{thank you, Pregnancy & Newborn and Handmade Sewing magazines! + a few Press tips}

psssst! Read below for my tips on how to encourage receiving Press…

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Yay — I’m excited to share with you two new Press features! These last few months have been so fun as Handmade Sewing and Pregnancy & Newborn magazines have featured me. Both were total surprises, and honestly I feel like that’s what makes them so special. Receiving good Press can be difficult, it’s expensive to buy an ad {and they don’t always have the right ROI} and it can be really hard to make a connection with the editorial department. I can only imagine the number of inquiries they must receive… But, I believe in a time & place for everything so don’t feel discouraged just yet if you haven’t heard back from an inquiry {some times it takes months for a reply}.

Pregnancy & Newborn first contacted me when I was selling on Etsy, and it’s like we’ve kept an eye on each other because I’m feeling so lucky that they’ve featured me a few other times. This was an amazing moment for me — to learn that a national publication “shops” Etsy for content. And they picked a great site to search, if you ask me!

For the Handmade Sewing feature, I’m still not sure how that happened {pinch me!} but my guess would be from blogging. Seems like the longer I blog the quicker I connect with other businesses — or see them at blog conferences/meet-ups.

One event that has been *amazing* is The Creative Connection. Last year I met Heather Bailey and Amy Barickman; this year I connected with Carol of BurdaStyle and met Kelly Rae Roberts, to name a few. One event, so many fabulous opportunities.

Maybe you’re wondering how your shop can receive some Press? Here are some personal tips to moving in the right direction:
+ remember there’s no such thing as overnight success
+ constantly work at achieving your goals {practice makes perfect, right?}
+ connect with others online {blog + social media} and attend events to make connections in person
+ share your work. step out of your comfort zone and be the one to say “hello” first
+ follow up every few months
+ start locally: news stations, magazines, boutiques, events {fundraisers, dinners, etc.}

It’s important to remember tip #1, and also to not give up!!! Don’t feel frustrated if you don’t hear back right away. Everything about your business will happen at the most perfect time :) Cherish where you are at right now. And remember, some of the best opportunities will come up when you least expect it by some of the most amazing people you couldn’t have imagined knowing. xoxo

Share your press/editorial experience with us in the comment section below!
What have you tried? What has worked for you, what didn’t work well for you?