4 Steps for Getting Exposure

4 Steps for Getting Exposure & Attention in the Top Shelter Media

By Mary Beth Duehr | Duehr & Associates, LLC

Press Coverage is still one of the best ways to raise your public profile, get the word out about your new product or service, and to elevate your brand.

You know you’re special, that your brand – be it your product or design talent—has shine potential. But how do you communicate this to your would-be admirers? If you were a celebrity, your star power would earn the admiration of a fan club, maybe even “groupies” that hung onto your every syllable. But even celebrities like Tyler Perry and Kim Kardashian need to manage and keep their public image elevated. Like all top brands, they also know that one of the most effective ways to do this is though press coverage. When you’re featured in a top title like Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Domino, or Luxe, it can be a game changer for your brand. This kind of high-level exposure means a journalist’s discriminating eye has noticed and selected your cutting-edge style or personality amidst some This kitchen by Beth Hoffman Design fierce competition. But since is an example of a collaboration efthe most influential journalists are barraged with countless fort that worked. We found the image on Instagram with California Faucet’s Matte Black faucet, the designer sent us submissions and pitches daily, the hi-res image, and we achieved press inspiring them to feature your coverage that made everyone happy. work takes an outstanding pitch along with some finesse. Here are four action steps that should help you achieve the kind of press coverage you envision!

Designer Doorware’s Niki Cabinet & Doorknobs

California Faucets Corsano Culinary Faucet

Take & Find Lots of Pretty Pictures

It really is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. Year after year, client after client, it’s the photos that have made all the difference in how successful we’ve been in gaining an abundance of high-profile press exposure. In fact, we can usually predict the success of a campaign based on a brand’s photo library alone.

My advice is to step outside of your own marketing mind and look at your brand’s images as if you were in the journalist’s shoes.

Stop and ask yourself some questions—“Do these images deserve a second glance? Do they inspire an emotional reaction? Are they as good they need to be?” If you’re not getting a resounding yes, then it’s a good idea to hire a professional photographer. Do your research and find a reputable one that impresses you with their portfolio.

Once you’ve chosen and scheduled time with a photographer, make the most of the opportunity by taking a variety of photos. For starters, ask for clean shots on a white background and styled environmental shots that flatter your product in its natural habitat. If you’re promoting kitchen faucets, you’ll want to show them off in a real kitchen. You’ll also want to ask for environmental as well as product “usage” shots featuring a real person interacting with the product. And while you’re at it, don’t miss out on the opportunity to take videos for your website, blog and social media marketing. For manufacturers, another excellent way to obtain some beautiful, and oftentimes complimentary photos is to collaborate with the designers and architects, who have specified the products. While your brand will have no control over the environments and angles, if the image is properly credited, most designers are more than happy to trade photos for publicity. A quick tip for finding these photos is to hashtag your brand in a search on social media, and especially on Instagram and Pinterest.

Write an Irresistible Story

In today’s short-attention span culture, choosing just the right words is all-important. For timecrunched journalists especially, the writing must be captivating. If you have a knack for writing you’re ahead of the game. But if it’s not your forte, or you’d rather spend your valuable time running your business, there are plenty of talented agencies and writers out there. Whether you’re writing the content yourself or directing someone, you’ll want to make sure your pitch pulls journalists in. Make it brief, yet impactful. Be sure you’ve included the essential details. When I’m writing, I always look at the Five W's— Who, What, When, Where, and Why—to be sure I didn’t miss anything. Also be sure to emphasize your assets. If your company has an interesting launch story, mention this. If your product is innovative or the design style is refreshingly different, find a way to weave this in. If you’re an interior designer promoting a recent project, make sure you share the challenges you’ve cleverly overcome.

Next, stand back and give it a read. Does the message deliver all you’d hoped? Does it snap, crackle and pop off the page?

If you’re not sure, ask for candid opinions from colleagues and friends. While they might not know how they would suggest changing it, they’ll be able to tell you if they like it or not. If the consensus is there’s room for improvement, then revise, revise, and revise some more. It’s worth taking the time because if you’ve nailed down excellent imagery, you could be just a few words away from the kind of press coverage you dream of.

Find the Journalists & Producers Who Will Adore You

Now that you’ve got the whole package with the right visuals, along with a fascinating story, it’s time to find the media members, who will appreciate it. But before you rattle off a bunch of shelter magazines, blogs and shows that you think are the right fit, consider the demographic and lifestyle nuances of your ideal customer, and the type of environment they are motivated to create. The homeowner looking to impress their guests through their home’s upscale decor will likely devour titles like LUXE, The Robb Report and Architectural Digest. Though another homeowner with a similar budget, might be more interested in comfort, quality, and how a product or remodel enhances their lifestyle. You might find this consumer on a porch swing or in a hammock flipping through a digital or print issue of Veranda, Cottages and Bungalows or Connecticut Cottages & Gardens. And sometimes the consumer’s prevailing design style together with their spending power will be the information most needed to target the media they’d most likely gravitate toward.

But while two different homeowners might enjoy a similar design aesthetic, if they are at opposite ends budgetwise, they will each be drawn to completely different magazines, blogs and shows. A more budget-minded homeowner who wants to create a stylish look for less might be a fan of Domino or HGTV Magazine or a blog such as The Spruce. Meanwhile the discriminating homeowner, along with designers and architects that want the look, but who have bigger budgets, will lean toward titles like Remodelista, DWELL, and Design Milk, which cater to serious design enthusiasts. The same holds true when considering which broadcast producers to pitch. A “Love it or List it” viewer, for instance, would obviously not have the same motivations as an “American Pickers” fan.

Timing is Everything

You’ve got it down – the right look, the right lines, the right journalist or producer— but if you pitch a media outlet too early or too late, all your efforts could be in vain. To make sure this doesn’t happen, here are some tips for nailing it. For broadcast, keep in mind seasonal interests and become familiar the rhythm of the station’s ever-changing topics. Success in booking a spot is about having the right topic at the right time, but there is no calendar to consult. While watching and understanding the types of topics covered on the show is half the battle, timing it right has more to do with luck than anything else.

For print, it’s easier to time it because you can typically find editorial calendars (accessible on the publication’s media kit or by contacting the publisher). For example, if you submit to a magazine’s annual kitchen and bath section by deadline, this will put you in the running to be featured, but if you miss it, you might have to wait an entire year for another shot at getting in.

Aside from editorial calendars, you can look to organizations like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) that connects journalists and bloggers with sources for their time-sensitive deadlines. HARO is free and reportedly distributes more than 50,000 journalist queries from highly respected media outlets to its subscribers each year.

You also might want to consider the literal defi nition of timing. The day of the week, and even time of day, can impact whether you grab a journalist’s attention or not. What day is best? While another publicist might tell you something diff erent, based on our month-after-month open rates, it’s Thursday. Why? Our theory is that toward the end of the week journalists have handled their most important priorities and are freed up enough to read their unopened emails. This doesn’t mean another weekday isn’t good, it’s just our observation that Thursday is a bit better. And on the specifi c time, we suggest shooting for between 10 am and 2 pm when the media typically opens about one-third of all their emails.

Gaining the kind of media exposure that’ll help build your portfolio, career and business is like anything else worthwhile — the result of hard work, careful planning, and good timing. But by taking these four steps to heart, you can do it! I like Life and Business Strategist Tony Robbins’ take on achieving your vision when he said, “If you talk about it, it’s a dream; if you envision it, it’s possible, but if you schedule it, it’s real.”

Mary Beth Duehr

Founder & President of Duehr & Associates

Email: MaryBeth@DuehrandAssociates.com Phone: 760.918.5622

Before Duehr & Associates, which was founded in 2005, and has a reputation for creating top level publicity for luxury brands, Mary Beth worked for several top publishers including Conde Nast and The Nielsen Company, where she was executive editor of Kitchen & Bath Business. An editor with Accessories magazine, she conducted face-to-face interviews on fashion icons Nicole Miller, Tommy Hilfi ger, and Oscar de la Renta. Mostly notably, she’s written features for Elle Décor, This Old House, Interior Design, Quest, and New England Bride.