The Tin Shingle Blog

I'm a woman who receives hundreds of emails a day, literally hundreds.  In order to be sure I (eventually) get to everything on my plate, and that I get to them in the order they need to be addressed, I triage them.  Hundreds of them.  Nevertheless I personally see what crosses my inbox and lately I've noticed more and more newsletters that I've never subscribed to flying into my inbox.

As a woman whose personal and professional calling is to help entrepreneurs and to build brands, I do enjoy company news and newsletters.  I love to hear about what brands I follow are up to and I read their newsletters. I also  sign up for apparel and accessory lines newsletters that I purchase often and I follow websites that keep me "in the know" like Social Diva, Laughing Sage Wellness, and Shefinds to name a few.  So it's not that I have an aversion to newsletters, I probably read over fifty of them weekly.

Still....Add that to client emails, press correspondences, Tin Shingle emails....well you get it - I am innundated with emails as most publicists and business owners are.  Nevertheless when an unfamiliar email crosses my inbox I KNOW it's unfamiliar.  And even when it's informative and perhaps even an exciting product, I've become annoyed that someone chose to add me to their email list without my permission.

When at an event recently I ran into a couple of editors I work with who were lamenting the same thing - they're finding themselves added to email lists from fashion lines, experts, products, even newsletters that in no way relate to the beat they cover.  These editors receive twice the amount of emails I do at times, and yet they know when they've been subscribed to a list without their permission...and they aren't happy!

These anecdotes are all meant to illustrate an unfortunate habit of some small business owners who may believe it's a bit of harmless self-promoting, when it's often seen as intrusive and pushy.  Of course we're all eager to get the word out about our brand, but it's best to do so virally, in forms of traditional pr, or with savvy internet marketing strategies, instead of simply adding names to your list without permission.  This is often ensuring you're starting off on the wrong foot, as your first introduction may well be an uninvited email - not a great way to make a first impression!

Instead of adding an editor's name, how about sending an irresistable pitch that invites them to visit your site (or sign up for your newsletter).  How about finding unique ways to capture emails that may be clever but still take names voluntarily?  Be sure you show them the value that your product/service/expertise has to not only them, but their readers ( or viewers if it's a producer).  At the end of the day, your mission should always be pure - to share your business with those you created it for, and you want those people to be true ambassadors of your brand.  Ambassadors are created by people developing a passionate following of your brand and story.  Ambassadors can't be forced, you must win them over by really changing the way they think, feel, cook, look...you get it.  At the end of the day it's about the response they have to you or your product.  You want to start out with a good introduction and build brand loyalty.  You want them to WANT to read your newsletter.  You want them to want to send it to their friends, families, and colleagues.  

With that in mind here are your assignments:

1.  If you are signing up readers to your newsletter without their permission stop.  If they are in the media  and you are doing it you must doubly stop!

2. Create value in your product/service/expertise and in your newsletter that make it something people not only look forward to daily/weekly, but come to depend on.

3. Create your own internet marketing strategy directed specifically towards database growth, newsletter angles, and clever methods (contests, mandatory sign ins, rewards via newsletters) to capture email addresses that will allow you to build a larger mailing list.

4. Be sure your website is mentioned in all of your publicity hits that leads people to your homepage where you should always have a newsletter sign up that is visible and active.

5. Be your own best publicist and tell everyone, everywhere you go, why they should be on your newsletter.  I myself do this all the time.  I love sharing things that I find helpful, cool, fun, interesting, moving....so I share them with those I love. If I had a penny for every time I recommended someone to go visit DarynKagan.com....

Follow those rules and I'm sure you will see more success, and keep the good energy flowing between you and those you are hoping will be part of the growth of your business - however that may be!

Follow those rules and I'm sure you will see more success, and keep the good energy flowing between you and those you are hoping will be part of the growth of your business - however that may be!

With holidays around the corner, it's time to work on actively engaging your database and email lists and being sure they are as large as possible for your holiday promotions you will be sending!

Sure some people swap email lists secretly, but I often find this dishonest - and at times you could be infringing on someone's email privacy rights! 

Instead of secretly adding people to your email list when you aren't even sure they want to be there in the first place ( how will that ever benefit you?)  here are some other suggestions:

* Find a like minded brand or product and find a way to cross-promote, whether this be by offering their database something a discount or product/service that would truly resonate with their email list, or by sharing a tip that they can send to their email list as it will benefit them

* Offer something equally beneficial to the person whose list you will be sharing

* Share an event or online/teleseminar program in which you can promote on both of your lists, and invite people to your website to sign up as well

* Support a charity or non-profit through your sales and ask them to promote you via banner ad or email promotion to drive people to your site

For instance, if you have a greato organic body products line, perhaps you can create a special holiday gift package with another brand and promote the package over both of your websites.

If you are an expert in organizing home spaces, offer to speak for free at a yoga studio or women's group, and ask them to promote you and your site via their database - you will not only get more email subscribers to your site via the promo email, but also from your in person speaking.

Remember - never attend an event, trade show, or networking group without something you can take and save email addresses on - even a printed hand out will work!

For more on database growth, stay tuned!

Hi Collective E team,

Sabina here, thinking about a question that I actually asked a client today, and even more excitingly, two Collective E members themselves had to ask themselves this past month, when we sent their media kits and information on to the producers we work with at the show.

So often when I ask a new or potential client what they want out of a PR campaign, their answers are:  Today Show & Oprah.

When this is the case we ( along with publicists around the globe) sigh.  Of course those are great goals, but they are lofty.  Nevertheless we push on forward when the product or story is a good fit for the program.  Still, though the hard part is getting ON the program, the work doesn't end there, and if you haven't prepared, "Oprah Prepared" beforehand, the entire experience could backfire!  

Here are a few ways you should be ready LONG BEFORE you actually pitch (or have your pr team pitch) the show.

* Have an updated media kit with your biography/company backgrounder, testimonials ( these are great!),  product information sheet, and great photos of yourself and product on hand.

* Be sure you have a REEL if you are an expert or planning on speaking on the program, not just submitting your product.  They will ask you to submit it to their FTP site and will expect it there within minutes of their request.  Thus you must have it ready to go.  The producers will not risk putting you on television if they cannot see how you translate on camera.  This is another reason why it's a great idea to start small with local press hits and build up to Oprah style press hits!

* Be sure you can handle the VOLUME of sales and online hits the program will generate.  If you are currently fulfilling orders in your basement and cannot fulfill more than 5,000 for the season, do not pitch yourself to the Oprah Winfrey Show.  When you are featured on the show you are opening yourself up to a massive television audience, and if they order your product or visit your site you must be able to service them.  If you cannot, believe me the producers will hear about it, and your likelihood of a second chance on the show is very low.

* Be able to gift the studio audience.  If you have a product or book and you are on the program, you should be able to give something away to the entire audience and you will be looking at hundreds of free product samples.  Obviously if you are a high end jewelry maker or handbag designer this may be more difficult, but you will have to give them something....of course the exposure is worth every penny, but the key here is preparedness!

* BE READY!  You may get a call from the producers next week - will you be ready to go with just a week or two's notice?  The Tin Shingle team regularly works with the team to fill stories they are working on, or suggest them from our members.  If we send you will you be ready?

Stay tuned to the "How Do You's"   where we will be getting even more tips about Oprah from one of her producers.  Until then, be sure you are following the above tips to be sure your Oprah pitch, and any pitch for that matter, is executed to the best of your ability!

So, I'm sure if you're one of the few entrepreneurs who doesn't religiously read the daily HARO emails, you will be by the time this blog post is completed.  Beyond getting our daily doses about what is up with Peter and his two cats, you get amazing leads from reporters and producers from all areas and outlets nationwide. 

What I personally enjoy about getting the leads is it helps me become more aware of what the reporters deem are the hot stories of the day, what the upcoming trend stories are, what news is getting the most coverage, and how I should be spinning and angling my "harder" news stories.

Another great thing to get out of his and any other lead generators you subscribe to?  Look at how quickly deadlines are approaching.  I was almost surprised to see Valentine's Day queries coming into my email inbox the other day, but then I realized that we did just wrap the holiday issues and though Fall may just have become official, in the world of long lead media (magazines, etc) we are on our way into February!

Those are my thoughts on Peter Shankman's HARO for  now:  great leads and greater lessons!  And to top it all off it's FREE!  Now you can't beat that in our world of nearly $5.00 gas!

Until later,

Sabina