Episode 55: How to Get Your New Product in Gift Guides from First-time Founder Kim Behzadi
Nothing scares most first-time business founders than starting the business process.
On one end, you foresee the realizations of your plans. On the flip side, you also think of the worst-case scenarios, which are enough to make you doubt your capacity and your business.
Unfortunately, the fears do not just stop there.
Everything else turns scarier when it's time to market your products to your potential customers. Even more challenging is when you pitch your products before journalists, who have the resources to reach broader audiences through gift guides.
Crippled by all your anxieties, you ponder— should I give PR at least a try?
Is it possible that I don't have to spend another dime just to sell my products in gift guides while I leverage the power of the press?
If you genuinely feel your product deserves that space on those coveted gift guides, whether you're a newbie or an expert, then you have to give yourself the chance to champion your business.
There's no doubt that PR offers you that path to get the recognition you deserve.
But that doesn't mean that everything's going to run smoothly. In fact, it only gets more challenging the moment you take the first step in doing PR. You must research, create your pitch, send follow-up emails or DMs, and face rejections. While doing all these PR activities, you must wear several hats for your small business.
Sure, it does sound like an insurmountable task, but it's not impossible, not even for first-time founders like our podcast guest, Kim Behdazi.
In this episode, let's take a deep dive into a first-time business owner's journey of going from zero to becoming a hero for her business and the community.
"These small little wins have huge ripple effects. You have to start. That's sometimes the hardest part for people. It's like they jump off the cliff. But those ripples can really have a big impact."
-Kim Behzadi
Kim Behzadi is the founder of Read It & Eat, a book and food subscription box designed to take you on your next culinary journey. She serves as Product Manager at Rich Products Corporation. She is a visionary leader with a Master of Business Administration degree coupled with multiple relevant certifications and experiences.
If you're serious about getting your products featured on gift guides, take that first PR step by tuning in to this episode. You'll discover how to get started and learn to adapt along the way, even if you're a first-time business founder.
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
The # 1 trait that business founders must possess
Making buckets of priorities for your business and PR
Why PR, not social media, is the path for marketing your products
A trifecta model for following-up journalists
Instilling relevance for pitching in gift guides all season long
How your small wins lead to the most extraordinary ripples for your business
If you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to 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. Register now at www.gloriachou.com/masterclass.
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Gloria Chou on LinkedIn: Gloria Chou
Join Gloria Chou's PR Community: Small Biz Pros: By Gloria Chou
Connect with Kim Behzadi on Instagram: Read It and Eat It Box
Know more about Kim's Products: booksnbread.com
Get 10% off your first order: Code: SmallBizPR10
Additional Resources:
Join the Small Biz PR Pros FB group
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Here’s a glance at this episode…
[6:34] Instead of just looking at the negatives, it's go big or go home time. I have to have the confidence to look into PR.
[13:02] What I have started to do is I wouldn't say make a checklist. But dedicate a night or two nights. That's the best advice I can give people. We have to wear lots of hats. But I don't think you have to wear them every second of every day.
[16:41] It is easy to say social media is the key because it is everywhere. It over saturates our lives. But every competitor is there and not just small businesses.
[19:47] The third piece of advice I'd say besides following up and not getting discouraged by the 'no' is adapting to not only the time period, but just adapting in general.
[30:50] You do not need to always give away product to be featured. People are just so excited that you're part of their community that they just want to champion you.
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Kim Behzadi 0:00
They get 1000s a day, it might just not be the right time. It's the wrong Tuesday to talk to them. And if you are persistent and believing in what you're doing, those ripple, it goes back to that ripple effect I mentioned earlier, a couple of really strong hits can be game changing.
Gloria Chou 0:15
Hey friends, I'm Gloria Chou, small business PR expert, award winning pitch writer and your unofficial hype woman. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people get the recognition they deserve. And that starts with feeling more confident to go bigger with your message. So on this podcast, I will share with you the untraditional, yet proven strategies for PR, marketing, and creating more opportunity in your business. If you are ready to take control of your narrative and be your most unapologetic and confident self, you're in the right place. This is the Small Business PR Podcast.
Gloria Chou 0:46
Alright, everyone, I'm so excited for this episode of the Small Business PR Podcast. Now many of you have done the courageous thing, you have started a business against all of your family and friends advice, and done the brave thing. But today, we have someone who literally lost her job during the pandemic and bootstrap their business in her bedroom. So this is Kim Behzadi. She is here on the show with us. She is the founder of Read It and Eat, of food and book subscription box. It's so awesome. I cannot wait to tell you all about it. And to tell you about the amazing journey she went to defy the odds, get organic PR wins and gain the confidence to really make an impact. So welcome to the show.
Gloria Chou 1:23
Thank you so much for having me.
Gloria Chou 1:26
So we came across each other not very long ago, right? You, you are new to this and you found the starter pack and you've got all these press ones. But before we go into the PR side, I want to ask you about your business because I just think it's so courageous what you did. After you got, you know, separated from your job, during the height of a pandemic, you decided to start this. So can you first tell us a little bit about your business and the mindset journey you went through to do this against all odds, basically.
Gloria Chou 1:54
Absolutely. So I'm very proudly the founder of Read It and Eat. It is a culinary journey all in a box. So my job is to help you taste the world one story at a time by pairing food related books with food items. The food items are tasty treats always from small businesses never found on Amazon. The books range from a variety of genres. Maybe you want a romantic comedy, or The Great British Baking Show but with a love twist. Or maybe you want something in the non-fiction space, like a Chef's Memoir. My job is to bring those parents together with for you. And for every box sold, there is a portion of the proceeds that goes to fight hunger where I'm based in Buffalo, New York. That mindset and that journey, a lot of different things helps and makes the decision to help launch the business. But one of the big things I saw during the pandemic was hunger became much more visible because there were shutdowns everywhere. So there might have been people suffering looking for their next meal. But suddenly, I think you probably felt it too. Support local, buy takeout, get it delivered to your front door, and all of that partnered with small single packages. So there's a food hunger element, which is that social good part of the business I'm passionate about. But what really helped me make that decision was I was at a job that I really loved. And really, I work in food, I work in consumer product. And so foods always been a part of my life. But here am I, here I am grinding every day, and got released from a job because I just didn't fit this perfect mold. And I think what makes people unique is the best part about us. And there I am in my room, it's locked down. And one of the only places I could go was to a used bookstore and I could only pick up my books on a table. So I'm ordering food to support small businesses. And the only place I can walk to is a bookstore. And I thought these things bring me comfort and I really wanted to bring that comfort to other people, reading got me through the pandemic. It was my happy place and also The Great British Baking Show. So I had nothing to lose. I was still interviewing for full time jobs. But I was on the floor of our office in our two bedroom apartment in downtown Chicago, packing boxes and I bought bread kits that supported a nonprofit in Chicago. We lived there at the time during that. We now live in Buffalo, New York. And I was just there. I made all the design choices myself. It really just came from my savings and a lot of freelancers all over the world. And I just went for it. Looking back, I know it sounds crazy, but, what else did I have to lose? I had a lot of free time. And I think that scrappiness and tenacity. I am proudly the daughter of an immigrant. My dad came from Iran when he was young. So he did everything to put my sisters and I through school. He gave my whole family this wonderful life. I think it's in my blood. Why not fight for what you're passionate for?
Gloria Chou 4:47
Yeah. Oh, that is so good. And I think what you said resonates with so many people. I think what's special about this audience is that we're not just trying to do a volume game, right? We're not just on Amazon flipping fidgets spinners. We are making very curated intentional products that honestly like books and food that are perishable. It's not the best like profit margins, right? But you went ahead, and you're like, this is what brings me comfort. And this is my way of healing the world. So I want to give you props for that. I'm clapping for you for sticking to your why. I know it's not easy. And so you were like, okay, I don't have anything to lose. My question is, as a founder with really no previous experience in consumer subscription boxes, you had no investors, you didn't have any fancy VIPs vouching for you. At what point were you like, okay, I am not only just, you know, making these boxes, I'm thinking long term, I want to do PR. Because for a lot of founders, that point never even comes because they feel like they're either not ready or that. You know, they're just not far enough in their business to do PR.
Gloria Chou 5:50
It's a really great question. And the turning point for me, the I've got to level up if you will, really came after the first year. I moved to New York, set up my house here with my husband, and saw there were a lots of other roadblocks coming our way as small business owners. We have the pandemic, or we're maybe coming out of it. But now inflation is everywhere. And I am the first to admit that my box, it often suits a gift giving occasion. So now discretionary income is getting smaller. And I can't just rely on word of mouth in Chicago, because now I'm in a whole new city. So I'm in a new city, I've got to meet new people. And instead of just looking at the negatives, it's go big or go home time. I have to have the confidence to look into PR. A big turning point was at the spring of this year, I actually did some crowdfunding for the first time. And what I learned very important in crowdfunding is it's about who you know, and that doesn't mean someone with a lot of purse strings, but just the element of networking and community and connection. Well, a big place I didn't have connection was the PR space. I know publishers for book elements and I know small businesses for the food business, element of food, snacks, excuse me. Well, now I have to talk to other people. And that was the big thing and why I reached out to you specifically. I have, I think that a lot of small business owners probably struggle with this imposter syndrome. I'm not a PR expert. I know how to do it in my day to day job. I paid agencies, I know how much those agencies cost and it's overwhelming, but I was ready to commit and invest. But that investments are not just financial, it's knowledge. It's being able to do it myself, and hopefully one day hire assistants.
Gloria Chou 7:34
Yeah, no, exactly. I, I always say I can tell you everything. But if you're not, if you have your email drafted, if you're not going to press the send button, there's really nothing I can do. Right. So. So I love that you're tenacious. I love that you're like go bigger or go home. And so now you're, you know, doing the PR this way, you're realizing that not only can you not afford the, you know, 5 or 10 or 20 grand a month retainers that your company used to pay. That there's gotta be a way for you to disseminate the story. So tell me about the press wins that you've received, whether it's press or other kinds of VIP partnerships, anything from the methods that you've learned from either my community or from the podcast.
Gloria Chou 8:12
If there are so many great opportunities that I love sharing with you, especially going into DMS and just telling you like Gloria this happened. The biggest press when I got over the summer is Women's Day had an article of 52 gifts for under $25. And it's just the largest platform I've had. And my goal next year, you know, I got on the list next year, I want to get higher and higher and higher on that list. But I have seen 40% traffic jump from July to about August, we're in mid September now. I just continue to see that number skyrocket. And I know as someone who owns just my own website, it's hard to push yourself through all that noise. And having that as one of my first wins was also just a confidence booster. I've also gotten some local press as well, which is another important thing I'm donating to my local community. So building a community and that kind of relationship has also really helped. It led to not only a magazine write up but also invitations to vent and be a vendor at specific events. There's a book fair for adults next month, and I was one of the first people they thought. I'd be like come vent at this event. I'll be at the Rochester Teen Book Fair next week. And Rochester is about an hour from Buffalo for those who don't know that geography. So I'm at two more events I never was at a year ago. That's incremental sales, but also shaking hands meeting local vendors because right now I'm ecom. But I would love to be in bookstores to so to shake hands, to meet people, and also be inspired by other small business. So I've worked with a tea shop now locally that knows me from press and they are big on giving back to their community. We curated a whole book club. So we've launched a book club in Buffalo for October, November, and December. A portion of the proceeds for the box which is curated with tea items from the tea shop, and my books and snacks. So we still are fighting hunger. And if you come in person to the book club, which is one, one night a month, excuse me, we're also collecting food for like a canned food drive. So multiple ways to give back and all of that from a press article in a paper, like I met a local magazine, Women's Day, it led to a book club. And the third or fourth big thing that's happened since we started working together and having the confidence to speak to people. I had an author who DM me, who said, I love your mission. I'm a debut author, my romance book comes out in July, let's work together, we curated a whole box together. The book is called For Butter or Worse. It's a romantic comedy. I love the pod. And she reached out to me. To me, I look at writers and they're like sensational New York Times bestsellers, and there's just me in Buffalo, and she wants to work with me. And because of that box, I now have a real relationship with the imprint, Harlequin. It's not a guarantee by any means. I still have to work hard to sell every box but it's such a fun. People who to me seem like larger than life editors and publishers want to work with me, because they believe in the mission. So having the toolkit to be able to articulate to press like this is worth your time, like open this email, let's talk, I now have the competence to even start those conversations. I think hitting send is the hardest part sometimes. And now, just by hitting send, since let's say we work together in July. It's still 100. It feels like hundreds of emails at a time. But then lightning strikes. And I have this magical relationship now with an author and what she's already working on her next book. And she's, hey, oh, it might not always be food. I can't demand authors write about food. But she's like, I'm keeping you in mind. I know friends, it's these small little wins have huge ripple effects. And that's what I want to emphasize to the listeners of the podcast and those tuning in because you have to start and that's sometimes the hardest part for people is like the jump off the cliff. But once those ripples can have really big impact.
Gloria Chou 11:57
Yeah. I love that so much. And everything that you said, it's so, it's not even about you. You always said, this is the impact. We're partnering. Everything that you're saying is from that value driven conversation. And that's what editors love, right? Because they're not going to buy your product, you're not selling to the editor. And so the fact that you've already done the mental gymnastics to speak in a way where you're always asking yourself, what's in it for the other person? I can tell that's why you've had so many fruits of your labor. Now I want to go back to the fact that founders are wearing a lot of hats, right? And to this day, I get people all the time. They're like, PR is nice. We just don't have time. We're already on social media. We're already doing all the other things. So how did you think about like prioritizing? Because as we know, a hallmark of success is not doing more things, but doing things in the right order
Gloria Chou 12:42
That I think I'm going to probably steal something you told to me but working smarter and not harder. I'm, I'm like many small businesses, I don't have the revenue net to hire someone part time. But what I have started to do is I wouldn't say make a checklist. But dedicate a night or two nights I work full time. Disclosure, I still have a full time job, everyone. I'm still bootstrapped. But I pick two nights a week and all I focus on is press and one night might be pitching and you know scheduling as we've been coached with the perfect windows to reach out to people looking at databases. And then it is a lot of research. There's one night a week, that's just research, where I'm googling articles, top 25 subscription boxes, top 25 book boxes, finding that author using the starter pack to see if I can find that author and building from there. And that's the best advice I can give people. We have to wear lots of hats. But I don't think you have to wear them every second of every day. So tonight is Thursday night. It happens to be my social media night because I will be meeting with I have a little volunteer now a student volunteer who wants to work with me. So that's what I wear this night. Tuesday night is well, Monday and Wednesday nights are PR nights. And if you break it down into those moments in buckets, it makes it, for me at least, a lot less overwhelming. And by breaking it up into nights is something does come up where I have to pivot. Okay, I'll slot around, I'll slot around my schedule a little bit. And then I also work life balance. This is you know, small business owners if you have to have a life too. I think that's super important. We've, I've also built date night back into my life with my husband. I still want to date my husband and I think that's a really important thing too because it makes the business fun again because you get to walk away from it too and let it breathe and let your own mind and thoughts breathe as well.
Gloria Chou 14:28
Yeah. Oh, I love that so much. I can tell that you're just fun person and I cannot wait to meet you. Next time we have our PR center peg meetups. Talk to me a little bit about kind of this, like where did you learn how to delegate so effectively? Because a lot of times, it's like I said, one day someday. Almost every single person I interview who's in our, you know community, they always say brand awareness and visibility is the foundation for more revenue. But they always just resort to social media and they get sucked into these like reels and trending audios and templates. How are you? How did you decide to like not allocate your budget to like doing more of social media? And then to PR, which, you know, presumably is a lot more complex and maybe nuanced.
Gloria Chou 15:11
Partially, I made the decision not to invest everything in one basket. I don't believe in putting your eggs in one basket. And especially in social media, I will admit, I'm at the advantage of having a background in social media coming out of my MBA program. I've seen those algorithms change. It's like pouring. It reminds me of rent. Before you own, you rent and you pour money into a garbage can and you light it on fire. And right now, I'm just going to make the bold statement. Meta doesn't care about small businesses, it might tell you it does. I don't believe it. And I just found, well, that's not working. So you can keep banging your head against the same door and hope to break it down. Or you can build a doorknob and a keyhole. And that's what I really decided to do. And I looked at PR as how do I look for items as a consumer. Yes, I know a lot of people are searching for things on social media, aggregated feeds, things like that. But I'm someone who still relies on Google. And I very much am so trained to look at top 25 boxes or top book boxes. And then I would click on the first three articles. And I was like, well wait, if I was on one of those first three articles, that could be a game changer. The right person has to see me just like that author who saw me and wanted to work with me. And that was the big pivot there. I think it is easy to say social media is the key because it is everywhere. It over saturates our lives. But every competitor is there and not just a small businesses. That's where McDonald's is. That's where the big players like Unilever are, and they have millions of dollars. So how am I get in? That's like a David and Goliath that I'm not going to be the hero of.
Gloria Chou 16:52
Yeah, no, I mean, funny story that you said that I got married in the desert two weeks ago. And when I came back from happiest time of my life, like no WiFi, I get a string of frantic panic messages, email threads, everything. And turns out that Meta shut down my Facebook Ads account for no reason at all. They said, you violated one of their policies. My ads manager spent a whole week trying to talk with 10 different people on chat, no availability, I had to pull some strings and get someone that I knew who worked at Meta on the inside to fix it. And then my account was back up. No reason. No, I'm sorry. No thank you for being a good patron and giving us a 10s of 1000s of dollars or nothing. So what you said so resonates with me. Look, we're not against paid advertising. We're not against PR agencies. I just want everyone who's listening, who you know, our audience are bootstrapping entrepreneurs to do things in the right order so that you're not $20,000 in the hole and being wondering, why is it that I don't have an audience, right? And, and I think it's so much easier to post on Instagram than to do what you're doing which is roll up your sleeves, look at the CPR method, go in the starter pack to figure out who are the contacts I need to contact. It's so much easier to just download a training video and like, you know, repost something. I could do that all day. I admit, you know that, that it's easier, but what are the things that are really going to create a sustainable assets in your business because a reel is not searchable. Your social media is not searchable, but getting on one podcast that's SEO, that six pieces of shareable content. So I'm so glad that you made that decision early on. But let's get into the actual pitching. Now you've had success pitching. You've done the research. Do you have anything to share with the audience in terms of what you've learned about journalists and follow ups and emails and DMs?
Gloria Chou 18:40
A follow up is key. And I'll admit that is probably the hardest learning curve for me. And I have to say, I have to check myself. You know, Kim, when you're at your regular nine to five, how many follow up emails are you sending to someone? Why wouldn't you give your it's almost a respect thing, I am worth the time and worth investing in that follow up on. And I before your coaching,never thought, oh, I should just comment on a picture and say I DM'd you. When it's relevant, not totally out of the blue. And I've had that work with people at like BuzzFeed, which to me, like I'm someone who grew up watching BuzzFeed. I never thought someone at BuzzFeed would ever write back to me. And just because you get a No which you get tons of them. I've gotten knows not this is not the right time. And that's one part of it. And then zooming out looking at the calendar, I started pitching in July. It's one of the quietest times for books and subscription boxes, because it's not gift giving season. Now we're in gift giving season. Now I'm circling back to all these people and being like, hi, let's talk again. Have you seen the holiday box? Which that the third piece of advice I'd say besides following up and not getting discouraged by the no is adapting to not only the time period, but just adapt adapting in general. So I have stories and connections in that pitch. But let's look at the holiday trends that I'm seeing. Part of the reason one of my holiday boxes involves hot chocolate. Hot chocolate sales spike in the fall and winter. So why not books and food? Hot chocolates is my food. Okay, well how do I make this plus up even better? In one of the holiday boxes, you get a hot chocolate bomb DIY kit. I could connect that to a trend of let's look at how many TikToks are coming out right now and YouTube reviews. People love to make things, especially chocolate related things. So you can make your own hot chocolate and cozy up with a book. And then the book connects back to that relationship with Harlequin. So I'm trying without giving too much in the pitch, just trying to show whoever I'm trying to reach out to, that I've done the effort. I'm looking into things that I think your consumer wants to read about, which is cozy books. It's winter, put that blanket on, but also something really fun that's also trending. So that adaptation, it doesn't, maybe if I'm talking to someone who specializes in, in the media about food, I'm going to lead more with that hot chocolate DIY kit element. Or if it's someone who's a huge book person, I'm going to talk about the new October release I have that's a story which is Who Doesn't Love a Holiday Foodie Romance, like a Hallmark card movie with food.
Gloria Chou 18:45
Yes.
Kim Behzadi 18:47
And a gift. So adaptation is key. And I'll admit, going back to the first one, it's hard not to get discouraged, especially as a small business owner, like everyone out there, I feel you. I could tell you how many rejection emails there are or no one says anything to you at all. But they also have their own jobs. And that's something that you pitched. You coached and a lot of the videos is they get 1000s a day, it might just not be the right time. It's the wrong Tuesday to talk to them. And if you are persistent, and believe in what you're doing, those ripples, it goes back to that ripple effect I mentioned earlier, a couple of really strong hits can be game changing.
Gloria Chou 21:47
Yeah, I love that. It's all about planting the season. I love what you said about doing something that's so like, if I'm looking at your subscription box, I would think you can just take the summer off, like don't pitch, you know, but you're like, no I'm gonna start to plant the seeds now in July which is the quietest time for books and travel and subscription boxes. And so that way, when it gets to Q4, I can return the email and be like, hey you know, we talked in July, by the way, we have a new holiday box. So my next question is, do you put that in the same email as the same thread? Or is it a completely new email? How do you finagle like the subject lines?
Gloria Chou 22:25
Ooh, that is a real tough one. If it's someone who has actually responded to the email chain, I will keep it in the family because they took the time to engage with me. If it's someone who I've just, I call a cold shoulder, to politely I'll start with a fresh email headline, because they might be in a different mindset. You know, my pitches in the summer were things like this, this gift box or this box could be the best gift for your travel loving friend or foodie? Well, I don't know how many people love traveling in the winter, especially if you're from Buffalo, New York. There's a lot of snow, there's a lot of plane delays because of snow. So that headline might not resonate in that mindset or like in that time period. So it's I know, it's a little bit of a wishy washy answer to say I do a bit of both. But I think that's important. You have to think strategically about who you're talking to. I definitely have had authors and excuse me, press from the book space that said, not right now. But I know what they're they're gearing up for holiday book giving season. I'm already in a lot of books, I've also learned. Continually do your research, guys. Everyone out there, excuse me. Book selling for the holidays starts. October, October has a huge public, like two weeks, where all the new releases come out. And they come out in October so that you can buy them for December because of the shipping delays. That's kind of what the game is going back to why I was talking in July. Let's do back to school, and talk about in July. It's all about playing that. I don't wanna say mind game, but being strategic.
Gloria Chou 23:52
Yeah, I think a lot of times we trip ourselves up and we give ourselves reasons to not start, now's not the right time. It's too early, it's too late. But instead of thinking about what's the right time, you're like, I'm just going to pitch this subscription box in July, and you plan to the season and they got back to you. And now you're already well on your way to like a really well positioned Q4. So I love that, because a lot of founders now are like, well how do I get into gift guides? And yeah, you can still get into gift guys, but you've already done the kind of the messaging work. So that's really awesome for you. And I'm so glad that you're, you came into the starter pack early. Now in terms of the actual follow up. Did you follow up once a week? Did you follow up with email and DMs? How many times would you say you follow up in order to get some of the media wins that you have received?
Gloria Chou 24:36
Usually it's in sets of three. So I've sent that initial email, I'm gonna give it 24 to 36 hours. And then it's at least two social media platforms. And it's interesting, I'll admit, before we started a coaching, I don't like Twitter as a consumer. Twitter really stressed me out and I looked around and as I started to really research these authors and writers I wanted to talk to a lot of them I might go to their Instagram first and they say no DMs, on Twitter, or in a different email address, it might be a different email address than like what I started with. So that follow up is that investigative work is really important. It's usually I'd say a trifecta. I start with the trifecta within the same week. And then if I have something interesting to say, I'll also still try and follow up, I'm still honing that craft. And I think that's a profit everyone develops. So I know I started in threes, but for some people that might have put me on read in their DM, oh I see you, I'm coming for you, but in a polite way, but like, I've seen that you acknowledged me. You just didn't say anything yet. Other people have told me, I'm on vacation, like I'm just I'm in Cabo for two weeks, like booked yet. But I'll send this off to someone in my team, and then I'll come back and follow up to.
Gloria Chou 25:48
Yeah, that's amazing. Because the fact that they even respond to you gives you that little boost of confidence. And the fact that they say I'm in Cabo, I'm not doing anything, but I'm going to send it and guess what, you have a reason to follow up and say hey, you said this, and they're on the hook. So I love how you turn everything into an opportunity, whereas a lot of people will turn everything into a reason to not believe. But I love that. So, so let's say now you got you know, an interest. What was the actual interview like? Was it like over phone, DM, or texting? How did the story actually get published?
Kim Behzadi 26:16
A lot of the responses I've gotten, or when. Sorry to start again, when I do get a hit. A lot of times the follow up has been by email, which I'm grateful for, because then I can attach high resolution images if they want. I also can then use spellcheck and Grammarly, and I will sit there and actually read things out loud to make sure they sound okay. That's just been, I think the preference of that author. But I will always adapt. If someone says, can you get on a call for 10 minutes, absolutely. I'm actually interviewing for a different podcasts. Thanks to you in this pitching. I have another podcast next week. And that's going to be just like this, we're going to be talking on Zoom being recorded. And I'm going to adapt however they want. And I think that's another. I keep saying the word adapting. And I'm realizing that's just kind of the trend or wearing multiple hats, you can call it a million things. But as the smallest business owner, you just have to be willing to move back and forth. It's like me joining Twitter. My box is very late to the game on Twitter, maybe 40 followers, but I saw authors were on Twitter. So I'm going to start DMing them on Twitter, because if they say DMs are open, and they don't want to talk to me on Instagram, and they don't want to talk to me on LinkedIn. But they said, knock knock the doors open on Twitter, well I guess I'm going to Twitter. My personal life might not be on Twitter, but my box will be on Twitter if that's where they're going to talk to me.
Gloria Chou 27:36
So I love that you're like I'm just gonna go hit them up, you know that an email is not enough. Obviously, we teach this in the starter pack. What is the actual? Can you just give me example of how you would compose that DM on Twitter?
Kim Behzadi 27:47
The DM on Twitter, I always try to bring something relevant to the author and relevant to my box as well. So sometimes I'm referencing an article they wrote recently, which sometimes I'll just say it candidly. It is so frustrating when, oh no he just published a list of 25 book boxes two weeks ago and I'm late. I'm still going to talk to them about it because I love that article. And it's like, hey if you're going to do an update on this, because some authors refresh those lists every quarter every year, I would love to talk to you about this box in Read It and Eat. I sent you more details and then they'll actually reference the subject line in the DM so that they can go search their DMs and find it. Because you, you know you have more space and more. Not a lot of luxury. I know brevity is important in those emails, but you do have an ability to link out to your website to graphics and things like that. So give them something relevant that there maybe it's their own work, something relevant, something current or trending and also reference the specific email, especially people in the media, they get 1000s of them. So give them the breadcrumbs. Make their lives as easy as possible while still making it enticing.
Gloria Chou 28:51
Yes. And that's exactly what I teach in the center back. I'm so glad that you took that to heart. Now that my next question is, you make something that's a physical box. It's delicious. But you don't have a lot of budget to be sending out tons of samples. So how do you get around the whole like samples, not sending samples? What's your take?
Kim Behzadi 29:09
Oof, that's a really hard take. And it's something I have to think about as even right now. I have holiday boxes ready. And I'm gonna forecast next year. I actually work it into my budget, my cost of goods sold to have a certain amount allocated that are going to press and media. I, at the end of those emails, my usual closing is something like, if you'd like more information, images are linked here, hyperlinks and things like that, and I'm happy to send you a box of X, Y and Z. I'd have to say it's maybe a 60-40. Not many people actually need the box. Maybe if it's something like the autographed box. I've had people who want to have it. Who doesn't want to have an autographed book from an author? That's usually how I approach. It is I try to build in bandwidth and buffer in my bootstrap business. It goes back to that statement of investing. I'm investing in my business by using PR. Part of that investment is setting aside boxes. And I know for me, those boxes are expensive. The COGS are not cheap on those, but it's worth having them if it means someone from BuzzFeed wants to open the box and not only writes about it, but posts about it on their own personal channels. So it's building that piece in. And sometimes I've looked at, you know, there are definitely different publications where you can get blasts for people who are pitching and they want you to pitch to them for their holiday gift lists. They're much more particular. I will go do my research. So it's, it's a lot of research and some a little bit of pre-planning.
Gloria Chou 30:36
Yeah, well, I love that so much. And, and so would you say, would you validate it when I say, you do not need to give something for free to get featured. Is it not a requirement?
Kim Behzadi 30:44
No, absolutely. Definitely 1,000% agree, you do not need to always give away product to be featured. A lot of my local press, especially people are just so excited that you're, you're part of their community that they just want to champion you. And that's, it goes back to what you are providing. It's not me me me, it's, this is doing good. It's out there in the world to help people or solve a problem for your consumer, which my consumer wants to go on a culinary adventure and doesn't know how. When we were back in the pandemic, a lot of people started ordering DIY kits and learning to cook. Remember the era of sourdough bread. Everyone wanted to learn how and my first box I ever launched that sold out was a bread baking kit, because people wanted to learn how to bake. So you don't need to give things away. It's okay if you know for reviews, but it's not a, I must do this or nothing will come. I am a product of plenty of nice, wonderful press without ever having to send the item.
Gloria Chou 31:44
Yeah, and by the way, this press has only been like one or two months old since you joined. So it's not like, it can happen very very quickly. And in terms of the actual like sample, right? I obviously you know this because you're in the starter pack. But um, you know, it's not this desperation of like, please let me send you product. But how do you kind of conclude the sentence and wrap up that email? Where, it's there if they want to take it, but then you're not shoving it down their throats if you will.
Kim Behzadi 32:11
It's a very nuanced thing. How do you end your email saying this product is available, but not come off as desperate? That's a really great question. I always bundle it with, I have things that I can give you to help amplify the story, whether you're looking for pictures, here are the links, I don't literally write out here's links, but links, pictures, and how am I available. I'm available text, email, phone call. It's like essentially, that ending conclusion is here are all these extra benefits that I can help for this story. But really, you're focusing 90% of that, that email about the whys. Why this is amazing. So it's not a pretty please, I'll give you this for free. Like, you don't need to do that. Like just, it's here if you need it, along with these beautiful images, along with links, and my own knowledge as a thought leader, I'm here available by phone or text message or email.
Gloria Chou 33:04
Ah, I I love that so much that you said thought leader because I think before embarking on this PR journey, a lot of people are hesitant. There's they say, I'm not a thought leader or I'm not an expert, you know, but yeah, it's like if you're willing to take a customer's money, you're ready for PR, you have a point of view. So why not just go for it? You know, I love that so much. Another question that came to mind what you said about local communities. So many founders in our community who are listening, they make products because of their why, right? They're not just again, trying to do a get rich quick scheme. So when I think about how you give back to your local community, to me, my first pitch would probably be for like local press. So how did you differentiate your pitching between like, you know, your buffalo City News? Versus like a like a Buzzfeed? Did you have to spend a lot of time to tweak the pitches to be completely different? Or is it just as simple as a first sentence or maybe a subject line that you change out?
Kim Behzadi 34:00
It's a really great question. Adapting my pitch to the local media was, I probably say, less of just changing one sentence, it I think is worth investing in a couple of different beats. So we kind of we have this template, we have our Whys and our four season. I will adapt it locally because I'm looking at what they're covering. If someone in locally is covering books, subscription boxes, just like BuzzFeed, a little less adaptation needs to happen in that pitch. But the why and donating locally, sometimes that is the top. This problem that is solving is I want to shop small this holiday season. Here's this box, here's what it does, but not just the box, but here's how it's impacting your small community. Like I love when I meet people locally at these local events, and it's different kinds of pitching. It's not media pitching when you're selling at a local event, but you're still pitching yourself and you're trying to get me people to come to your booth, come to your stand and look at you. And when I talk to people locally and say, did you know the $5 from this box is going to this nonprofit? Big, big table, for example. Big, big table is a small restaurant where you pay what you can. So if you are someone with more discretionary income, maybe I will give $20 for my sandwich and a cup of beverage. But it's designed for that. If people who don't have a lot to give, they can still get a hot meal for as little as they can give. So when I'm at that booth, again, it's a different kind of pitching. It's a different kind of storytelling. But if I'm saying, hey $5 from that box is going to big, big table. If I know that place, that's down the street, or like my friend volunteers there. It's, I do change the story, I, and I don't think I think that's a good thing. There's nothing, I think adaptation is a really good thing. It resonates with people in a different way than maybe BuzzFeed, because BuzzFeed might only know Buffalo because of the bills, like go bills. It's a very different story, versus someone who goes, oh I know FeedMore Western New York, I've been volunteering there for years. So I do adapt, I think, to be more Buffalo first in those local pitches or even more Western viewer first in those pitches, because that's usually the story they're seeking. But it's really again, worthy of adaptation. I think it's a, it's a good thing to be fluid, if you will.
Gloria Chou 36:19
Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I think I don't know what it is. But it's a couple of words on screen. But the impact is so great, right? So the upside of me spending an hour to tweak the pitch, I could get featured in my local magazine, and nothing gives you hometown pride like that, right? Especially with what you're doing, and the hunger initiatives that you're in. So we're getting, by the time of recording, we're in Q4, you joined the PR pack just a few months ago, you got tons of press. What, let's say like, let's say you joined, right, you just joined. What would you tell your like, self if you had the chance to be in my community in January? Like, what would you do? What would you have done differently if you started earlier?
Kim Behzadi 37:00
Well, that's if I started in January, I'd still be at the tail end of holiday season. So I don't know if I would do anything differently. But if I could tell past Kim something, it's, I would double down on being open minded, come in being willing to absorb all that information and be willing to adapt, but also to really believe in yourself. I think a lot of us who are small businesses and bootstraped, we live a little bit in our own bubbles, and just even having you as a sounding board, even just having someone who checks in and that really supportive Facebook group. Just saying like, this is a great idea, like soak that all in and use it. So on the day where things feel like man, I just got 10 rejections or an item in my inventory is appeared damaged. Like on the down days, I can look back at our conversations and conversations in that community and use that as like that. I hate this phrase, pull up or pull yourself up by the bootstraps. But like, this is a support system. And it's also, its knowledge, you have given me so much knowledge and it's my job to continue to hone my craft, but I was approaching everything so wrong with PR. I was like DMing influencers, and I did. I was saying like I was desperate. Like, take this it's free and talk about it. It was, you taught us unwind and how to approach with the why and how that purpose driven beings through that thought leader. It has been such a game changer. So I wouldn't do anything differently. Maybe that was not the answer you were expecting. But just to encourage all the listeners out there come in open minded and just even if it's the slow season, you can do so much learning and pitching and planting those seeds now. Plant the breadcrumbs now. So in the holiday season, when they are getting inundated with emails, they'll remember you, like, I think I remember this person.
Gloria Chou 38:46
Yeah. And also I think you'll learn that journals aren't biting your head off. They're not sitting on these thrones looking down and judging people. I don't know what it is, I think it's decades of conditioning that the industry has taught us, that you have to pay someone else for their privilege and access and there's no chance for us to get featured. And we, me and you, we're living examples of we don't need them to allow us into the gate. You know, we can bust the gate wide open because we deserve to be seen, heard, and valued. So that's I think what I really want people to take away with as they start pitching all the stories you make up in your head like, yeah maybe you got a few nose, but did any of them like really hurt you? No. Right? And I feel like we get more trolls on Instagram who are like just random people in journalists, like hey they're busy people. So that's definitely something that I want to leave our audiences with. Is there anything else that you want any kind of parting words for this episode? You've given us so many gems by the way. Thank you so much. Is there anything else that we didn't cover?
Kim Behzadi 39:43
I think I would just like to double down to everyone that silence is not the No. It's something you said like they're not behind this these giant gates or on a pearly throne. So that just to double down on what your statement Don't worry guys, they are regular. Like I could have worked in PR if my career had gone a different way, and I think I come off as a fairly approachable person. It's just, it's all about timing in the end, sometimes in that moment, they're just not looking at that, at that moment. The other piece of advice is looking at the PR starter pack, looking at your small business, you are worthy of the investment. And it can seem very scary as a bootstrap person. Oh well, if I just keep putting it towards ads, something will happen. But I invested in knowledge with you in this coaching, and not only has it brought results in terms of increased sales and increased traffic, but also confidence up here. This has been a big game changer for me. I think I've said that to you a few times in DMs. I just, it has lifted that impostor fog in a way it's, it's, I think people understand, but it's hard to put into words. But sometimes, if you get bogged down, and you only focus on the nose, and you don't do anything to change yourself, you're gonna get stuck in those nose and you've given us knowledge and confidence, and also that support community. So those were the two big ones. I know that was a very long answer. And but I could sing praises all day because it really just has been such a game changer. You don't need the million dollar retainer. Like guys, it's gonna be okay. And I, I could not thank you enough for that.
Gloria Chou 41:11
Oh, you're gonna make me tear up, Kim. I'm so proud of you. Can you please tell people a little bit more about how they can find you and why every single person needs to get a box from you in Read It and Eat? Because I really think what you've combined are really interesting and delightful elements for people.
Kim Behzadi 41:29
Absolutely. So you can find me at my website, www.booksnbread.com. And you can find me across various social media channels at Read It and Eat and on Instagram specifically @bookmarksandbreadsticks. Right now, by the time this has gone live, I have a couple different holiday boxes out including the hot chocolate bomb DIY kit. If you want, that's great for all kinds of different ages. I grew up making Christmas cookies in my family so making hot chocolate bomb sounds great. I have a peppermint box where you can have peppermint hot chocolate, peppermint pretzels. Again, all of these are from small businesses and to throw another curveball. You want someone with spice in your life, I have a winter hot sauce box. And the hot sauces come from a small business in Brooklyn and is women owned. So those are three big ones. And coming up in the spring, I have a donut box. So you're going to learn all about federal donuts. And you're also going to make your own donuts which I learned to make my own doughnuts for the first time because I was testing the box. I didn't realize how much I loved having donuts, like fresh from the oven, like this was wonderful. But in general, those are tons of different ways you can explore and go on your next culinary adventure. But also just remember that for every box that sold, you are helping to fight hunger. And especially around the holidays, I think that is a hard time where a lot of traditions are curated around food. So why not do something for the world and know that you're helping someone with their next meal?
Gloria Chou 42:52
Oh, thank you so much for being such a purpose driven leader. And I'm so thrilled that the universe connected us and I cannot wait to see how far you go with the press, though. Thank you again. Hey, small business hero. Did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes, The New York Times, Marie Claire Pop Sugar and so many more, even if you're not yet launched? Or if you don't have any connection? 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 used to have 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 we'll show you exactly how to do it. Register now at Gloria Chou pr.com/masterclass. That's Gloria Chou c-h-o-u pr.com/masterclass. 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.