shingle/s co-founder Katie directly about how to best use your Tin Shingle membership. From how to fill out your profile, to which resources you want to use based on what you're trying to promote. If the only thing you know is that you want to promote your business, and you don't know how or where to start, then join us on this Orientation on Friday at 10am.

This will be a video call, where you can turn your computer camera on to have a face to face conversation with other members on the call. Or, you just may be the only one!

SIGN UP
The PR Challenge is a group of Tin Shingle members that meets every other Tuesday, who come prepared with their goals of what they want to accomplish in the area of PR, social media, or other areas of buzz-building. Any All-Access Member of Tin Shingle can join in at any time. To see what it's like, follow along by reading the recaps posted in the Community Boards.

This is a supportive space, and group meetings have been known to produce new ideas from members to members. Then next session of the PR Challenge meets tomorrow (Tuesday) at 12:30pm. If you need to get pumped, join in this in-person group!

SIGN UP
A BIG WELCOME TO THESE NEW MEMBERS!
These new business members are in your community! Be sure to update your public profile on Tin Shingle with your picture, brief bio, and company logo! Do this from your Dashboard!
Paul Kleiman
U-SelfCare

 

Hangomatic

 

POPULAR IN THE COMMUNITY BOARDS
facebook

"I recently signed up for HARO and have been sending out some pitches for gift guides.  However, I am not getting any response.  Wondering if my low number of likes on facebook could be hurting me.  (Due to the nature of my product, I'm having problems getting likes.  Even people who have the product and like it, don't feel comfortable "liking" and adult product)."

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Happy Money Monday! Personal Finance Seminar with Galia Gichon November 10, 2016

For the first time in eight years, Tin Shingle has an office on the Main Street of the small town in which it is headquartered: Beacon, NY. And what can you do with an office? Bring great people like you into it to make your life better! Tin Shingle readers and members live all over the United States (and across national boarders!), so you probably don't live in our city, so we have made sure to make our first workshop available to you to stream live!

We have teamed up with Galia Gichon, founder of Down To Earth Finance for a special workshop: Personal Finance Planning for Creatives, Entrepreneurs & Artists. Galia is a long-time favorite of many entrepreneurs, having specialized in working with creatives, artists and makers like yourself. She is a frequent speaker at Barnard College’s Athena Center for Leadership, Playwrights of NY, Lark Theatre, New Museum NYC, Crave Live, and Freelancers Union. She has been widely quoted in The New York Times, NBC, CNN, Real Simple and more. Previously, she worked at Bear Stearns and Nomura Securities.

As an entrepreneur, you are in charge of your finances, and if you don't set them up, they may never get set up. That means no retirement for you. That's where this seminar comes in: Personal Finance Planning for Creatives, Entrepreneurs & Artists.
WHEN: Thursday, November 10, 2016
TIME: 6pm-8pm
WHERE: A Little Beacon Space, 291 Main Street, Beacon, NY
or...Your computer if live elsewhere!
TICKETS:
$65 in person (direct access to Galia + networking) Book Now
$35 via computer (great education, type in your questions) Book Now

Personal Finance PLanning for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Artists with Galia Gichon

Baffled by where your money is going? Does retirement seem unreachable? Tired of living paycheck to paycheck or just without a realistic financial plan? Stop being reactive; become proactive about your money!  This workshop is geared towards people with variable income, that work for themselves or have their own businesses.  Whether you need help getting started or you are already minding your finances but want to take it to the next level, join independent Personal Finance expert Galia Gichon for this personal finance seminar you can’t afford to miss! Galia does not sell any investments or manage any money. She is presenting you with a plan that you can do at home. Brought to you by Tin Shingle, a resource and community for small and large businesses.

YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO

  • Get organized. See where you are today and where you want to be.
  • Set realistic Financial Goals.
  • Manage your credit.
  • Create a budget and spending plan that works for you.
  • Develop a plan for automatic savings.
  • Invest in mutual funds.
  • Take the uncertainty of retirement planning and determine the best retirement plan for you.
  • Best financial resources including apps, websites, books and ongoing tips.
  • Learn how to deal with your finances in just 30 minutes a week.

ABOUT GALIA
Galia Gichon is an independent personal financial expert with more than 20 years in financial services, including nearly 10 years on Wall Street and an MBA in Finance. She runs her own company, Down to Earth Finance, which addresses personal financial needs through seminars and individual sessions.  She is a frequent speaker at Barnard College’s Athena Center for Leadership, Playwrights of NY, Lark Theatre, New Museum NYC, Crave Live, and Freelancers Union. She has been widely quoted in The New York Times, NBC, CNN, Real Simple and more. Previously, she worked at Bear Stearns and Nomura Securities. She is actively involved in angel investing through Pipeline Angels, Astia and Refinery CT.  Galia is also the author of “My Money Matters” a flashcard based finance reminder set that was featured on the TODAY SHOW.

 

Category: 

More Editorial Calendars Added To Tin Shingle's Collection!

Ashley Broussard is in charge of collecting Tin Shingle's Editorial Calendars from magazines as they publish them, and her fingers have been flying! Now find 2017 Editorial Calendars for the following publications, with more being added!

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine
FamilyFun
Allrecipes Magazine
Shape
Parents
Woman's Day
Traditional Home
House Beautiful
Good Housekeeping
Food Network
Boston Common
Bloomberg Businessweek
Food Network
House Beautiful

You're going to get loads of ideas of how your business can fit into these pages when you browse what themes the magazines are building themselves around. Record all of your pitching ideas to your Media Tracking Template. Download it today, and if you're an All-Access Pass Member of Tin Shingle, you get it free with your membership!

I'm Fine With Vine Getting Cut - Weed It Out!

Buy Bye Vine - Will Help Streamline Social Media

When I learned on Marketplace Morning Report that Vine was getting clipped by Twitter, which had initially acquired it for $30 million, I was sad for it, but relieved for social media at large. In a time when sharing and promotional tools can get created in a matter of days or weeks, the amount of time that you have to use them gets more limited and more competitive. Twitter is an important tool for businesses, the media, and connecting people with major issues and events, but is facing fierce competition for its text platform alone, and for video. Right now, if one of its acquired platforms is not an immediately intuitive, extremely easy, widely used tool on your smart phone, then it's got to go. Twitter can't afford any more time or creative energy on it - and neither can you.

Vine Users Are Devastated

Saying this for me is easy, because I didn't use Vine. I actually found it difficult to work - like the volume. It wouldn't turn on for me, and even making a video was tricker than I would have thought. Good news is that Vine is making old videos available for users to download before they shut it down. Periscope, on the other hand, has been extremely easy to use, though the community of it, and even the technology, a little unpredictable. Instagram's new Story feature - cool concept, but not easy to figure out without reading the directions! Some people love it, as its a visually creative space to create images and emotions.

Some brands can do this very well. Depending on your brand, just how much time it takes to create this impact, makes a difference on if you are going to use it or not. For a boutique, Instagram's Stories can be impactful for showing you items inside of a store at a clipping pace. But so much easier is it to open up your Periscope and show people inside of your store! And talk to you! It takes a long time to produce a good Instagram Story with the right rhythm! It could actually take days, depending on the different locations of your clipped images. Plus, the stories make me dizzy.

 

Video Killed The Video Star

This is why Twitter has to focus all efforts onto Periscope, its live broadcasting outlet. After Twitter bought Periscope and it became a mainstream name, people still didn't know what it was, and were intimidated by the concept. And people still are intimidated. But when Facebook released its live broadcasting tool, called Facebook Live, everyone "got it." They tried it, even. Now brands are having Facebook Live events and marketing around it.

If only Twitter had renamed Periscope to "Twitter Live"!

Ah, branding.

Live video is where it's at right now, and the three major competitors - YouTube, Twitter and Facebook - need to get very aggressive to capture us to make content on their platforms, and for regular folks who don't run businesses to watch that content.

Relax In Your Stress Of Your Favorite Platform

As you can see, not even Twitter can use all of its tools. And so cuts them loose. Weeds them out, if you will. You do the same in your marketing. Vine never made it into our Big 6 TuneUp, where we discussed how to communicate in the 6 major social media platforms two years ago. The ones we covered are still widely used today.

So if you find a niche social media tool that is working for your business - in that is is growing your website traffic and converting visitors into sales - then use it until it disappears. Because pixels can disappear in a flash. But if all of the cool kids are at a platform, and you just don't get it, or don't have time for it, and you've read Tin Shingle and listened to Tin Shingle's Training TuneUps, and it still doesn't appeal to you, then let it go. Don't let it fill your brain with any stress of not using it. Focus on what is working for you, like your blog, newsletter, and a few other social platforms that are killing it for you. Reinvest your resources, just like Twitter did.

Is Twitter Next To Get Weeded?

Nah. All of those media outlets that are asking that question took to Twitter first to share their link. :)  Even Vine didn't post their closure announcement on Facebook a day after they made it, and instructs people to look for updates on their blog and Twitter pages (alright fine...Vine is owned by Twitter so of course they wouldn't put juicy news on the competitor's site).

Facebook puts the squeeze on publishers and news outlets anyway, so the media can put it on Facebook, but it takes a lot of effort and marketing dollars to get those links seen. Sure, when the links go viral on Facebook, the viewership picks up and Facebook's algorithm kicks in. But Twitter remains a chronological stream of news and events. As long as it stays that way, it will have a grip on the attention and clicks from informed readers and influencers.

Category: 

New Editorial Calendars Added to Tin Shingle's Database: Food Network and House Beautiful

Editorial Calendars for 2017 are trickling in online. We've got 2 of them for you: Food Network and House Beautiful, with more to come. If you're a Media Contact or an All-Access Member of Tin Shingle, you can log in now and find these Editorial Calendars in the Member Resources tab.

For PR Newbies: Editorial Calendars are the broad plans of magazines for what they are going to cover each month. It's a great way to know when an issue is going to use broad concepts as their inspiration for the month, such as "Porches Patios Pools and Pergolas" or "Color" or "The Big Flavor Issue. Travel".

Editorial Calendars can be extremely fun to look through, as they give you ideas for what types of story ideas to pitch to a magazine, as it relates to your business. Tin Shingle's collection of Editorial Calendars include the Submission Deadline, and the Newstand Deadline. Once the Submission Deadline has passed for a particular month, that Editorial Calendar item will disappear off of the Tin Shingle website.

Not a member yet? Activate it here: www.tinshingle.com/join

Last Day for Tin Shingle's Biggest Membership Sale Ever

UPDATE: This Sale Has Ended. The current rate for membership is in effect.

This is happening. Tin Shingle's biggest sale ever on the All Access Pass of membership. Today only. Possibly Tomorrow's Today, that's why you need to act now. Last chance to lock in your rate at the $39/mo level!

Over the past several months, and years of dreams, we have been working on Membership Packages at different levels. This allows Tin Shinglers more flexibility to sign on for what they need, and downgrade when they go on vacation but want to stay hooked in, or upgrade when they are really digging into their buzz-building plans.

The second aspect we are introducing is Private Training. Over the years, Tin Shingle has become to be known as the hub for group training of high-level digital marketing concepts. We take great pleasure in watching our members implement what we cover in TuneUps and write about in articles, all the while providing members with resources to further strengthen their efforts, like Templates and Media Contacts.

Below you will find the new pricing model. We are literally building it under the hood right now, so you have until today (or maybe tomorrow), to lock in the rate of $39/month (or the 6 or 12 month packages). If you have been on the fence for years, now is your time to get over it (the fence I mean) and join us in Tin Shingle. :)

Go to: www.tinshingle.com/join

Looking forward to meeting you!!

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a member of Tin Shingle already, you do not need to do a thing to keep your rate of $39 locked in. It's already taken care of for you!

 

Media Contacts Updated: Crain's and Chronogram

Hello Tin Shinglers!

The following media outlets were updated to Tin Shingle's Media Contact lists:

Crain's Chicago Business
Crain's New York Business
Crain's Cleveland Business
Chronogram - Hudson Valley, NY

Remember these tips as you are researching for the right person at a media outlet:

  • Check the media contact's Twitter and/or LinkedIn to make sure it's relavent. Changes happen so quickly.
  • Record the name and email into your Media Tracking Sheet Template that you got from Tin Shingle.
  • Get Inspired by other names you see in the list. You may not have known a Books Editor was at a publication until you skim through the list.
  • Read the Publication. Really. I know some outlet is your goal, but if you've not watched it or read it in several months, then you've lost the flow of it, and won't write a very good pitch that makes your product a no-brainer for them to cover.
     

TuneUp Selfies!

Every Wednesday, Tin Shinglers all over the country drop what they're doing and come together to train their PR muscles at the latest TuneUp. Since we can't see where everyone is or what they're doing while participating in our webinars, we asked! Take a look at some of the selfies the makers and doers of Tin Shingle posted during recent TuneUps.

See Karen from River Therapeutic Massage getting a healthy meal in with her inspiration!

 

Lisa of Your Pet Chef took in a wealth of blogging tips AND prepared gourmet food for her canine connoisseurs.

 

Jackie of Zen Glow Wellness spent quality playing time with her pooch while learning more about e-newsletters!

 

I like to keep my hands busy, so here I am knitting and training (in 90-degree heat).

 

Okay, okay, this guy might not be an official member, but everyone can enjoy some Tin Shingle goodness!

 

So tell us, where do YOU Tin Shingle?

Tin Shingle's PR Challenge Kicks Off Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Hello!

You've got big plans, let's make sure they happen! Tin Shingle's PR Challenge kicks off for the Fall/Winter season of your success on Tuesday, October 11th. The PR Challenge is a group of Tin Shingle members who meet virtually online, using our computer screens to see each other face to face. The group meets every other Tuesday for 6 sessions:
Oct. 11
Oct 25
Nov. 8
Nov. 22
Dec. 6
Dec. 20

If you are a member of Tin Shingle, you can join in at any time. There will be homework after each session that you must report back about. Homework will include assignments such as:

  • Social: Schedule Facebook postings for the next two weeks.
  • PR: Research a group of reporters who would make great fits for a story angle you want to pitch.
  • Blog: Turn 1 social media post you made into a Blog post on your business blog.
  • Expand: Identify 1 area you are drowning in, and come back with how you will bring in a team member to help get it done.
  • Grab Bag: each week will have a Grab Bag option, where you may be facing a special challenge that is unique to your situation, and need a special assignment. You will be assigned a special homework assignment for it that week.

Says one Tin Shingler, Lauren Hathaway of RLJ Group:

"THANK YOU SO MUCH for developing this challenge. I have enjoyed meeting you and the other participants more than you’ll ever know. What a great group of people! Would love to find a way to connect ongoing just to see how everyone is doing! Thanks for all you do to make Tin Shingle such a wonderful resource!"

So register, and let's hook in!

PS: Pictured here is Katie declaring her accountability to wall-space for a chalk board that is long overdue for getting painted onto the wall to contain editorial and TuneUps scheduling.

What to Expect on Wednesday's TuneUp: Be Your Own Blogger

Tomorrow's live broadcast of the training TuneUp focuses on blogging - what to do with that blog on your website that sits up in your navigation, but you aren't sure what to fill it with. Below is a little video originally delivered on Periscope and saved here for you to see any time. Go sign up for the TuneUp, and I'll talk to you soon! (ps: if you're reading this after 9/28/16, then the recording of the TuneUp is in our TuneUp Training Center for you to stream).

Category: 

Pages

Subscribe to The Tin Shingle Blog