PR / media

The Publicist’s Essential Guide To Meeting Brand Ambassadors on Social

Ten years ago my answer to the cocktail party question, “What do you do?” was as easy as two letters: PR.

These days that answer is: I help companies in the design and build industry connect with their targets through social media, content marketing, public relations and strategic partnerships (say that after two cocktails). The PR job has changed dramatically in the last decade. The press release, once king of the PR world, has ceded the throne to the much younger, much more persuasive heir, social media and her loyal advisor the brand ambassador.

2016 PR is social PR.

PR has always been about building relationships (with media and industry), but the scope has changed: The tools are better (thank you inbound marketing). The audiences bigger. And the opportunity for connections dizzying. At Marketing Rival the bulk of my work focuses on using the content we produce for clients to connect with and nurture leads with brand ambassadors, and I do it almost exclusively on social media. And it’s a lot more fun.

In this post I’ll use an example from one of our clients to show you how you can find and make meaningful connections with potential brand ambassadors to establish strategic brand partnerships.

Polycor is a mid-sized company which owns and operates natural stone quarries in the US and Canada Their customers are stone distributors, but to drive demand we spend most of our time talking to designers and architects who spec their material.

When we look for a brand ambassador/strategic marketing partner, we’re usually looking for a person (but sometimes a small brand like a boutique appliance company) to incorporate our material into their design and share it with their audience as part of a native ad or with the media (like a designer who frequently writes for Houzz or Dwell).

When I look for a brand ambassador I’ve got more in mind than follower counts. I want authentic coverage for my client that hits on a personal note with actual people. An ambassador for my clients (usually a design blogger) must write, curate and share content that is relatable, emotional, and personal. The right brand ambassador for my client is one that is just as concerned about delivering the right content for her audience as she is about doing good work for my client (and getting the check).

It’s not just about search and increasing web traffic. Brand ambassador relationships are about sales, and you increase sales when you connect with a person. I choose a media partner or brand ambassador based on their natural connection to my client’s product — in this case natural stone, like US marble.

I’m not just looking for a tear sheet of my client’s stone; I want coverage that’s woven into the partner’s life. (Don’t get me wrong, these are native ads, not free spotlights, but I want the blogger’s connection to my brand to be so personal that she might have done it for free.) In other words, we don’t want to force the content.

Instagram is the top channel for designers, and the Marketing Rival team spends a lot of time there following and engaging with designers about their work and their stone choices. That’s where I spotted designer Melinda McCoy from House 214, and her concrete kitchen counters. The dark color and texture reminded me of my client’s soapstone so I struck up a conversation with her.

As the relationship developed I got to know her style better and could see that she was actually a better fit for marble. I sent her a photograph of Polycor’s domestic marble called White Cherokee. This was her response: “I am excited to discuss a possible collaboration. I have been thinking of placing a slab of marble on my dining room table for over a year now, but haven’t found the right fit. When you sent the picture of that kitchen I thought, that is it!”

We look for someone who loves natural stone, wants to feature Polycor prominently in one of their designs, and considers the value of the materials we give as a sizable part of the project fee. Generally this is a design savvy blogger who loves natural materials, has a chic, well written site, and a following.

Our client is an established company but newer to marketing, so we’re open to bloggers with smaller followings and smaller rates because it allows us to grow together. A designer like this has a built-in audience of like-minded shoppers and we can count on them to provide beautiful images, great copy and good traffic back to our site.

We won’t work with someone who favors manmade materials like quartz and porcelain over natural stone. And we won’t pursue a relationship with a blogger who’s writing only about food or pets or fashion. Our native advertising must make sense with the platform — an interior home design blog for instance — and be appealing to the audience who wants to read about design trends and materials.

The most effective way to attract loyal, connected brand ambassadors is to employ those solid inbound marketing principals you’re already following: write great targeted content, publish and engage on social media, qualify and nurture leads.

When you cultivate an audience of people who genuinely love what you’re doing you’re building a pool of loyal, engaged brand ambassadors who will stick with you not just because you’ve contracted with them, but because they truly feel connected to your product and are honored to be associated with the brand.

A version of this blog was originally published on HubSpot: It’s Not About The Release Anymore. PR is Now Social PR.

Looking for some practical examples on finding and connecting with your ideal brand partner? Download the ebook: A Social PR Expert’s Guide to Attracting (And Qualifying) Loyal Brand Ambassadors With Social PR

6 Photography Tips to Pump Up Your Social Media at Events

You’ve seen them. Straight on selfie head shots (or dead shots). Pics that do nothing to compel people to engage.

Let’s be real, a pic needs to be different, colorful and engaging to earn a like, regram or share from your followers. And at events, it can be even harder to have your social media post stand out among the flutter of party pics, unless you’re deliberate in capturing and sharing images that resonate.

My favorite piece of advice on how to make images interesting comes from Caitlin Winner, Facebook’s design manager and part time painter… “Start with Heart”

Pay attention to what excites you. Is it the shape of the thing? Is it the color relationships? Is it the way the light is casting shadows? If you make an image in service of what is interesting to you, others will find it interesting, too.

Follow Caitlin’s advice and these five tips from Marketing Rival, and you’ll have no problem amplifying your social reach at your next event — from expo to meetup.

1. Make a style match

When attending ICFF NYC I discovered the office accessories company Base Object at the Design Milk Bar. Their colorful, fun desk candy was the perfect color match for our NPZ Style and Decor office space. I snapped a photo then attached one that I had of our office for quick engagement on Instagram.

2. Make it personal

My biz partner Shannon Winning has been a big fan of furniture and design studio Bend Goods since she found them on IG a year ago. She made a point to personally connect with Bend’s social media manager at ICFF this year.

3. See things differently

Skip the booth photo or the firing squad line up of attendees. Get up and over the top and take your event photo from many angles to offer a unique, likeable perspective.

4.Incorporate branding

You don’t have to take a picture of the sign outside the corporate meeting room to show where you are. Look for opportunities to incorporate subtle nods to the event’s branding or your own.

5. Show those happy people

I don’t know what happens to us when we get to forums and events. We suddenly forget everything we know about photography. Instead of smiles and individual faces, we focus on a row of the back of people’s heads and dark grainy shots of speakers at a podium. Let’s remember that it’s actual happy people we want to see (and please, no crotch shots of the presenters on stage. Ever.)

6. Keep the momentum going

There are going to be a thousand kajillion photos of your event during the event. Take some time to curate a few beauties to post after. You can use this fantabulous new feature from Buffer that has all us social media managers looking like this:

Because Instagram doesn’t actually let third parties post on the platform, Buffer came up with a work around by essentially allowing you to pre-write your post. You write it, leave it, then post it when you want. Hashtags or @-mentions will remain when you post to Instagram along with your image. It’s good for those who want to be consistent with their social media presence, but you have to remember to publish it manually. Still, we’re excited.

Let’s remember the whole point of social media: That we are to be social.

Sharing photos that spark emotion (“Wow, look at that color!” or “Aw, puppies…”) make our feed memorable and engaging. Good photographers have an ability to zero in on one subject in a crowd and tell us a story with one photo. You can be an engaging storyteller too if remember what it is that resonates with you when you’re the audience.

If you’re already powering your social with great images the next step is connecting with the influencers in your industry. Learn how to initiate and transform these connections into a brand ambassador relationships in our free ebook.

Dear PR Rep, You Are Not a Parasite, Afterall

If you’ve been in PR even a short while you know we publicists have a (sometimes well earned) reputation for annoying reporters with incessant pitches of non-news items on behalf of our clients. (We’re adding a new location! The latest version of our software was released!) There are whole slide decks, blogs and memes devoted to how we drive reporters nuts.

You’d think we offered no value to reporters. That we were a pox on their house.

You and I know we do more for writers than spam. We deliver story ideas in the nick of time, coordinate interviews across time zones, negotiate photo shoots and fact check obscure stats, always asking, “What’s your deadline?”

But until this week, I thought no one else knew that.

You guys, the reporters have seen the work, and they get it.

This week on The Freelancer, the blog of Contently, Variety and Mashable writer Katherine Brodsky wrote How to Use Publicists to Become a Better Journalist in which she lays out the three key steps for using us (with dignity) to get stories. My business partner, who is a former reporter, shared it with me and when I read it was like a cool drink of validation in a dry and dusty media land. She offered three simple tips – get on press lists, keep in touch and use news wires – but it was her overall message that had me saying, Preach it, sister:

Use social media to connect, nurture and maintain relationships with publicists for your mutual benefit. And be nice.

In here you have the entire basis for my business. So simple and yet so underutilized by both pr reps and journalists.

Let’s talk more about we as publicists can work with media folks via social media.

Connect and be SOCIAL. Like a human bean.

I still rock a press release and a newswire when I need them, but social is where I do my business daily. I don’t pitch a reporter without connecting with her on social first. How else would I know what’s important to her and what she’s working on?

(Same is true for a blogger. I don’t pitch a design blogger unless I’ve taken the time to learn her audience and aesthetic. If my client’s product isn’t her style I move on. I don’t want to waste my time or hers.)

I love how Brodsky put it from a reporter’s perspective,

“If you specialize in a certain topic or industry, it’s important that you get to know the PR people who represent the top brands in that field. That way, when there is big news, you can be among the first to know. In-person meetings may not always be possible, but you can be social without even leaving the house by bantering over Twitter or LinkedIn.”

**Offer something first. Bring value before asking for coverage. Be helpful.**

I want journalists to have me and my clients top of mind so I keep THEM top of my mind. Because a lot (a lot, a lot) of my day is spent on social monitoring news and trends I see nuggets from all industries: design, architecture, tech, startups, food, pets, sports. If I know that a reporter in my network is working on the changing state of business in New Jersey, for instance, I can shoot him a quick message with a story lead when I find it. (More on that to come.)

Twitter makes this easy. More and more I see reporters using it for their research and communications. From including requests for news tips in their profile descriptions to making career anouncements like this one Julia Shapiro tweeted when she became continuous news editor at TIME.

I also share good reporting with my network. A story doesn’t have to be about my client to be worth my time. When I find a well researched and reported piece I share with my audience and take the time out to recognize the reporter. Because that’s good human behavior, and that’s good for business too.

You can understand that because we pr reps appreciate the same treatment.

In her story, Brodsky quotes Lisa Schwartz, director of lifestyle, leisure, and resorts at Diamond PR, about what she appreciates in a media relationship.

“I spend so much time following up with writers to see when their pieces are running that it is incredibly refreshing when I get a proactive update or a link,” she said.

Yes! It’s rare and so appreciated.

As Brodsky says, “Keeping that good relationship can mean you get exclusive access to that next juicy story or an embargoed release.”

(I’m sitting on a business story right now that I’m dying to share. When the time is right and the client gives me the go, you know I’m going to call the reporter who’s covered my client before — and who’s been respectful and thoughtful with my time too).

One thing Brodsky didn’t cover is the publicist’s role as a publisher. Your company blog, if it’s strategic, can take the place of press releases and give you an entree to reporters on social media. The FAQs, dilemmas and industry trends you write about can spark story ideas for writers and editors, which can lead to press for you if you know how to leverage it on social media. (More on this in my agency’s blog, How To Turn Your Blog Into Free Press.)

Take this recent example. Earlier this spring we wrote a blog Goodbye Cubicle, Hello Inspired Collaboration for our client Bell Works, the former Bell Labs (the gigantic Eero Saarinen designed building in Holmdel, NJ being reimagined as a work play space by Somerset Development.) The story featured the work of designer Paola Zamudio of NPZ and the mission of vi Collaboration Hub as they work together to build a flexible, innovative work space to attract New Jersey’s brightest talent.

Our agency shared the blog on social media in tech and business communities, and directly with business reporters via Twitter, LinkedIn and good old fashioned email. To those reporters who liked or engaged with the posts we privately shared professional photos of the space not included in the piece with a few additional news ideas.

When Michael Diamond, a business reporter whom I talk to often on social media, expressed interest in Paola’s design work, we helped him develop his angle by sharing the Bell Works collaboration blog, pictures and coordinated an interview with the designer.

The result was Diamond’s story in the Asbury Park Press – Bell Works: 4 design tips make workplace awesome.

Now we’ll share his news story on social media and the cycle will begin all over again.

We were helpful to Diamond in his work providing relevant news to his audience and he helped us spread the word on our client’s enterprise to that same important audience.

We worked together in a symbiotic relationship. No one was annoyed or had to sell out. And no one had to issue or receive a press release…

Probably one of the biggest compliments I have ever received in my career as a publicist came from a reporter commenting to another reporter, “She’s one of the good ones.”

Backhanded yes, but it meant this reporter saw me as a helpful resource, someone who gets it. That’s something I want to continue.

I learned early in my career that I was never going to annoy someone into giving my client favorable coverage. Instead I learned that building relationships with reporters is no different than cultivating other business connections. It takes an appreciation for the other person’s job and some deliberate, thoughtful nurturing.

And Twitter. Twitter definitely helps.

Need help in connecting with your media prospects? Learn how to build relationships with reporters via social media in our workbook.

how to target media with social media for public relations

You’re a Writer. Start Acting Like One.

You do it at your desk. You do it on the train. You do it in line at the DMV. Heck you probably did it while you were in bed this morning.

You write.

Whether you’re an architect or a banker, a developer or an interior designer, you my friend, are a writer.

It’s not what the man pays you for, but it’s what you do as part of your every day, in business and in life.

It’s a means to your end.

A necessary evil.

You write to make deals. You write to sell yourself. You write to get the insurance company to pay, to negotiate your kid’s college applications.

You get by with your writing. But you’re not happy about it. Writing reports, blogs, emails — it’s all onerous.

And you have a sneaking suspicion you’re just not that good at it.

And not being paid to do it is a poor excuse for doing it poorly.

I know, because I’ve tried this for years with math and the IRS couldn’t give a flying deduction if “I’m just not good with numbers.” It wants my quarterlies. And because I want my first quarter with a credit and not a penalty, I’ve learned the essentials of basic math.

If I can do that, then you can learn the basics of writing well, plus some tricks to elevate you above your competitor.

I’ve got eight actionable, ENCOURAGING, writing tips you can apply to everything your write today. That’s emails, blogs, social media posts, web pages, notes to the contractors, thank you’s to your mother-in-law. You can also download this slide deck. (I promise it’s light and bright and won’t make you feel sad like any recent Power Point you’ve had to endure.)

Download the free guide to writing better copy: Write Like a Badass

When you’re done reading you’ll have the tools to write copy that’s:

clear
punchy
direct

The result will be more opens, higher click through rates and world domination.

Or maybe just that people enjoy what you’re writing enough to read to the end and follow your directed action.

Let’s get crackin’.

First, a word about grammar.

Grammar is critical to communicating your intended message and your professionalism. Grammar is like roaches in a restaurant. No one notices when you don’t have them, but it’s all they notice when you do.

So if you need help with grammar (and we can all improve, me included) pick up a copy of Elements of Style by Strunk and White, and maybe check out an online tool like Grammarly, where for a fee you can drop in your doc and it will do a thorough check.

But here’s where I want to be clear:

A hyperfocus on good grammar can get in the way of your message. You have something to say that’s valuable to your audience. If you have an accurate gauge on the way they like to be spoken to, you may be able to step outside the lines of “good grammar” and spread out into stylized writing.

It’s not for everyone. Or for every situation (I’m talking to you compliance department). My brother-in-law for one. He’s whip smart, works in technology, has an international sensibility, and he is really intense about grammar. He once called BMW corporate to point out their error in grammar in a print ad. So when he said to me the other day, “You know if you ever want me to read anything, I’d love to.”

I said, “I don’t think I want you to read my stuff.”

That’s because I prefer stylized writing (obvs) and I want to attract clients who want to market themselves with adventurous, creative content. He likes rules and for rules to be followed. And that’s why he works at a bank.

(Will there be a grammatical error in this blog? Probably. I’ll be perfect when I get to heaven.)

Take away: Know yourself. Know your audience.

If YOU want to attract clients and customer who are adventurous and creative, read on.

Start with the headline/subject line

There is no more important phrase than your headline or subject. The obvious reason, of course, is that it tells your readers what they can expect. It’s how they decide if what you’ve written is worth their time. But the secret reason the headline is number one, is that it keeps YOU on track.

Start with a working headline. What is this piece about exactly? You can finesse the phrasing and punch up the language later. For the download in this piece I started with the working headline: How to Craft Your Message. Later I settled on a bolder headline that I felt better expressed how writers feel when they have tools and the confidence to use them to move their audiences: Write Like a Badass.

As you work through your piece keep this in the center of your thinking. Cut out anything that seems tangential or unrelated. The more ruthless you can be in sticking to your headline, the more your piece of writing will be powerful and direct. Make your email/social post/blog about one thing and your readers will be more likely to open your doc, stick with you to the end, and feel they’ve gleaned one important piece of information.

(If what you’re really after is how to write an email everyone wants to open, read How To Write a An Email Your Readers Will Devour.)

Bonus tip: If I find a complete, but unrelated thought nestled in there, I cut and paste into a new doc and save it as a working headline for a new blog. Now instead of feeling like I had to cut a great line or that what I’m writing is crap, I’ve set myself up with an idea for another day. Winner.

Cut the weak words

I read a piece on Medium recently about how to build your startup before you go to work. The writer had some compelling, practical points about how to reorganize your day to build your idea. But damn it if the guy didn’t say “quite” 50 times.

Quite hard

Quite well

Quite uncertain

Quite easy

The repetition was distracting, but it’s the wishy washy, redundant character of the word “quite” (or very or really) that stole the authority and power from the piece.

Quite hard – How about just, hard? Or better yet, painstaking, exhausting, grueling.

A specific word is a strong word.

Was that business move bad? Or was it suicidal, or malicious, or counterproductive? They’re all bad, but only one can be accurate.

I love this quote from William Strunk Jr. from The Elements of Style:

“Rather, very, little, pretty – these are the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words. The constant use of the adjective little (except to indicate size) is particularly debilitating; we should all try to do a little better, we should all be very watchful of this rule, for it is a rather important one, and we are pretty sure to violate it now and then.”

Can you never use a qualifier?

Sometimes it just feels right to, like when you’re REALLY ready for a beer or, “Kids, I’m very disappointed in the way you duck taped the neighbor kid to his big wheel.”

But quite often, you can cut it out by being direct and specific. Wink. Wink.

Search for the right word, but don’t break the flow

It bears repeating my earlier statement: The more specific the word choice the more powerful the message. But that doesn’t mean you immediately know the specific word you need.

When I write I often have a nugget of a thought before I have the details to populate it. So I write with a lot of Xs where words should go. I know if I stop to look up a stat or fact check somebody’s name or title I’ll lose the point of what I’m saying. Similarly, there are times when I can’t think of the exact word I want to use. Finding the specific word that accurately expresses what you’re talking about helps you avoid those weak qualifiers we talked about before. But your brain needs some time to process.

Rather than stopping to think hard about the juicy, just-right word, I write all the words that are related until my brain brings up the right file. Then I delete the ones I don’t need. Like in this sentence

And you can too if you have some ~~rules, shortcuts, tricks, guidelines, checklist, cheat sheet~~, tips to guide you.

You have great ideas. They just don’t look that great.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of reading a document at a government meeting, you know what a black and white wall of words does to a reader’s soul. It’s just as bad on the eyes. An eye needs a place rest. It needs cues for tone, emphasis, and important points.

You can give your readers’ eyes what they need with:

Contractions
Incomplete sentences – once in a while
Unorthodox CAPS
Parenthetical references (for little side notes)
Italics
Sentences that start with And. But. Because.
Copious amounts of white space
Bold

Example:

I cannot attend next week’s meeting for the Chili Cook-off and Coding Event. I hope that the committee will consider my previous activity ideas of baby wrangling, arm wrestling and methane recycling station. Perhaps the mayor will agree to judge chili pepper juicing submissions. Let’s circle back afterwards to decide which of the generously donated prizes to advertise. Thanks to all who contributed their time and goods.
Thank you all for your time and effort,
Shannon

What am I, a robot? Let’s try that again with feeling.

Example:

I can’t make our next Chili Cook-off and Coding Event meeting. Here are the ideas I submitted (I’m leaning toward number three):

Baby wrangling
Arm wrestling
Methane recycling station

Think the mayor would judge chili pepper juicing submissions?

Thanks everybody,

Shannon

P.S. FANTASTIC work to all who secured donated prizes. You are THE reason this event will be a success. Cheers!

Take away: Contracting words or adding emphasis doesn’t make you appear less professional or flippant. It makes you sound not like a robot. Write like you talk. (Do I need to say, you must use discretion and be appropriate to your situation? Of course not. You knew that.)

Calm. DOWN.

I don’t know when the trend of exclamation points started, but I feel like everyone on the internet is yelling like a freshman cheerleader at a home game. I emailed you the specs this morning! Have a great day!! Your support ticket has been received!

(And the double question mark?? I find it antagonistic. The ?? is a veiled WTF.)

Save exclamation points for times when you are TRULY excited. Unless you think your customers are excited that their order of lice shampoo and zit cream has shipped…then have at it!

Passive voice. Just don’t.

I will not attempt a full grammar lesson here lest I be called out by a professional grammerizer. Let’s do examples instead.

Once all parties agree the contract will be sent.

How is the contract going to get there? Who’s going to send it? To be delivered by fairies?

Try this:

Once we come to an agreement I’ll send the contract.

How do you know if you’re using passive voice?

One, it sounds stiff.

Two, it sounds like things are happening magically without a person causing the action.

Three, your subject will likely show up at the end of your sentence. See “people in sales” in the example below.

The deadline was missed by the people in sales.
Sales missed their deadline.

Here’s another:

The report will be generated by me every first Monday.
I’ll generate a report every first Monday.

Clichés, they’re a dime a dozen.

Listen, we can use clichés and sayings, popular slang and business speak occasionally. Like a keyboard shortcut, they help us convey a point with little effort. But too many in one piece and you sound like you don’t have an original thought (or worse, that you are saying nothing). It’s only in overuse that they ding the credibility of your writing. So be ~~religious~~ diligent about editing them out.

To get rid of them, it helps to know how they got in there.

Here’s what the Grammar Girl says about clichés:

Clichés often appear in early drafts when you’re trying to keep the writing going but you’ve run out of words to describe an action, event, or person. That’s fine, but it’s a good reason to do successive drafts — no one gets it right the first time. Read through your article or story with the meanest critic’s eye. Do not be afraid to hurt your own feelings. Delete anything that might resemble a cliché and replace it with words of your own.

Check out this list of clichés from the University of Richmond writing center (Go Spiders!).

all walks of life	give the devil his due	never a dull moment
behind the eight ball	hook, line, and sinker	nipped in the bud
bitter end	by hook or crook	patience of Job
calm before the storm	in the nick of time	paying the piper
checkered career	in the same boat	sands of time
chomping at the bit	leaps and bounds	selling like hot cakes
cool as a cucumber	leave no stone unturned	stick out like a sore thumb
cry over spilled milk	lock, stock, and barrel	whirlwind tour
fall on deaf ears	long arm of the law	winds of change
from time immemorial	march of history	writing on the wall

You can keep clichés at bay (see what I did there?) by asking yourself, Can I be more specific?

Again, example from U of Richmond:

People – Which ones? Be specific.
Society – Who is “society”? Too many alternates exist to list. Be specific about which group.
This day and age – Today, presently

Next time you think, what’s that saying?, stop and search for what exactly you want to convey and dig for specific words to express your point.

Last bit of advice: Before you hit publish or send, give yourself some time away from the doc, the longer the better. Because your next step to better writing is editing. Good writing is made in the edit phase. It doesn’t just flow out like a chocolate fountain.

Before You Pitch a Design Blogger, Get Your Message Clear [sample pitch]

Style. Influence. Followers. Design bloggers have it all. And you need it.

If you’ve developed a new product or run a boutique design company, the relationships you build with design bloggers with industry clout could be pivotal for your company. When your brand or product appears on their news feeds they lend you their credibility and audience. That can mean new markets, collaborations, and sales.

So how does your boutique design company capture a blogger’s valuable attention?

It’s simple.

Offer something of value that aligns with their style and personality.

You can download our free template for crafting an email pitch here.

Here are three questions to ask yourself before you call, email or tweet the cool kids in design:

Do your styles and audience align?

Do your homework before pitching these savvy trendsetters because first impressions count.

Pitch bloggers who match your design aesthetic (e.g., modern, traditional, coastal, rustic, southern, industrial, urban, environmental). Make sure the product you’re pitching is a fit to increase your chances this blogger will pick you.

To get a design bloggers attention become clear on your brand positioning and compare it with that blogger’s perspective. If you sell modern office furniture for millennials, a designer who writes about rustic home interiors is not your target.

But she might be your target if you’re selling bespoke tableware.

Here’s an example of how we made a relationship with an interior design blogger on behalf of a client, Alberene Soapstone. The company sells slabs of Virginia quarried stone for counters and makes bar and table accessories with remnants.

During the holiday shopping season, we pitched our client’s line of natural soapstone tableware to bloggers across the country. I was thrilled to see the ones that responded pretty quickly were my personal favs. From the moment we pitched them, I could see the soapstone chilling stones, cups and plates in their shiny, pretty Instagram feeds.

So you bet this tartan lover was smitten when I rolled up on this beautiful pic of my client’s soapstone cups on interior designer Kirsten Grove’s Instagram account @simplygrove. Kirsten’s 49.7k followers (who also love soapstone and tartan apparently) were an ideal community to share these home décor goodies.

They trust Kirsten, love her style and will most definitely check out the products she showcases on social. As a design influencer Kirsten’s reach is more valuable than any pricey print ad.

Other bloggers we reached also wrote about their love of the material, which was even more valuable to our client who is ultimately seeking the high value sales of slabs.

Besides gorgeous personally styled pics of the stone cups and chilling stones, blogger, author, and interior designer Lauren Liess wrote, Soapstone, Let Me Count The Ways. (Lauren is featured above with her book Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating.)

“Soapstone is nonporous, doesn’t burn and doesn’t require a chemical sealer… And it naturally resists bacteria which is kind of amazing,” Lauren said.

Lauren’s blog not only increased awareness of our client’s product on social media, but it boosted organic (nonpaid) website traffic, and will continue to indefinitely. People Googling soapstone counters will find Lauren’s blog and that will continue to drive visitors to our client’s site to learn all about soapstone.

Note: You will also need to tidy up your social media accounts (especially Instagram). Treat the pitch like a job interview. No blurry pics. Create a cohesive overall look (give or take a few cat pics like mine @JenSmiga). If you’re trying to attract design bloggers, show you’re passionate about the same things: fresh designs, color, architecture, sustainable living, etc.

Are you reading her blog? Following and engaging on social media?

So do you read my blog? Don’t even wait for this question. Be a reader. Know before you pitch if they’ve already written about sustainable flooring or ventless fireplaces this month.

Follow bloggers before you pitch them. You’ll have a better sense of their interests and the needs of their followers. Become a part of their community if you want to relate to them.

Interior designer Toni Sabatino says Twitter is one of her favorite ways to connect with people where she has 7,000+ followers. She tweets at events or on the go by train and plane. She sees Twitter as an easy and effective way to connect with people. Her interests vary and if you follow her, you’ll see her authentic voice shines through – she’s into kitchen and bath design, architecture, animals, food, sustainable products and she’s an advocate for mental health awareness and female entrepreneurs.

“Twitter helps me keep my finger on the pulse of the design industry while authentically sharing who I am with others,” Toni said. “Some designers will just tweet about design but I like to tweet about my other interests as well. This opens up my network.”

Toni says to get her attention, be yourself and share a product or experience that speaks to her interests.

That’s how our client Vetrazzo, a maker of recycled glass countertops began a collaborative relationship with Toni that’s led to media coverage and product installations. After connecting on Twitter, Vetrazzo invited her to visit their Tate, GA plant. She shared her experience on her blog during Kitchen and Bath Month. Read about that here.

“The Vetrazzo facility has bags and bags of recycled glass in colors like candy! The beautiful surface gives the term upcycled a whole new meaning! The mix of glass into their secret recipe creates a glistening almost luminescent sort of surface that I just adore! Another item of interest that caught my eye is the new cabinetry hardware from subsidiary Pierre Habitat. The glistening collection of knobs and pulls are truly jewels for the home,” Toni said.

But this social connection went way beyond some buzz about a tour.

While on her tour Toni learned about a soon-to-be-released recycled product. She loved it so much she included it in the design of a NY kitchen, which Vetrazzo was able to photograph and then use for its own marketing. The designer now has a trusted material source and the company has a trusted brand ambassador.

By following bloggers on social media and engaging in authentic conversation, you’ll also discover other resources for pitching. When Toni and I spoke for this blog she said, “It makes me happy to follow a Twitter account like the Sustainable Furnishings Council. These products are very important to me and to this planet.”

(You bet I’ll be checking them out next and they may just be my next pitch.)

Take away: Engage in a two-way discussion with bloggers on social media. They’ll know you’re serious about your love for design and genuinely interested in what they’re creating, talking about, or selling.

The more you learn and understand about what a design blogger is talking about, the more credible you’ll come off when you two actually connect in real life.

Is your pitch message clear and attractive?

Contacting an eloquent writer and tastemaker can be intimidating. I mean, how does she take all those gorgeous pictures and know exactly how you feel about white paint?

But you can get beyond the anxiety and write that introduction email or direct message if you understand this blogger’s perspective (because you’ve been studying her work) and can make a clear connection between your product and her audience.

Write a brief, personal message with a subject line that makes her want to open. Read about how to do that here.

Without fluff, draft a message that:

Gets right to your point
Succinctly explains your product
Includes attractive photos that speak to her personal style
Thanks her for their time

Will you always get a response? No. But if you’ve created a relationship with the influencer like we discussed here it’s much more likely.

You can get a jump on your pitches with our free email pitch template. It has the framework to get you started on a clickable pitch. Download it here.

Twitter moments: What the heck are they and how do you use them?

A dog snuggling with his bird best friend is trending. So is “the 10 strangest things to ever happen
in a Walmart.” And so is Justin Bieber. But we’re not going there.

Who cares? And what makes something trend? Technically speaking, trending social media news is determined by the platform’s algorithms. You don’t need to take advanced math all over again, so we’re going to cut to the simple explanation.

Essentially, when a topic gains above average mentions in a short period of time, it becomes a trend. Trending is unpredictable. Even the most random things can start to trend. Hence the large amount of cat topics and celebrity baby names trending daily. But is there any point in paying attention to this? Can you use it to profit your company? Yes and yes.

Today we’ll show how you as a business owner or your company’s social media manager can use Twitter’s trending topics to your advantage.

Ever notice that little lightning bolt on your new Twitter home page? That new feature is Twitter Moments, and it could be the answer to increasing followers and engagement. Let’s take a tour through how it works.

Twitter Moments is the social media platform’s attempt at making the sometimes overwhelming Twittersphere a little more manageable, especially for newbies. Moments lets you see the top tweets for what’s trending that day, whether it’s Star Wars or Hoverboards or Republican debates or Queen Elizabeth. Think of it like a magazine. A magazine that allows you to pick what you want to read and skip everything else. The information featured in Twitter Moments are actual tweets, not full-length articles, so you’re guaranteed to get your news in the quick format Twitter is known for. Twitter Moments can be, and should be, used as your go-to source for quality info that you control.

Let’s say you own an automotive shop. You look on Twitter Moments one day and see that
people are talking about an upcoming ice storm. Since you sell snow tires, chains and de-icer, you can jump on that trend with a blog about how to prepare for a snow and ice storm, Facebook and Twitter posts showcasing your winter storm products, and maybe even offer a special deal or a coupon. Get in on the conversation and show your customers that you’re on top of current trends. You’ll look like a pro, and feel like one too.

New to Twitter? Moments lets you get a feel for what Twitter is all about without having to follow even one person. Figuring out who and what to follow is the most daunting part of using the social media channel, but Moments gives you a look at what you might like and then you can choose to follow who you wish. But this isn’t the best part of Twitter Moments. The coolest thing is that the new feature allows you to reach an entirely new audience.

These days, social media marketing is much more than just connecting with people, it’s a two-way, give and take relationship. It’s about engaging with an audience and letting them know what you and your business can do for them. The more you connect and engage, the more awareness you can provide them with. Social media prospecting is the best way to quickly get to potential customers, showcase your services, and work to get them to engage directly with your brand or product. Twitter Moments is taking social media prospecting to a new level.

Twitter Moments is instant gratification for the instant gratification age, and your business should jump on this newest feature, both for staying current on popular buzz and new lead generation.

Photo by Pat (Cletch) Williams