The Tin Shingle Blog

Tin Shingle members drew attention and praise this past week as they made national television appearances, were featured in newspapers and were blogged about!

Galia Gichon, founder SIMPLY MONEY, a weekly money group that uses goal setting, education and community to help women take charge of their money was featured on the TODAY Show!

Judy Goss made a television appearance with FOX 5 Good Day New York in a segment entitled "Borrowed from the Boys" as the Trend and Lifestyle Expert.

Kaitlin Spreitzer's company Pure and Little was featured on Celebrity Baby Scoop. At the same time, Pure and Little was featured on BabyCenter! as celebrities like Samantha Harris, Brooke and Charlie Sheen, and Tori Spelling shop her line. Only a few weeks earlier on June 12, Pure and Little was also featured on Tot Snob!

While About.com interviewed SheFinds Media founder Michelle Madhok about her best skincare tips, The New Jersey Star-Ledger also interviewed MIchelle about how to find the best deals by shopping online.  A week earlier, PRWeek interviewed Michelle to discuss the impact of the economy on the interests of the 'shopaholics' that visit her sites.

Katie Danziger's company Nomie Baby gained praise from multipe media outlets as StrollerTraffic recommended the nomie baby car seat cover to make cleaning up short and sweet and Babes In Disneyland recommend taking along the nomie baby car seat cover to make cleanups as pleasant as possible.

Suzanne Caesar's Maternal Dance was featured on FOXNEWS.com in an article emphasizing the importance of prenatal exercise and highlighted prenatal belly dancing.

If you are a member of Tin Shingle and would like to submit your press, please contact us to get the special link, where you can enter your information. If you are not yet a member of Tin Shingle, this is just another reason to: more links to your website (good for SEO), more exposure for your brand (PR), and overall more support to keep you going. Click here to learn more!

Holiday 911:  Who you should be pitching now, and should you buy the "holiday list" - le't's talk!

In the spirit of the overabundant amount of "Christmas in July" sales, and the fact that publicists across the country are currently pitching their clients feverishly for holiday gift guides, I thought I'd let you in on some secrets to ensuring you have a fair go at getting yourself into a holiday gift guide.  As always, with PR there is never one right answer, one right pitch, and one right tactic because at the end of the day it's a science based on relationships, what certain editors want at certain moments, price points, how well prepared you are, and luck. 

That said, following certain key rules will help you get ahead of your competition and stay on top of pitching:

* Remember that holiday is a long lead.  The magazines will begin hitting the newsstands in November, which means they will be those magazines that are working 3-6 months ahead are working on their holiday issues right now.

* There is no solid system with magazines regarding which editors cover the gift guide. Sometimes it's several, sometimes it's an assistant, sometimes it's a freelancers....you get it!  Because of that the best way to find out who is covering the gift guide is to check with the editorial assistant at the magazine.  Just simply ask who is covering the gift guide, and reach out to that editor for the guides rules and regulations. 

* Be sure you have prepared a holiday pitch prior to reaching out - in pr time is of the essence and if you hesitate or wait too long after finding out who covers the gift guides you may miss your chance.  So be sure you have a pitch (that you can adjust and spin to different outlets depending on what they need), product photos, a functioning website, and retial photos available.  KNOW what your holiday offerings are, and know them well, don't play a guessing game when it's crunch time.

* Title your subject line of your pitch emails something with the words "holiday gift guide" in it so they know what they are getting, and if you know the specific gift guide topic include that and your product in the title.

* Be sure the pitch is short and sweet and to the point, links to your site, and includes bullets that share your features (low price, great value, eco-friendly, a must-have for tweens etc).

* Work fast - some holiday gift guides are going to print this coming week!

* Don't purchase pre-fabbed gift guide contact guides - they editors are changing constantly, as are the topics, and many of these guides do not provide you with enough information as is.  It's best to reach out by phone and email - not only will you be sure to get the correct information, but you will also begin creating lasting relationships with the media.

* Collective E Members - don't forget to continuously use your media contact lists and editorial calendars provided for you on the website to ensure you're able to work quickly and efficiently!  Also - CORE members you will receive updates on the holiday gift guide editors as we will share several who have reached out needing product, along with other relevant information about their gift guide lists.

Happy Holidays!

Many of you reading this have your products (or you are your own product), and you want to get on themor you on television, in magazines, or on a great website. Actually, if you didn't want these things I would wonder how you intend to have a viable business.  Press is necessary when building your brand and increasing visibility which leads to sales.  Nevertheless I see the same mistakes being made by entreperneurs and small businesses EVERY day, and this week I decided to list my current "top mistakes you should avoid" to be sure you never fall into these traps that will slow down your press campaign! 

*Prompt Response Time - If you want to be in the press you have to be available to the press.  If you work for your company full time you must always ensure that you or someone at your company can return a press request in less than 2 hours, preferably within 15 minutes.  I cannot tell you how many people I have seen lose placements because they were not able to return an email or call with information an editor or producer needed.  They were passed over, because there were other "fish in the sea" that were returning calls.  I know this can be tough, but it's the truth.  For example, just this week we were pulling products for Parenting, and when I asked them when they wanted all the photos and products sent they said "3 pm".  As in, 2 hours from when they called.  Had  I not returned the call or email, someone else's photos would be headed off to a printer, and another person's product would be at a photoshoot.  Fortunately we worked fast and some of your submissions were sent in!

Moral of the Story:  Make a game plan, figure out who will return calls and requests on what days, and be so prepared for those calls that it only takes you seconds to get them what they need.  How can you be prepared? Keep reading....

*Linesheets - I am not expecting you to have a look book that rivals Marc Jacobs or a Martha Stewart catalogue, but be conscious of the fact that even if you are a small business, or a one woman show, you are competing with all different sizes of companies with large and small staffs, and at the end of the day the editors and producers do not care if you work 70 hours a week, or that you don't know how to do photoshop, or that you haven't had time to get a line sheet together...sorry but they just don't.  What they do care about is that whatever product you want them to put in their media outlet is shown clearly and nicely in some sort of line sheet, with the RETAIL price listed.  This product must be available for them to see live and in person as a sample whenever they request it.  That said only put products in a line sheet if you actually have access to it.  Too many times I've sent out look books, editors get excited, they try to pull the product for a photo shoot, and they can't get it. Guess what?  They won't call you again.  You don't have to hire a professional for this if you don't have the time, but you do have to take the time to somehow get your products on a document in an organized manner.  I have seen people copy and paste from their website and make rows of images, type in prices below them and one line descriptions, PDF the document, and get placed on major morning news shows when they pitched that way.  Keep it simple, but keep it good looking and also....keep it down to 1MB or below.  I prefer things in small sizes.  Also keep it to one document, they will not take the time to open multiple large documents from an unknown source every time - play it safe!

*Samples - you need them if you want someone to want your product.  You need a nice looking, clean, functioning sample of everything you have to offer.  Sometimes magazines will just use a photo, often times they will want to see and test out your product to see if they like it.  I don't recommend sending out samples willy nilly.  I rarely send them to blogs unless they have a relationship with me and a good reputation.  I track EVERY sample that leaves my office and I follow up on every one of them to be sure they are returned.  I make sure people know they must be returned....But I have them.  If I don't have enough product (1-2 samples at least of all I am pitching) to share with the media, how can I make them believe I'll have enough to sell to the public?

*Functioning website that is a good fit for your brand - this is your calling card.  This speaks for your brand.  It has to be easy to use, in tune with your brand image, and should have easy to find contact information.  If you have one of those boxes where people have to write you a letter to contact you - change it!  This means it takes me longer to reach you and I wonder when I will hear back, thus I'll most likely pass you over if I'm on deadline.

*Reel if you are an expert - If you want to go on TV (national) you have to have a 2-3 minute reel showing your presence and delivery on screen.  You can do this at home with a camera and a good attitude.  See here  Michele and Andy of www.michelebaratta.com created this at home, in one weekend.  As a side note, Michele is a rock star in the world of selling parties and direct sales, which as you may have seen in the press is a hot, hot topic in business!  She will be teaching a teleclass this summer to teach you the tips and tricks of bringing in money this way for your business...and she always has samples availabe!!

*Media Tracking Sheet - Let's say you're doing a great job pitching and interest is coming in because you are following the above rules and remaining persistent and patient...All of that is worthless if you can't keep track of who wants what and when...and then when your placements are coming out.  That means you need a media tracking sheet.  It should track:  Outlet, Contact, Phone, Email, Status, Next Steps...and anything else you need to  keep track of.  I promise, if you don't do this even if you have a mind like a steel trap, you will forget.  You are running a business you already have too many things in your head!

So heed my words of advice!  Very few things make me freak out....I used to teach high school and on a ninety degree day I could handle 30 teeangers without losing my cool.  The one thing that makes me lose it is when amazing brands like yours miss out on opportunities because of easily and cheaply corrected mistakes!

Good luck - and let us know how we can help!  We have FREE pr teleclasses every month for Core members, and if you want us in person, check out here!

We knew that auditions for the Kelly RIpa call for women inventors had begun, and we heard whisperings of New York based friends going, but when Tin Shingle members started emailing us about their experiences, we had to step back and say: Wow! Their experiences were so interesting, that we wanted to share them with you. You never know when you'll be auditioning for a show in New York, right? In their own words, here are the Tin Shingle members who auditioned:

KATIE DANZIGER
Inventor of the Nomie Baby Car Seat Cover
The audition for the Mom Inventors Show was a great experience.  I got there early, so I didn't have to wait too long, but it was certainly long enough to get nervous.  I was pitching the nomie baby car seat cover, and while I felt that I knew it inside and out, being in front of the camera, staring into the lens, and giving my elevator speech made me shake!  We were told that after the 30 second pitch some of us would get a "green card" which meant that we would then get to go on to the 2-5 minute interview on-camera.  My first thrill was that I did get a "green card."  Phew, then of course I started worrying about how that would go.  The people running the auditions couldn't have been nicer or more upbeat and encouraging.  They kept saying that they were rooting for us, and I truly believed it. While I was waiting with the other "green carders" we all chatted about our inventions, and there was a real sense of pulling for each other.   When I went in for the "green card" on-camera audition there were about 8 people in the room, and one of them was asking questions.  That, for some reason, made me much more comfortable.  I was happy when some of the things that I said got smiles and nods, which I took to mean that they "got it!"  Now I just have to wait 8-12 weeks to hear whether I made the cut.  Ever onward!

STEFANY DI MANNO
Inventor of the Hair Cuff Pony Tail Holder, by Di Manno Designs
I was pitching the Di Manno Designs ponies. My biggest highlight was when I got the green card from the 30 second pitch I did and the camera guy told me he had never seen a pony holder like that before!  I was #127 and was the last pitch and green card for the Tuesday audition. I look back and giggle thinking of me blabbing on and on about why guys are hard to find in NYC when they asked me to tell them about myself and if I was single.  After I thought, "Uh oh...I took the single part too literally I think…I don’t think they were looking to hear all that!" LOL.  I also look back and giggle about the guy (he was there to help his girlfriend demonstrate her product) who was doing a strip tease act for us on Tuesday.  The wait was so long he took it upon himself to entertain us and between numbers of people pitching he would take off articles of clothing! Lol At one point, he stood up on a chair in the room in front of everyone, taking off something and he almost fell over! My overall impression was that it was a long wait the first day, which was too be expected, it was a longer wait then I thought, but I also didn’t get there on Tuesday until 2:30.
All the staff and producers were very friendly and helpful.  It was interesting to see and meet many different entrepreneurs and their inventions.

MARY ROBBINS
Inventor of Sassy Shampoo
That morning the alarm went off a 5 am, and I hit the snooze button for an hour.- because I didn't want to get up, I didn't want to go, but I knew I had to.  (Even though I'm a TV/ radio undergrad - I become totally nervous in front of a camera.)

So then I got up and did the full on make-up and hair thing...including pulling on the SPANKS - or SPANXS - or really a knock off - probably called KANKS or PANKS.  I put my hair in 25 huge Velcro rollers, filled in my eyebrows, put on mascara among many other things.  So I'm in the car on the Merritt Parkway heading to NYC with my friend Sue (fellow Sassy volunteer) wearing these rollers - looking ridiculous.  And surprise - I'm still totally unenthusiastic. 

We get to the Double Tree Hotel at 10:00 AM, take an elevator the wrong place, and then finally find the right place. I begin to perspire, and I feel very nervous.  The plan was to sign in, present for 30 seconds and then hopefully be chosen to move to the next round- for a 2 minute demonstration.
 
After standing in line for a few hours - I sign in.  But in line, we meet some cool people.... Matpack lunch box people, a Gourmet Comedian Glamorous Chef, another lunch box woman.  At sign-in they take my picture with the product, and take a picture of the product.  Then we move to the 30 second pitch line. They are calling # 140 and we are #162. Many hours later we get called in for the pitch.

I had a pitch prepared, and memorized, but found out that's not what they wanted when I was called into the room.  As the the Matpack people were leaving, I found out they had been talking about me in their 30 second audition room - saying I looked like Sara Palin  (People also commented I looked like Tina Fey and Molly Shannon) - So I went in thinking I should stumble, fall down and pop up with hands outstreched in peace signs saying "Super Star'.  But no.  We got in and the guy explained that not getting the "green" card meant nothing  -  not getting the card didn't mean you did or did not make the cut for the show. 
 
So he said I needed to discuss Sassy as if I was at a cocktail party and wanted the last mushroom cap, but someone stopped me and asked me what I did.  So I did that....I talked - rambled about Sassy being eco-friendly, tween girl product, certified organic ingredients, shiny volume...and it went on for what it seemed like forever!  Then I ended it.
 
He said, “That was great, but you must be nervous, because you never said what the product was.  Do it again just like you did it, and tell us what the product is."  I'm like OMG!!!  Now I don't even remember what I said and I never said it was a body care line or shampoo or anything!!...and I have to do it again.  So in my next attempt I had some memory loss and you could have had a drinking game based on the number of times I said eco-friendly.
 
At the end, he said he didn't need me to give a 2 minute presentation, because I couldn't demonstrate shampoo...so I didn't get the "green card"...He said he really liked it. 

 ....and when we walked out, everyone was asking, "did you get it (the green card)"...and we said, "no", and they got this pained, pitying expression - JUST LIKE ON AMERICAN IDOL

That's the story and I'm sticking to it!

We at Tin Shingle and all of our readers are wishing you the best ladies!