Press

I recently hired a copywriter to write a new press release, but not only does he write them, he sends them out to a custom media list. I even have the list to make follow up phone calls.

I just had this done and it's only been 2 days. I got about 15 good responses, although I was hoping for more before the weekend. I am going to give it another week or so and then as suggested I will start making calls on a daily basis.

The custom media list included magazines, talk shows, and freelance writers. The contacts I have made so far have requested samples, as well as extra samples if I wanted to be included in reader giveaways. I looked at my inventory and said, sure why not!

The biggest contact was the Tyra Banks show which gave me great feedback and was super nice about everything! The most annoying response I got was asking me to pay a really hefty fee to advertise in their magazine. I told them I was looking for coverage first and they responded, "we need to made a living too... it would be like asking you to give away your products for free." Well, yes, actually I do give away my products for free in exchange for free publicity.

That's a big lesson in this business when you are just starting out: everyone tries to convince you that you need their services. But no matter how good it sounds, you really have to look at what the costs are and if it will really benefit you.