Have you figured out how to make your brand stand out in the media? In February, we invited Natalie Leon from Wine With Nat™ to share how she’s creating buzz around her brand. Natalie shared effective pitch techniques with the South Florida Bloggers. In case you missed it, keep reading for all the highlights from the February meet-up.
Many of you have met her as Wine With Nat™, but what you may not know is that Natalie brings with her over 10 years of experience as a Branding, Public Relations and Marketing professional. While she brings women together through wine, she is also sharing how important it is to build relationships within your community.
It Gets Better with Time
Getting in the face of the media takes time. And it also takes building relationships. Natalie recommends that you do your homework and figure out which media company best fits your brand. In that way, you can spend all your energy pitching to the right outlets. And when you are ready, do what you can to stand out. Sometimes an email won’t get you noticed right away. One time, Natalie delivered a kit to a media group. Bottom line… just get creative!
Maybe the timing is off and you won’t get an immediate response. In that case, Natalie suggests you keep the relationship open. Follow up with an email every now and then to keep the conversation going. When they find a good fit for you, they will find you!
Pitch Perfect in the Subject
Media needs the meat of your pitch in the subject of the message. It is likely that they skip through your email if it does not catch their attention. We even do that ourselves; we skim through emails or scroll through subjects and open what most interests us. It is just the same with media.
Natalie’s next advice is that you keep emails short and to the point. The message you want to get across should be in those first couple of sentences. If you have more information to share, attach a fact sheet in the email. You can even work off media alerts that you can refer them to. But remember, time is of the essence, so it’s probably not a great idea to send them to a website or links to long articles. Consider their time just as you wish they’d consider yours.
Every Blogger Needs a Brand
Your brand tells a story. That is how you tell readers, customers, and even media, what to expect from you. “If your brand is not different from the rest, you have not discovered your brand,” suggests Natalie. That is why your story is the most important aspect; it differentiates you from the others. At times, the messaging behind who you are and why is more important than what you’re selling.
Keep that in mind when you pitch to media. You want to be sure you can effectively describe your brand to them and show them how unique you are. Along those same lines, it is important to stay consistent with your brand. If you start accepting every offer, you will derail and then it may become a problem. People will notice that you are true to your brand and what you represent.
Natalie gave us some final thoughts to consider before we make that first pitch:
Can you describe your brand?
Is there one like yours?
How are you unique?
What’s the story behind your brand?
Can you define the audience behind your brand?
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