Submitted by Jackie Nees on | 0 Comments
Honest Earth Candles founder and creator, Kiki Rupert has been working on her own PR for awhile, but it wasn't until a few months ago that she started getting serious about honing her skills. She dug her heels into the resources available with her Tin Shingle membership and began learning as much as she could. That dedication paid off when she landed an ongoing writing gig with Indie Chick magazine! Read on to learn more about Kiki's story.
How often have you been working on your own PR? Either by yourself or someone on your team?
I have been off and on (mostly off) with doing PR on my own for about two years. In April 2015 I got some sense and started hitting the PR scene hard with Tin Shingle.
What press opportunity did you snag and how did Tin Shingle contribute to your success?
I am now a writer for Indie Chick Magazine thanks to one of the PR leads posted on TinShingle.
How long did the entire process take (days, weeks?)
Just over a month
Can you walk us through the process, from pitch to placement?
I sent my pitch Aprill 22, 2015 to one of the writers who then forwarded it over to the magazine's Editor-in-Chief. There were a number of emails back and forth because we were trying to decide on the best story angle for me to write about (the perfect fit for their readers). Then I wrote a draft and the Editor-In-Chief gave me suggestions on how to improve it (which I followed exactly) and then it was done! I was given an official writer’s badge for Indie Chick Magazine and informed that within a couple weeks my article would be published to their website. The whole process took just over a month. My article was published May 27, 2015.
What made your pitch extra special? What type of highlights did you include in your pitch to make it stand out? Was your subject line snappy or clever?
I put in a lot of useful information and links to valuable resources. I wanted it to cover a lot so that readers could get more from it. I also know from my own personal life that branding is expensive and not everyone has a ton of disposable income to use for marketing, but marketing is key to business success, so I wanted to make sure all the information I gave was centered around those entrepreneurs who are on a budget.
Did you learn anything through this process that you can share with other small business owners?
I learned that just because you haven’t done something before doesn’t mean that you should feel apprehensive about trying. I have never written for anyone or any business before, but I took a chance on the PR lead, because I do know that I have a lot of experience and knowledge that I can share with people. I have also learned that even if you have your own vision of how something should look or read, you have to check that thinking and make sure when you are working with others you kind of follow their creative lead in order to get what you want in the end.
Can you share your pitch with us?
(Kiki added a caveat that since this pitch was sent she has become much stronger in her pitch writing.)
Hi Chiara,
I am Kiki Rupert, owner and creator of Honest Earth Candles, how are you? I love how Indie Chicks is all about women empowerment! I would love to do a submission whether for your online or print publication. I can provide your readers with a lot of valuable information about creating and running your own business and the heartache that comes with it, and really how to stay focused and positive through it all. I even created a line of Positive Affirmation candles with Honest Earth Candles specifically to send out messages of empowerment and positivity, because it is so important to keep motivated and pushing forward. I hope we can work on something in the near future!
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Congratulations Kiki! Your story has truly inspired us.
