Transcript:

Speaker: [00:00:00] Hey, small business heroes. It’s your host, Gloria Chao. Welcome back to the show. So on the show, we always try to make marketing and PR super accessible for the independent small business underdog. And today, we have shopping writer Yasmin Singh. She has written for Bustle, BuzzFeed, and all the fun places, and she’s gonna talk all about the ins and outs of how does a product or brand get featured,

What are editors and writers looking for? So welcome to the show.

Speaker 2: Hi. Thank you.

Speaker: So can you tell us a little bit about your area of coverage? And you say that you’re a freelance writer, so what does it mean to be a shopping writer?

Speaker 2: so being a shopping writer is a lot of fun. I basically get to put, readers onto fun products.

I feel like it’s a service-based writing because I help people find what they need, whether it’s a gift or something to clean their house with or something to make parenting easier. my favorite thing to write about is anything that makes life easier, ’cause I think we all can relate to those kind of products, especially if it’s affordable.

So I just really enjoy sifting through hundreds of reviews to make sure I pick the right product, going through different [00:01:00] listings, and just making everyone’s life easier.

Speaker: So I might have seen some of your stuff, ’cause when I’m doing my late night scrolls, like a lot of our audience members, those BuzzFeed lists of oh, these, you know, kitchen gadgets that’ll change your life.

have you written some of those?

Speaker 2: Yes. Yes. And those are my favorite. Those are my favorite. Yeah.

Speaker: They’re so addicting, but in the fun way. I don’t know, something about organization and ease and cleaning that gets us,hooked, more than any celebrity gossip, in my view.

Speaker 2: Yes. And you don’t feel guilty for buying it ’cause it helps you and it’s affordable. Yeah. And it makes life easier.

Speaker: I love that. Okay. So th- so if you ever are scrolling at night and you get sucked into this, BuzzFeed, cleaning hacks or kitchen hacks, maybe it’s actually written by Yasmine, so I’m really excited for this.

we’ve interviewed other journalists and writers. I just want you to break down for me, ’cause we have, gift guide journalists and commerce and shopping writers, and then we have, beauty writers. what’s the difference here between, like, when you see s- shopping or commerce writer versus, beauty or parenting?

Speaker 2: I’m more of a generalist. but someone who I would say covers specific niche, I would say [00:02:00] that the difference is they probably write a little bit less, not lengthy, roundabouts. They probably write about one or two products if they’re writing specifically about beauty.

“Here’s the best moisturizer I’ve tried,” or, “Here’s the best, lotion or hair product.” Whereas me, I’ve more focused on more lengthy lists and articles, where I fit in anywhere from 30 to 75. I’ve even done one with 100 products before. Yes. So when you’re a generalist, you try to fit as much as you can in one, and I feel when you do something more specific, it’s a little bit more niche and a smaller list and, more refined.

Speaker: Oh, I love that. So we have a lot of product makers who are listening to this, and a lot of them do have very affordable, convenient things. So a lot of times when people think about getting featured, they think gift guides, Q4. But I know there’s so many other buckets year-round. So can you break it down- Yeah

like what are the seasonal stories, like gifts for her, gifts for him. Obviously that there’s no seasonality to that, but, what are the general categories that you write for?

Speaker 2: I would say the gift guides are the hardest to get, on, featured on, so don’t focus too much on that. Although they’re [00:03:00] great to be featured on a Christmas list or Valentine’s Day, but I feel like when, if you have a product that’s very, helpful for summer, that’s more better for you to pitch that idea instead of a gift guide.

I also think if you’re a product that, is an easy, makeup that makes your life easier, it’s better to not be in a gift guide. It’s better to be in a round or like a beauty article where someone can find you and wanna use you all the time, not just to give as a gift. Yeah. Nothing’s wrong with a gift guide, but being included in a nice roundup, I think it’s easier to get on that than a gift guide.

A gift guide is very competitive. it has to be something that screams, “This is a gift to give,” not something for yourself. so I would say not to stray away from a gift guide, but it’s not your end-all be-all.

Speaker: Yeah,

Speaker 2: so- Don’t think just because you don’t get on a gift guide you’re failing, because sometimes you will get a better, exposure on another list-

depending on your product …

Speaker: you write both gift guides and product roundups?

Speaker 2: Yes, but I would say gift guides are not my main, They’re very, sporadic They’re, [00:04:00] mostly around Christmas. I don’t think I do a lot of Valentine’s Day. it’s mostly Christmas, I would say, is the big one everyone gets sucked into.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, it’s not as big of a list as Christmas would be.

Speaker: So we’ve had, hundreds of members getting featured all year round. some of them are in gift guides, some of them are in some esoteric gift guides, like gifts for your friends that you miss like hell or for your newly divorced friend.

But when you talk about- … product roundup, is it like a listicle when you’re like 30 best products, and it’s not about gifting, but it’s just about a product that, that you should… First of all, do you have to try them? Do you have to try all hundred of them?

Speaker 2: Oh, no, I don’t have to try all of them, no.

Okay. But I do try to make sure that they do have great reviews if I don’t try them.I would go through re- reviews. If I see a lot of bad reviews, most likely I will not feature it. I don’t feel comfortable putting that in a list. So if I don’t try it myself, I really rely on reviews.

Speaker: Got it.

So you don’t necessarily need samples every time.

Speaker 2: No. But I will say samples do make certain products more memorable.

’cause if I try it [00:05:00] myself, I am more likely to remember it down the line. ‘Cause sometimes I get a sample, and I don’t write– Let’s say I get a pet, product, and I’m not writing anything about pets for months to come.

I remember this product ’cause I tried it when I happen to write a pet product. Also, it’s great because I get to use my firsthand account for my readers. I get to have pictures to show them that it actually works. But if you don’t send a sample, I would say a good before and after picture works wonders, and I rarely get that in my inbox.

A lot of time, people will send me a picture of a lotion bottle, for example, or a foundation. It doesn’t do anything. Show me a good before and after picture how this product works, and it’s more likely to get my attention than anything you can write in that email. Oh. yeah. I really wish people would hone in on that more than writing me an essay on what their product is.

Speaker: Oh, I love that so much, the before and after, especially if you’re in a skincare makeup category. So reiterate, ’cause you dropped so many nuggets of gold just in the last few seconds. You said you don’t necessarily need samples, and I think that’s a big misconception because we have a lot of, we have a act- very active Facebook group, and our [00:06:00] members are always asking about samples.

And we have someone who makes, you know, like $300 gold earrings, and so it’s very hard for her- … to give a sample, right? So you’re saying- Yes … necessarily always need a sample. But if I do make something that’s a little lower cost than the $300 thing, if I make, like a body lotion, is it gonna help me if I put samples available, and then I can give you, a smaller amount?

should we always offer it if it is available and accessible?

Speaker 2: In my opinion, yes. Because especially if it’s a new product that doesn’t have a lot of reviews, I might just overlook it. But if I try it and I get it in hand and I’m like, “Wow, this is actually really great and I think people would like this,” it is something that is more likely, in my opinion, to get featured, ’cause I remember it, I get to try it myself.

But again, it’s not necessary, especially like you mentioned, I feel for small businesses, it’s an expense, and you’re taking a chance you might not get featured. but don’t send just a picture of a bottle or packaging if you don’t wanna send a sample. At least a before and after picture or a nice grabby two or three sentences that will get my attention if you don’t [00:07:00] want to send a sample.

But a sample is always appreciated because it just makes it easier.

Speaker: Got it. so in the pitch, sample if it’s available, you can send it. If not, then maybe, a photo or something like that. What about affiliate links, which is another hot topic in our group. It’s like, do I need to be on one of these platforms like ShareASale or Awin, which is very complex and hard to navigate.

is that always required? Does that give me a boost in potentially getting featured?

Speaker 2: It does give a boost. ’cause the whole point is to make revenue, get revenue. but sometimes if a product fits the list I’m working on, ’cause it’s very specific, and it’s a small business, I can still include it in some of my articles.

but it has to be something that is necessary for that article. I’m not gonna specifically just take it. If I’m writing a cleaning article like, these products are so easy if you’re lazy to clean your house without much effort, and I find a small business where I just spray something and wipe it and it takes off years of stains, then absolutely, it doesn’t have to have it if delivers the results I need.

but it does help having an affiliate link-

Speaker: Yeah … a lot. I love that too. What are some other do’s [00:08:00] and don’ts of like the actual pitch? Now obviously, we teach how to write a pitch from cold pitching, obviously I have a whole method, but I wanna hear from you. let’s start with the subject line, like what is a helpful, like a good subject line, and what’s one that you’re just like, “Ugh, this doesn’t capture me”?

Speaker 2: Oh, keep it short. I get so many long, and I just look at it, and I try my best to read it, but I know I don’t have time for it, and I usually pass after two or three sentences. so I would say- You’re talking

Speaker: about the subject or, or-

Speaker 2: The subject. Yeah, sometimes I have the longest subject lines, the max amount of, letters that would fit in there, words,

so I would say, which is probably a little controversial, a lot of people like to pitch the whole brand. “Here’s my whole brand.” Instead of doing that, tell me your best-selling product and your newest product, so that way I can get an idea of what I’m coming into. If you say, “Hey, I have a lotion brand.

I have a skincare brand,” that doesn’t catch me. There’s lots of skincare brands. What is specific about yours? Are you a skincare brand for people of color, people with acne? you have the most foundation [00:09:00] shades? What is it that makes your brand special? That would grab me if someone says, “We have the most foundation shades.”

I’m like, “Ooh, this is something that all of my readers can benefit from.” so just tell me your best product something that’s interesting about your brand. Don’t make it too general. It has to be specific.

Speaker: I always say specificity and relevance. So let’s talk about, somebody that has, 60 different SKUs, and if they are- pitching something, is it better to, in the pitch, maybe give you, three different items? Because maybe, they have a bath bomb and a serum and a lotion. Or do you really want just, one item in the pitch and that’s it?

Speaker 2: It’s okay to include three if it’s something that stands out. ‘Cause you mentioned a bath bomb.

What is special about your bath bomb that I would feature it over a very affordable bath bomb on Amazon, for example? Is there something different? Are you best for people with sensitive skin? do you not contain certain ingredients that popular bath bombs, contain? So it’s, you can include it, but it has to be something that makes you stand out.

you shouldn’t be for everyone. I hate when someone says, “My beauty line is for everyone.” And is [00:10:00] it really? there are some beauty brands that are for people who really care about ingredients or people who really care about it being affordable and really don’t care too much about the ingredients.

who is your target audience?

Speaker: So-

Speaker 2: yeah … let,

Speaker: let’s drill down more because I really love this. I always say in my coaching, the riches are in the niches, and that you’re not a McDonald’s. Yes. But I understand why founders want to be for everyone, right? Because they want to be for everyone.

But you’re actually saying it’s easier for you if it’s not for everyone. So let’s say they make something that’s, more general, like a bath bomb, which honestly, objectively could be for everyone. But you’re saying you want it to bring more specificity into it. Yes. So how should they know what is the specificity?

Because they might think, it’s for everyone, but then all 10 things are unique. is it the fragrance? Is it data point? Is it an interesting ingredient? How might someone go to find out all the ingredients? What is the actual thing that’s gonna capture you?

Speaker 2: I would say know who you’re reaching out to.

So if you take a look at my bylines, you’ll pretty quickly find out that I have kids and I have a dog. I actually have [00:11:00] multiple pets. So perhaps you can say, “This scent will not trigger, your children’s allergies,” or it’s perfect for kids, there’s some perfumes that actually are safe to use around animals.

certain dyes that are okay to use with kids, with sensitive skin. So maybe you could pitch to someone that has sensitive skin. You say, “This product is specifically,” or not specifically, but best for someone with sensitive skin. or maybe this is a bath bomb that the scent lasts all day if you’re one of those people that wants to smell good all day.

so knowing who you’re pitching to really does matter. I had someone pitch a cat product to me, and I don’t have a cat, and I couldn’t relate to it. I still kept it in mind in case I’d ever wrote anything about cats, but I rarely do. so I think it would’ve been better if they sent that to someone who does have a cat or specifically has written about cat products a lot.

So knowing who you’re writing to really does help.

Speaker: Yeah. Other than knowing who you’re writing to, what are some of the, things that are immediately interesting to you right now? I know that, sustainability was interesting. Maybe it’s not anymore. what are some of the themes or things that are like, “Ooh, this is

We’re writing more about this right now”? [00:12:00]

Speaker 2: Things that you don’t feel guilty for spending money on, because they’re somehow gonna upgrade your life. It’s not something you buy and just set aside. even something that’s aesthetic, but it’s purposeful. So maybe an aesthetic figurine for your home that when you open it, it actually is a spoon set.

Or, a vase that doubles as a holder for your tools or something. something like that. A lot of people like things that can be used for multiple reasons instead of just one. Because a lot of people are downsizing, they want their home to be clutter-free. You don’t wanna have 10 different things on your counter when you can have one or two.

So anything that is multipurpose, doesn’t take up space, it’s affordable, makes your life easier, seems to be really trending right now.

Speaker: That’s so good. What about, let’s say if I have a candle, right? And there’s so many different scents and different colors and different things. Like, how do I know what, how to, say that?

I can say, “Here’s our, three best sellers, but we also have it in these other scents.” Because, like you said, you don’t want me to give you a list [00:13:00] of every single product.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker: Or just, three.

Speaker 2: I would say, tell me that you do have traditional scents for people who love traditional scents, but you also have really unique scents that stand out, that are giftable.

if someone had something that smells like s’mores and it reminds you of camping or something like that, or something nostalgic from your childhood, always mention that first and then say, “But we’re also available in traditional scents for those who want something more traditional.”

Speaker: That’s so good.

Any other… So you know, you talked about the subject line, don’t make it too long, but also make it, specific. I hate those, clickbaity ones obviously.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker: what is a good way to, start the email? I always say, “Don’t waste your time with generic pleasantries.” But how should someone dive right into the email?

Speaker 2: I would say avoid, like you said, generic… I have so many people that say, “I love your work,” and then when they continue on, they pitch me a product that has nothing to do with anything I’ve ever written. And it’s like, have you read my work?” so maybe hone in on some, a reason why you chose me.

Did you read a cleaning roundup that I [00:14:00] did and you have a cleaning product? And you say, “I saw this cleanup roundup that you did, and I have this sponge that cleans stains instantly, and I thought it would be a great fit for something for the future.” Now I know you read what I write about, you found something that I could actually try or I might find useful, and you did a little research.

Instead of pitching to me, like I mentioned, someone pitched a cat product to me, and I don’t have cats. I don’t write about cats. so yeah, knowing that and starting with why did you reach out to me, make it very quick, and tell me about why this product would fit, be a fit for me and my niche.

Speaker: What about, seasonality? ‘Cause, obviously there’s an editorial calendar, so there’s-

Speaker 2: Yes …

Speaker: spring cleaning, there’s back to school, there’s, whatever. Like, how much does that play into, a good pitch? So instead of saying, “I read your thing,” could a seasonal angle work just as well by me starting saying, “Hey, now we’re in spring cleaning season.”

Speaker 2: That rarely works for me because it’s usually very late. now I’m getting summer pitches. I think they should start a little bit earlier. You wanna start the season before.

Speaker: No, that gives- So I get- That’s what I mean. let’s say- [00:15:00] Yeah … I do spring cleaning, way before, is that relevancy, the seasonal relevance, just as powerful as me saying, “I’ve read your article on XYZ”?

Speaker 2: Not always, no. I’ve had someone pitch, a bathing suit, line, for example, well on the way when summer already started. Something like that doesn’t grab me because I’m already looking for seasonal things when the season comes. What is it about your specific bathing suit brand that, other than it just being perfect for summer?

A lot of people will tell me, “This is perfect for summer,” and that’s it. That’s the pitch, and it’s not grabby enough. There’s so many things I think of when I think about summer or fall or, spring. But why you? Why this particular product? It’s, the why is more important than the timing, in my opinion.

Speaker: Okay. like-

Speaker 2: The, yeah … the seasonality

Speaker: is just, the bare minimum requirement, then you have to go into more specifics about it.

Speaker 2: Yeah, it’s the icing on the cake- … if it happens to fit a season I’m working on.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker 2: but I rarely, I don’t do a lot of, seasonal roundups. it’s once in a while.[00:16:00]

More so general roundups.

Speaker: General roundups. So in that case, let’s say if someone thinks they have a perfect product for you, but they don’t know what you’re writing about, what’s the best way to approach you? Do they just pitch early and often? Or how do they know? Because they don’t know, they don’t have a crystal ball into your editorial-

Speaker 2: Yeah

intentions. I would say, that’s a tough one It’s always worth a try. but you could pitch… But I would definitely say you have to pitch as if your product is a fit for me and my audience. That’s the most important thing. Why Yasmin? and that’s more important than probably And a good before and after picture though.

I still stick to that. But, someone like me who writes about almost anything, it might be hard to narrow it down. Will she like this product? Would she wanna feature this product? I get that. But you can definitely see there are things that I will never feature. I don’t really write about food, for example, so I get [00:17:00] a lot of pitches for food.

I don’t think I’ve ever written about food, maybe once. So just knowing that alone, you can get an idea of what you shouldn’t pitch, and just try to pitch something that is useful for the brand that you see me writing for.

Speaker: Yeah. No, that’s really good. So a couple other things. you… We covered so much. By the way, anyone that’s listening, send this to a friend.

This is like PR 101. This is like stuff that nobody is sharing. I love how specific we got. So on the lines of specificity, we talked about affiliates, we talked about, like gifting, sampling. what about things like, a lot of people get hung up on their website ’cause they’re like, “Oh, my website’s not great,” or, “Oh, I only have an Etsy storefront.”

Or like- does that matter, their website, how good it looks?

Speaker 2: Somewhat. you don’t want a website… I’ve gone on websites before, there’s so much pop-ups, like just one after the other. I would say that’s definitely a turn-off. and if I can’t find what I’m looking for, it’s very confusing, it does matter.

if let’s say you are a pet brand and you’ve, you sell products for multiple [00:18:00] pets, I should be able to go in the category, pick my pet, dogs, cats. I should be able to find that easily. If you’re a beauty brand, I should be able to find lotions, facials, products, soap. That should be easy. I do see a lot of small businesses mess that up a lot.

Their website is very complicated. I can’t find the categories easily. and also reviews matter. If you have a website and there are no reviews, or the reviews are a little too perfect, it is a red flag for me. I want honesty. I want to be able to see that your product is, delivering at least to some of your customers.

I shouldn’t only have five-star reviews. I know a lot of small businesses will delete and erase a three-star review, but it shows honesty. Your, ’cause your product is not for everyone. it shows transparency, and it builds trust. So definitely keep your reviews, make it simple. That’s, eliminate those pop-ups if you can.

and the categories matter so much so that we… Especially if you have a lot of products.

Speaker: yeah. make it easy for you, right? So another thing to kind of wrap this up is like [00:19:00] product photos, and then putting the review in the actual pitch. is that gonna be helpful?

oh, we have, 30 five-star review, or does it only matter if they have 5,000 reviews?

Speaker 2: I think something small like 30 reviews will matter if it’s a small, amount of time that you’ve had that product. If you’ve had it out for years and you only have 30 reviews, it’s not that great. But if you’ve only had it for a couple of months and it’s becoming, quickly becoming a bestseller, and you could mention how many reviews you have, especially if they’re five-star reviews, definitely.

Speaker: That’s so good. And product photos, how important is it to have really great product photos that you- put in the actual pitch, right? Do you, and do you prefer it, like two of them that you can see right away or do you wanna click off the site to a link?

Speaker 2: No, I wanna see it right away. I don’t wanna click.

and I would say keep the, the photos smaller. Sometimes a photo will take up the entire screen. and I do think sending a picture of the bottle, like I mentioned before, is probably one of the biggest waste of time. I go to a store, and I’m walking past a bottle, and I, it’s not gonna capture me for the most part.

Unless there’s something unique about the bottle, like [00:20:00] maybe it’s like an applicator as well as, the container. I’ve seen a lot of foundation, containers that you pop it open, you rub it on your skin. You don’t have to use any makeup brushes. That’s fine. if the packaging matters. But if it doesn’t matter, like I mentioned, showing what the actual product does in a picture is way more important than what the packaging looks like.

If you sell a broom, for example, that has a scraper in it to help me remove stains on the floor, scrape up gum or something, that’s more important to show me the actual scraper in action. and it doesn’t need to be a video. I prefer pictures. Sometimes if the video takes forever to load or, I don’t really have time to watch a two or three-minute video.

The pictures are the most important. It should show what your product does.

Speaker: So good. So good. Before we hop off here, are there any other quick, do’s and don’ts that you’re like, “Oh, yeah, do this,” or, “Oh, don’t do this,” when pitching?

Speaker 2: Oh, yes. I’ve had multiple brands reach out to me and offer a PR package, and the brand sounds really interesting, and I will connect with someone and say, “Absolutely, I [00:21:00] love this.

Here’s my address. I’m excited.” And then I’ll get an email, “I’m so sorry, we gave away all of our packages, and we didn’t know we would have such a big response.” And it’s like, “Oh, okay.” It’s embarrassing on my part, and also wasted time. So I would say that’s one that doesn’t work.

another is, like I mentioned, reaching out for something that I don’t cover at all. Travel. I don’t cover travel, hotels, stuff. I get offers for that as well. that’s also a waste of time. I’m gonna completely just disregard it, and you wasted your time, and you wasted my time. I would say those are the two things to consider.

Speaker: That’s so good. Thank you so much. And you’re also in New York, so we’re gonna have to meet in person at some point. I always do these founder events, and I actually bring in the best of the best journalists, especially ones that are small business advocates, especially for women of color, to come in and coach our community.

So we would love to have you back. How can people find out about your work? How can people support you and share about what you’re writing?

Speaker 2: Thank you. they can follow me on Instagram at _yasminasang. And if you just type my name in, you’ll, pop up for BuzzFeed, [00:22:00] Bustle, Elite Daily, Scary Mommy, a bunch of brands.

and just reading my article and giving me a follow definitely helps.

Speaker: That’s so good. Are you on Substack by chance? I know a lot of people are.

Speaker 2: No, but I definitely wanna get on there. I’ve heard some good things.

Speaker: Awesome. thank you so much and, again, thank you for supporting small businesses.

we really I really feel like, in this day and age of AI, shopping small is what makes us stay human. Yeah. And thank you for what you’re doing to highlight small businesses and makers too, because I know that you don’t only write about the big brands, so thank you for that.

Speaker 2: Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Speaker: thank you. That was so awesome.