Episode 118: 4 Ways to Stand Out in Any Market No Matter How Saturated it Is with Sarah Lyon
Understand the Outlet You’re Pitching
We’ve talked plenty of times before about the importance of researching a journalist before pitching them. Their past work, location, interests etc, but understanding the type of media and the outlet you’re pitching is just as important. Not only could your pitch topic be different, but also supporting materials might differ as well. So I want to clearly break down different types of media and how your pitches will differ!
Podcasts:
There are a few different ways to pitch for podcasts. For newer or smaller podcasts, I’ve found huge success with a simple DM on their social media. Complimenting one of their episodes and then listing points you think would be great to discuss with them. But it’s also common that they have a guest application form on their website, if so, make sure to fill that out and dm them after. Otherwise they’ll simply direct you to that form anyway. Another route is by referral. Pay attention to which hosts are connected to who. Do you have any mutuals or points of connection? This is how I land a majority of my top tier podcast recordings these days. A podcast pitch doesn’t need to be long or as structured as a press pitch. The focus should be on your speaking points and why it adds value to their unique audience. The supporting materials you’ll need are simply a headshot for promotions, and whatever links or freebies you want to provide the episode listeners!
Press article (authority focused):
For service based businesses, many like to pitch about their expertise and story. This is also well suited for podcasts and has similar assets included like a headshot and relevant links. The pitch should follow my signature CPR method and what will catch the journalist’s attention is most likely the relevance. Why is it important today, and not 5 years ago. A podcast doesn’t really place as much importance on that, but of course it will be beneficial to keep that in mind! Yes press articles will remain online forever, but in order to stand out from hundreds of other pitches and similar businesses, that relevance is what will make a journalist want to talk to you first.
Press article (product focused):
If you’re a product owner looking to get featured in a gift guide or best of list, here’s where graphics come more into play. If you have a portfolio ready to go, make sure to hyperlink the folder with a range of images in the pitch. This can help avoid spam detectors from attachments. The photos don’t necessarily need to be from a professional photoshoot, but they do need to be good quality! Depending on the type of article, the journalist might require a sample but it’s not always necessary! But say you want to pitch for a TV segment, then a sample will of course be necessary for them to show the product and try it out live.
The best tip I can give you for any outlet you’re pitching is to consume their content first. This way you’ll understand:
-What’s been written about recently so you don’t pitch the same thing
-How graphic heavy are their articles
-What types of titles are getting traction
-What specific compliments and insights you have for the journalist
-How you can continue a conversation from a different angle
-The current trends and keywords
Being able to spend time reading interesting articles about an industry I’m passionate about is the best market research! So definitely don’t skip this step when pitching, no matter what type of coverage it’s for! Learn the signature pitch method that works for every type of coverage HERE.
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Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome back to the small business PR podcast. I am so excited because today we are interviewing someone we have never really covered on the podcast, Sarah Lyon. She is a freelance writer. She covers interior design, all the good things in life. Cause I am a lover of interior design. She's written for some of the most famous magazines you might have heard of, such as the New York times, Washington post, apartment therapy, architectural digest.
And we are so thrilled to have her on the show. So welcome. Thank you so much for having me, Gloria. It's so nice to connect with you face to face. So can you tell me a little bit about exactly what you cover and the beats that you write for? Sure. So I primarily cover interior design and lifestyle topics, as you mentioned.
And generally a lot of that is interior design trends. So speaking with designers about kind of emerging things right now, as we wrap up 2023, I'm working on a lot of pieces about trends that designers have seen throughout the year and kind of what they're expecting for 2024. Those are always fun because I learn a lot as well.
Speaking with people. To get their predictions and reflections. I also do a lot about kind of [00:01:00] just general design rules. So sometimes people might wonder, okay, what size rug do I need for this size of room? Or what size curtains should I get? And why is it important to kind of follow these guidelines? So a lot of the articles I write are definitely very much for the layperson who's looking to kind of improve their basic home design knowledge and get their home looking good.
And so that also might include tips for finding things on a budget or tips for DIYs and tips for kind of making your renter space nice, which I love as a renter myself. I love anything renter friendly. And then occasionally I'll do home tours, although that's not something I cover very much in my specific beat, but it's generally a lot of the trends and kind of predictions and just.
Tips and tricks. I love that. I mean, we've all loved those articles. They just suck me in and I just go from clicking to one to the other from like 10 things that make your space seem smaller or like 10 color palettes. I love that. So do you cover people who are only designers? What about people who make items for home design and decor?
Sometimes. So a big [00:02:00] thing with digital is affiliate links are very important. That's how these websites are all making money. So generally, if there's a commerce piece, that's usually prioritizing brands that are on share a sale or related websites. So but sometimes, yes, we do have people come in to see speak as kind of tastemakers or experts.
And so that might happen more in like the stories I write about entertaining where, for example, maybe someone sells tableware and I speak with them about how to set a proper table or how to, you know, entertain in a small space. So I think there's definitely opportunities for people to lend their voices, experts, and their connection to their shop or their products might be woven in a little more kind of organically versus just.
Calling out the products. So it really depends, and I think especially in recent years, there has definitely been more of a focus on small businesses and kind of getting that into the ecosystem as well. Because obviously we love to mix, you know, big box store things with like smaller, unique items. I personally do that all the time.
So yeah, I think there's always opportunities for inclusion, even if it might be a [00:03:00] little more like you're getting kind of creative with the angle. So lending your voice as an expert for sure. You said so many amazing things. The golden nuggets. I'm gonna I'm gonna take him apart. The word expert, right?
That is such a powerful word, but also a very complex word. I think for a lot of independent makers and and bootstrapping small businesses who are my audience, they think, Well, I'm not an expert. So can you define like what it actually means to be an expert? Because I'm always telling them there is no legal like definition of an expert.
It's about you stepping into that power. But for you, what does it mean to be an expert so they can pitch and get featured? So that's an interesting question. And it's not something I've probably ever thought of or answered directly before. But what I will say is when I'm considering someone for an expert, you want them to be reputable.
So it has to be someone who has some sort of presence. We can look them up and we're going to see they're the face of this company. They have a website. They have an Instagram. They have followers. I mean, it doesn't need to be a million followers. Maybe they have 3000 to 10, 000 followers on their Instagram.
They have an [00:04:00] online presence there. If they've more great, but if not, I assume, you know, oftentimes when you're just starting, it's very hard to build a huge presence. So I think anything that's clear that they're a voice within that area, whether they're a candle expert, there's those who exist, whether they're a tabletop expert, whether they're a Floral or garden expert, it just means that they have some legitimacy.
So our readers can click back and they feel like, Oh, this is a real person telling, you know, it's not, Oh, this is what my neighbor is saying. Even if maybe this person is a very, you know, maybe they wear many hats. Maybe they're not solely a gardening expert. Maybe they're also, you know, something else on the side, but I think just having credentials clear to the public online is great because when you think about it, that's kind of like, say you're hiring.
a house painter, it's better. You're going to be more inclined to like hire the person who has a website or has a page with their projects or something like that than someone who has some website with nothing on it other than their email or, you know, so I think it's about like branding yourself. And also, you know, [00:05:00] and this kind of then is like, well, which comes first, the chicken or the egg.
But I think in some ways, being an expert, you have other press that you're quoted in. And so you're seen as like a voice within that industry, whether your industry is food and wine, or it's hospitality, or it's. entertaining, or it's home. So maybe on your website, I think it's always good to have, you know, like a press page.
And when I look for new people, I'm often very, like, I'm much more inclined if I'm going to cold email someone new. I write a lot of stories, for example, about home organizing. And so I'm always in need of professional organizers. And that's like a little more clear cut of a field because that is literally their job title.
But even so, there's so many professional organizers. I feel like that's a hugely saturated industry. And so if someone has a page that's press, I'm much more inclined to think, Oh, you know, they know how to speak to this because I think it's like a separate thing. There's many people who are experts at something that don't really know how to present themselves to media.
They're just, it's either way too challenging for them, or maybe they don't know how to kind of condense [00:06:00] their expertise into a quote, or maybe they've just never done it. And so I think a lot of people, you know, getting those clips is one way to kind of become an expert because someone who knows how to do media is more valuable to other writers than someone who might be.
Super, super knowledgeable, but has never done an interview before. So I think it's a whole bunch of things. Yeah. I love how you said it's a chicken and an egg thing because people are like, well, I don't have press, but in order to get press, like you need to do certain things. So it's not about getting press.
It's just about having like at least a website. Right. Well, and exactly, and like, one way to get press, like, because so many magazines and publications, for example, say it's a regional one, so, for example, I write for Southern Living, and we really, like, strongly, strongly prefer quoting people who are based in the South, because that's the demographic of the magazine, and so, oftentimes I am just looking online, like, For, you know, people or on Instagram for people like in a certain region, or maybe there's one person I follow in a certain city in the South.
And so I'll see like, okay, who are her peers? [00:07:00] And yeah, so I think just having like that online presence, that'll get people to find you because they're Googling like interior designers in X, Y, Z city or interior designers in Washington DC or whatever. And then you're popping up. And so I think, you know, yeah, it's all about the marketing for sure.
I love what you said about online search because What is organic earned media if it's not searchable and SEO friendly? And that's why I really encourage our listeners and our PR program members to think about the longevity of what they're doing, right? So many of us just resort to making Instagram reels.
That's not going to show up online. So I love what you said. Right. I also love what you said that as a writer for some of the most prestigious outlets, you are still looking for sources. Oh, yeah, because you, you know, I think there are people who are always, again, to use the word expert, who are always experts, but it's also, I mean, it's very important to me to have, you know, a diverse range of voices in everything that I write, but also people's answers aren't going to vary too, too much when they're talking about certain topics.
So if I'm writing, you know, dozens of articles every [00:08:00] month, I don't want to hear the same iteration of the same thought every single time. So it's helpful to find new people, even when oftentimes with like home and organizing and things like that, there are kind of right answers, so to speak, you know, and oftentimes just being someone who knows this area.
Well, I often know what the answer is. I'm, you know, I'm just trying to legitimize it by quoting an expert, but still, I think there's people like, for example, say I only interviewed designers who like minimalism. Well, my articles would turn out very different than if I had a range of people who like minimalism, maximalism, eclectic, traditional, whatever.
And so I think, yeah, every time I find new sources, it's like contributing to that diversity of like ideas and perspectives for sure. Yeah, I, I love that because you would think you have so many PR people and you're getting so many pitches, but the fact that you actually do your own research just so you can legitimize it shows that there was always room for the everyday small business to get featured because you are looking for fresh voices, right?
And that's how you combat the perception that media is not credible, right? Is you need to interview people from all walks of life. So [00:09:00] let me recap. You said many things about how, let's just say if I'm a brand new interior designer, how I can legitimize myself, right? Have a website. I have an online presence, have some sort of followers on Instagram, doesn't need to be a lot.
What else can I do if I'm just starting off and maybe I don't have the budget to hire a PR agency? What else can I do to get on your radar? We could even talk about pitching if you want. I would say funnel that money toward good photos of your projects because images are so important and you can be, I mean, I've been shooting my spaces.
For years and years, and it's nice because I enjoy doing this, but I can also use a lot of my own. I write about a lot of my own home projects. And so having a professional image, you know, makes it more appealing to my editors, but good photos. I mean, if you're in the arts, you need photos of your work. You need a portfolio that's visual.
And so I think having, even if you're an organizer, I mean, you need photos of that too, but I think having photo assets that you can share is so key because. I mean, I love to think people are reading every single word, but a lot of them are probably just honing in on the photos when they're reading. [00:10:00] And so, you know, they're a great way to get more eyes on your name and your work because someone might see a picture and think, Oh my gosh, who did that beautiful room?
I'm going to click over to her website. But I think also it's a lot cheaper, you know, if you aren't able to pay several thousand dollars every month. firm. Maybe you can do that three or four times a year and shoot some of your best projects. And those will be forever on your website forever in your portfolio.
It's not like a consumable expense. That's going to go away. You'll always have access to those files and can repurpose them on Instagram. You can pitch them because I do think unfortunately, like, you know, if someone doesn't have quality photos and I would say. Do the best photographer you can afford.
Don't skimp. It's like when they say you're buying a couch. Buy the nicest one you can afford. Just invest in it because it matters so much. I mean, I've worked with so many different photographers and I've gotten pitches from so many designers who've worked with a range of photographers and You know, you don't want to invest kind of halfway in that expense.
And because also the shoots are so time consuming and, you know, [00:11:00] require so much prep, they're exhausting. You're going to need a nap after, I mean, if you're going to do it, just go all in and do it because it's not an experience to try to like save on, you know, maybe you can save by your, then you're doing your own marketing and you're doing, you know, maybe your own styling for the shoot, but the photos last forever.
So. Yeah. So having good photos, what about, what's more important? Having good photos, having a PR rep or having previous press features? Having good photos. Yeah. I love it. Because even like I've, my home has been featured in magazines as well. Like before I was a writer and someone found it because they came across my photographer's website and they liked the photos.
So. So work with photographers, work with good photographers who also have SEO. Because good photos are how you'll get the press opportunities. Yeah. Now let's talk about press opportunities. Yeah. Like, let's say we're pitching. Obviously I teach that in my program of how to pitch. What are some pitching do's and don'ts?
Obviously I always say concise is better. I teach, you know, bullet points, hyperlink, don't give someone an entire [00:12:00] autobiography that's unpublished. What are some of the insider tips from? all the pitches that you've read that gets somebody to actually like get a response from you. Yeah. So I would say, so in addition to what you said, which concise is always good, you know, assume someone's reading it on your phone or on their phone, or they're reading it in line at the store, because it's like in this day and age, we're always checking email.
It's not the old days where you're only checking your email between nine and five. So I think if you want to capture someone's attention, definitely send, you know, a pitch that is short, explain who you are. Sometimes people don't introduce themselves. It doesn't need to be like your life story, but just.
You know, hi, I'm Jane Smith. I'm an interior designer based in Brooklyn. I been working for 10 years at my firm, Jane Smith interiors, and then link. Just some things that I know, because sometimes it's like we meet so many people too, and if they don't do that, I almost wonder, Oh my gosh, is this someone I know and I'm not remembering or, you know, I, so I would say, don't be overly familiar if you're not overly familiar with the person, because then it, it puts you in this weird position where you're like, Oh my gosh.
So yeah, I would just, you know, the way you would like a normal [00:13:00] cover letter type thing, just. This is who I am. I would say you don't need to go into tons and tons of detail right now about the project, but it's good to include a brief description. So say you're pitching a home project that you just finished.
Think about like what makes it an interesting story. So maybe again, using this Brooklyn made up person in Brooklyn, maybe she just did an old brownstone that has been around for 200 years and you know, she did a gut renovation and is really interested in talking about how they honored the historical elements of the home, but made it fit for modern day or something like that.
I think just whatever would capture the attention of a reader or an editor, like, oh, that's really cool. We don't see a lot of homes of this age. Or, oh, that's really cool that they wanted to maintain the historical integrity of the home. Or, you know, so whatever your situation is, I would describe that briefly.
And then I would come with a full folder of your photos that are already done. Don't pitch and say, I'm going to shoot this in two weeks. We'll just say follow up in two weeks. I mean, to be honest, most people are getting so many pitches. They might not respond to your pitch for two weeks. So it's like, I think probably in other [00:14:00] industries, well, for example, in like the news journalism industry, you know, your pitch really is of the moment and it needs to be that day.
And yeah, in two weeks there could be a totally different situation, but for features and lifestyle, it's never like a rush. So I would say just wait, you don't need, you know, nothing's in a hurry the way that it is in other areas. And so I would say pitch just when you're ready with the photos. I always suggest sending all of your photos in a Dropbox or maybe a Google folder where it's very easy to click through, nothing that you have to download because oftentimes what happens is people will be forwarding this within their team.
So they'll say, you know, if I get a pitch, I could think it's the best thing in the world. I can think it's okay. It doesn't matter because I don't make the decision. It's up to my editor. So I'll then have to forward it to him or her and have them review it and say, here's a Dropbox. link see below for a project description and the editors are getting even more emails than I am.
So I want it to be as easy as possible for them to look through. I don't want to have tons of dialogue back and forth with my editor about why is the file not opening, you know, so [00:15:00] I think just things like that are good. It will show your professionalism right off the bat and just. I think it's always good to follow up on, you know, say an editor doesn't respond to your email.
It's fine to follow up maybe after a week. I wouldn't do it before then. People just have so many emails. So just give them a little bit to check in. I think also, now that it is December, I And I'm getting a lot of pitches. The editorial world is so crazy during November and December for a number of different reasons, just with so much timely content.
This is a big time of year to push that like affiliate content. And there's a lot of events. There's a lot of people are preparing to head out on vacation. So they're trying to cram four weeks of work into three. So I would just say, maybe try to follow up like in the first or second week of January, maybe not right after people get back from their holiday break, but maybe the second or third week.
Just because if your content is evergreen, meaning it doesn't need to be published at a certain time, you'll have someone's attention a little bit more when it's like a slow period of the year versus two weeks before [00:16:00] Christmas or, you know, the day after New Year's or something like that. Just because I think people, and I think that's true in a lot of industries, everyone is just trying to get stuff off their desk before the end of the year, and they're not looking to like take on new projects right now.
So. Yeah, let's say it's not end of the year. Let's say we're pitching spring colors, you know, spring autumn. If I want to get featured for something like that, seasonal trend, when should I start pitching? So it really depends if you want to do print or online. I can really mostly only speak to online because that's what I'm doing now.
When I worked in print, I mean, those Christmas things would be coming in in June and July because that issue would go to press. Or we would be wrapping that issue in June and July, so it might be coming in like a whole year before, and then you're, so it is kind of a weird, I, I would say you can just do it within that season, but you know, if you're pitching for Easter, for example, or Passover, or Memorial Day, I don't know what you would be pitching for Memorial Day, but you know, I'm just naming different holidays, but say you're pitching a certain thing, Fourth of July, for example, we'll say that.
I would pitch it a couple of weeks before so that it's not two days before the [00:17:00] holiday, because no one's cranking out stuff that quickly again, it's not a news. situation where people are all hours of the night doing breaking news. So I would say maybe do it. Say you have a 4th of July idea. Oh, I'd love to pitch something on a 4th of July barbecue entertaining situation.
You could pitch that maybe the beginning of June. I wouldn't do it necessarily before that, but maybe beginning to middle of June. That's kind of when people are focusing in on what's. coming up for the next month for digital. Editors are making like their content calendars and assigning things out because generally assignments for December, let's say, would be assigned out at the end of November.
So the beginning of the month is a good time if someone's going to assign their July things out to their writers. Beginning of the month is when they're starting to think of the ideas that they have on hand and need to assign out. That's, that's really good. I, Ooh, I could go for hours talking about this because I am like the interior design and home home decor junkie.
I know that for a lot, you probably do interview experts who maybe don't make a physical product. What if someone let's, let's talk about someone who like, [00:18:00] let's say makes a candle, right? And it's a very saturated market. There are so many candles. How can I differentiate myself and still get featured in architectural digest of all places?
I don't know if there's like a real rhyme or reason for a lot. I mean, that's sort of like something I was talking about with someone else. Like, why do some people go viral on Instagram and TikTok and others don't? I mean, I don't know. There's people who I think have amazing content who are not getting enough eyes.
And there's people who've gone viral who I think their content is only okay. I mean, I don't know. So I think. Sometimes it is kind of being in the right place at the right time in the sense of getting maybe one good feature or one good in with a net, like, you know, you've networked with someone. So I think really the answer to that might be to build your network, because I think when people know someone by name, they're going to call on them, so to speak more than just your random person.
So if you are able to go to maybe industry events, or you're able to go to. I'm trying to think like for that situation in particular like where might [00:19:00] I, being a writer, have met someone because generally I think that would be through PR. Maybe their PR firm would host a meet and greet with Candle founder so and so and you know then we get to meet the person and look at their product but you could consider doing editorial mailers.
If you're in touch with people, you know, Oh, I'd love to have you try out my new fall candle. What's your address? Can I send, obviously that would require a little bit of overhead and a little bit of planning, but I think that's definitely a way to try to get your name and your physical product in front.
Because oftentimes we do really rely on sampling things or seeing things. to be able to write about them for our audience, especially for something like a candle where, you know, you want to be able to try it to say, Oh, it's a strong grow or it has a great, you know, it's great for a hostess gift, whatever packaging is beautiful.
So I think having that type of physical contact with someone, you know, you're mailing and I've had candle makers, mail me candles, people who have just reached out to me and said, Oh, I'd love for you to try it. And often there's no obligation to write about the product, but they might say, you know, If you ever have any stories that come up where you need a candle expert, please [00:20:00] keep me in mind.
And it's a little more likely I'll remember them, not because they gave me a gift that's lovely, but because they took the initiative to email me. And if I were to search in my inbox candle, their name might pop up. And so I think. Because that's the thing, too, is we're constantly getting so many pitches and emails that there oftentimes are things where maybe I'm not even able to respond to it at the moment, but then in two months, the relevant piece comes up and I'm searching, okay, contractor or, you know, landscaper or whatever profession I need to help with an article.
a pitch or I see someone who emailed me and it's nice to know, okay, I already have their contact info. I already, so I would say just being as proactive as you can without being overly in touch because I don't think anyone has time to kind of reply, you know, to be your pen pal and talk to you once a month, but maybe checking in every quarter is good and just reminding them who you are and this is what I'm working on right now.
What are you working on? I think that's always a good way to do it. Yeah, exactly. And approach it as a, as a relationship because I always say like, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Why not throw your [00:21:00] name in the hat? You never know when, like you said, you're going to be assigned that article and you're going to go back into your mailbox just because they don't hear back doesn't mean that it's a no.
And I think there's so much fear because small businesses are not taught the skill of pitching. So I love how you just validated everything. You shattered some limiting beliefs. I wish we could talk all day. How can people find you? How can people who love interior design and all things of home, I really think we are coming into a phase where like home is so important, you know, like spaces.
So how can people find you and follow you as you write more and more stories? Sure. So I'm very active on Instagram. It's just my name, Sarah lion. Um, S A R E H L Y O N. Nine on Instagram. And then I have a website as well, sarahilion. com, and a lot of my past work is posted there, but Instagram is probably where I'm most active, so definitely follow along there.
And if you have pitches, you can email me. My email is both on my website and my Instagram, and that's definitely the best way to get in touch. I'm always on my email, so super easy. I love that we have so [00:22:00] many small businesses in our PR program who make things related to the home and I mean, I know this episode will just be so great for them.
I'm so glad. Thank you so much again for being here. Thank you for having me. I'm so glad to be helpful. Hey, small business hero. Did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes? The New York Times, Marie Claire, PopSugar, and so many more, even if you are not yet launched or if you don't have any connections.
That's right. That's why I invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought after industry expert. Now, if you want to land your first press feature, get on a podcast, secure a VIP speaking gig, or just reach out to that very intimidating editor.
This class will show you exactly how to do it. Register now at Gloria Chow PR. com slash masterclass. That's Gloria Chow, C H O U P R. com slash masterclass. [00:23:00] So you can get featured in 30 days without spending a penny on ads or agencies. Best of all, this is completely free. So get in there and let's get you featured.