Zaida Khaze is a mother of two daughters with eight years experience in direct marketing for start-ups and downsizing companies. When it came to doing the PR for her own business, however, she was batting near zero until the idea of a proof-of-concept video came along.
For Zaida, the idea for her business Wiggletot was born after the classic experience most every parent of an infant has lived. Her family was invited to a barbecue. Like most new parents, she waited to dress her infant daughter until 15 minutes before leaving home. But within minutes of dressing her child, a diaper disaster occurred and the wiggling baby had managed to cover herself, the changing pad, Mom’s blouse and her new white dress with… ooze. But instead of cursing her bad fortune, Khaze got creative. She developed the idea for a washable changing pad with a detachable vest and toys to keep the wiggling baby occupied and upright. (It’s like a baby straightjacket. In a good way.)
Determined to do her own PR she sent 12-20 customized pitches each day for several months. She received just one response, from a publisher who wanted to put her information on his site for a fee. Then a second editor responded at last, raising her hopes until she saw the message. “No interest,” it said, leading her to realize that random after hours pitching was a PR “no-no.”
Then creativity struck for a second time as she watched a random episode of Shark Tank and saw an entrepreneur mom seal a deal with two of the judges after showing them a proof of concept video. Lights went off in her head that perhaps video would be her PR ticket. She had created a prototype video years before in the process of getting her patent approved. She had invited feedback to improve the product and determine the interest of buyers before going further. She’d received positive feedback and many requests, but then set the video aside as the product it featured was only a prototype. But why not create another with the final product that she could use for PR?
