Episode 38: How to Pitch Business Services and Products to Secure PR and Paid Consulting Opportunities with Dermatologist and Inventor, Dr. Ross Radusky
Pitching yourself, your service, or your product requires a lot of confidence and work. Sometimes, you may even need some stroke of luck.
On most days, though, you’ll find that all you need is the right mindset and the right amount of consistency to pitch your business.
Well, that may not sound extravagant or exciting at first, but the truth is—to land your first media feature and book future opportunities, you’ll have to create the opportunities for yourself!
If that even made you feel more agitated to take the next PR steps, the good news is that we have what you exactly need to hear to get you going!
And it’s not even about the technicalities or the intricacies of PR.
It’s all about you, owning your expertise or product, and building from there.
If you’re a business founder stuck at the crossroads of what to do with your expert services and products, give yourself the chance to let the world see your value through unconventional yet effective methods of pitching to the right people at the right place and at the right time.
As shared by our special guest, Dr. Ross Radusky, no time is a bad time to position yourself in the market regardless of life's seasons.
“Your idea just may seem so boring or so bland and no one's going to be excited about it. But you mentioned it to someone else. They could be either in an allied field or they can be totally unrelated. But they're going to give you that confidence in that new self-awareness and those new perceptions and you could go out and pitch again.”
-Dr. Ross Radusky
Dr. Ross Radusky is a Board-Certified Dermatologist in SoHo, New York. He practices general and cosmetic dermatology; he believes in a personalized approach to looking best at any age. Aside from that, he is an entrepreneur and the inventor of sunshotz. He has been featured in several media outlets like ABC News, CBS New York, and Everyday Health Media.
Prepare for your notes and your mind to be blown away as our podcast guest illustrates how you should pitch so naturally that it feels like you’re not selling at all. Instead, his examples and experiences may be the inspiration you need to finally find an angle to pitch even from the most unlikely places and ideas.
All that and more are some of the key insights you’ll surely love in this episode. For now, one idea is clear—now is the best time for you to get started!
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
How to shift to a mindset of your expertise
Picking and pacing your pitching angles
A comparison of pitching your service and your product
Why optimizing your social media profiles benefits you
The reasons why business founders must always do PR
Creating endless opportunities for visibility
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:
Gloria Chou’s Masterclass: PR Masterclass
Check out Dr. Ross Radusky’s website: Dr. Ross Radusky
Discover more about sunshotz: sunshotz
Additional Resources:
Join the Small Biz PR Pros FB group
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Here’s a glance at this episode…
[2:43] One of the reasons why I immediately went towards thinking of press is because if your name is out there, you could pay for all the AdWords that you want. You could pay for all the sponsored ads, all the Instagram ads.
[3:58] I would really encourage people in their field to own their field and know their field and pitch from that level.
[5:16] It's a lot of hard work. It might not be incredibly time-intensive, but it is changing the way that you're thinking. In order to captivate and capture as many either new patients, new followers, new readers, whatever you are looking for. It's definitely a different mindset than from what we've traditionally been thought of.
[12:16] The other thing is, people always love to see a face. They love a human-interest story because it gets us excited. And so, I want people to really keep that in mind as they generate their ideas and think about what might be interesting.
[35:56] It's believing in yourself. It's really setting goals for yourself and asking yourself what you're looking to deliver and what you can deliver and create, crafting a plan and being persistent and sticking to it.
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Dr. Ross Radusky 0:00
Your idea just may seem so boring or so bland and no one's going to be excited about it. But you mentioned it to someone else. They could be either in an allied field or they can be totally unrelated. But they're going to give you that confidence in that new self-awareness and that new perceptions and you could go out and pitch again. Just restart again and build up that energy level and keep it going.
Gloria Chou 0:18
Hey, friends, I'm Gloria Chao, 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. Hi, everyone. I'm so excited for our special guestS today, Dr. Ross Radusky. He is one of the most special members of our community. But he is also a Board-Certified Dermatologist. He is an entrepreneur, founder and inventor of Sunshotz, which we will talk about, a consultant to one of the largest beauty pharmaceutical companies in the US. And last but not least, he has helped so many of us learn how to apply the methods to land media features. So welcome to the show.
Dr. Ross Radusky 1:17
Thanks so much, Gloria. It's great to be here. I appreciate you having me.
Gloria Chou 1:22
Now you were on the Facebook live on our Facebook Group a year ago talking about how you used to be a TV producer. You used to work at ABC News. And now you're doing your own pitching, and how it's kind of helped you grow your business. I think right before we got on this, you told me now you gave me the whole list of all the media features you've received in just the past few months, I'm going to start to list all of them. You said you landed Alor, Men's Health, PopSugar, Brit + Co, ABC News, Everyday Health Insider, Local News. Oh, did I get all of them?
Dr. Ross Radusky 1:57
Those are big ones, and each one I'm super proud of. And yeah, it's just been great. I've used so many of your methods. I feel like after a year of being a valued member of your club, things have only really looked up and they've been super, super exciting. I'm happy to share some of the things that I've done to make that successful.
Gloria Chou 2:18
Now you are also, not only do you have a medical practice, that you have a brick and mortar business, you also invented a product. So I love how multifaceted your pitching is. But the first question I want to ask you is you have a brick and mortar business, right? You have a physical location, a medical office. So what is the first thought would be I need to use local Google ads or do more of the paid media? Why did you decide to go so focused on PR?
Dr. Ross Radusky 2:43
Yeah, that's a great question. Once you are out there in press your name is instantly and forever on the internet, and people really research. So there's a reason why the healthcare and the beauty industry is a multi-billion, almost a trillion dollar industry because people are constantly searching. They want that information. One of the reasons why I immediately went towards thinking of press is because if your name is out there, you could pay for all the AdWords that you want. You could pay for all the sponsored ads, all the Instagram ads. It is not a permanent form of SEO. So to really maximize how you're searching yourself, and how your name really comes up, there is nothing better than landing an article, let's say in a war on the difference between dehydrated skin and oily skin. All that comes together.
Gloria Chou 3:33
I love how creative you are with all the different angles that you pitch because you have many different things. It's not just about your local business. So I definitely want to get into that. But the first big question is around mindset, right? A lot of people who are listening might say, 'Well, I don't have a medical degree or my business is not a very, quote unquote prestigious one,' or whatever it is. What do you have to say to that for someone who's just maybe making bracelets in their garage?
Dr. Ross Radusky 3:58
Yeah, so absolutely not true. So there is a niche. There's a need. There's a want for almost everything and anything under the sun. Yes, I sometimes do approach it as a physician that sort of starts it but that's because that's my expertise, right? So if you're telling me you're making something in your garage, I don't have that expertise. So, I would never pitch myself as that someone with that expertise. I would really encourage people in their field to own their field and know their field and pitch from that level. Because people are going to want to know that. How you can make it. You always use the examples of making candles in, let's just use making candles in your basement. There are every day spas opening up there are places that need fragrances, people just want to buy candles. So that's how you should pitch it. You should just come from the approach of you know what you're doing the best, you know what you need, and only one person can speak with that knowledge and it is so welcome. That's really the main focus.
Gloria Chou 4:58
I love that when you change your mindset, a whole ocean of opportunities open up for you. Because I bet for every person that's listening, there are 12, 13, 14 doctors in the same position as you who are not trying PR, because they just think it probably won't work for them. Or they're just caught up in the old way of thinking, right?
Dr. Ross Radusky 5:16
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's a lot of hard work. It might not be incredibly time intensive, but it is changing the way that you're thinking. In order to captivate and capture as many either new patients, new followers, new readers, whatever you are looking for. It's definitely a different mindset than from what we've traditionally been thought of. So if you were to ask me, What are the main reasons why your skin might be dry? I could read you a textbook, and I can tell you, you might have a certain enzyme deficiency or things like that. It's changing your mindset. So that way, you could create an email that says, you know, what, spring is ending summers coming, these are three reasons why your skin is dry ABC.
Gloria Chou 6:04
I love that! We're definitely going to get into all the seasonal trends, because you have just, I just feel like your mind is, you always have new opportunities, and you're pitching for every season. Even you said something about Halloween, which to me is not really a skincare angle to pitch, but you were successful in that. So let's get into that a little bit more. Before you were in the Starter Pack, before you use the CPR method, how did you think about pitching yourself? And then how did that framework change what you thought was possible in terms of pitching yourself all year round?
Dr. Ross Radusky 6:35
Yeah, and I think this goes back to people who aren't in the healthcare field. They're just worried about whether they can pitch themselves. The biggest change that I noticed was you have to pitch the info, and then you and your expertise as part of the CPR method will come second, as almost like a booster to it. So I used the thought like, 'Hey, I'm Dr. Ross Radusky. I'm a dermatologist, you should pick on me. That's actually not the CPR method. That's part of CPR. But it's not the primary focus. The first focus is your timely headline or your timely catch that pitch those ideas. Then you could bolster it with the expertise that you have with that credibility piece. So yeah, that C-part of CPR is super important. But just saying that you're a physician means absolutely nothing. It's really being able to tie it to what you're offering, what that deliverable is that you're providing in your presser or in your email that you're sending that captures a producer or a news director's intention, and then they'll read it and they'll be like, 'Okay, this seems like a decent idea. And then wait, he's also an expert. Are you an expert in that? That's a great match!' That's how success can come.
Gloria Chou 7:53
I love that, and the CPR again, for those who haven't heard it, definitely go watch the masterclass. But CPR stands for Credibility, Point of View, and Relevance. It's kind of what I teach inside of my program. And Dr. Ross is saying that the credibility part, although it's a part of it, you don't need to be board-certified. You don't need to have all these degrees. You can literally say I am a founder. Because I don't think that journalists are like, 'Well, show me your credentials for me to feature you.' It's about leading with the solution instead of leading with your background. So another question comes up, as some people say, 'Well, I don't think I am an expert, or I don't have any interesting angles,. All the angles I know are kind of boring.' So what would you say to that?
Dr. Ross Radusky 8:36
So the first thing is, are they boring to you because you see them all the time? I think that's really an important task. There's, as an example, there's only so many ways that I can think of talking about seasonal skincare tips, but the audience pool gets larger and larger. There's different niches, and people actually are interested in that. I think that's the first thing that you should ask yourself. Is it not interesting because it's you and your domain and you're not thinking of how people look at it from the outside? Then the other thing is, can you find a way to make it relevant?
So you just mentioned your CPR. Can you find that 'R', that sort of relevancy to it, so that there is a catch? Can you tie it to something? Can you tie it to a season? Can you tie it to breaking news, to changing things? Because then it's interesting. And again, it is a different way of thinking. I wouldn't encourage anyone. I wouldn't discourage anyone from thinking that their idea's super boring. That's probably not a healthy attitude to have. I think that there's a lot of there's an importance in positivity, but it could simply be directing it in the proper way to gain that attention. So you had mentioned Halloween, and you're right, most people don't think of it that as a skincare, as a skincare holiday. But what if I told you that you are consuming so much sugar, so much chocolate, so much fat? And what if I told you that maybe it could worsen your acne or your eczema or other conditions? That was the pitch that I used, and that's why I got some local press here and there's more of my name out there and that's more SEO and that drives the ultimate goal of me, which is either to promote my business, whether it be my practice or my invention, or just let the public know, like, 'Hey, you know what, maybe we love Snickers or we love other, you know, other chocolates and goodies, but everything in moderation is super, super important.'
Gloria Chou 10:37
Now, I love the creativity in that because I think for most people, it's either, 'Well, duh, obviously, sugar is not great, but I wouldn't pitch it,' or they wouldn't even think to pitch that around Halloween. Or I might think there's not many journalists who are writing about skincare around the holidays. They're writing about candy and shopping and kids' costumes. So how do you pick in ten different ways that you have angles for everything? How do you pick which one to actually pitch? Are you pitching simultaneously two to three angles at a time?
Dr. Ross Radusky 11:09
It kind of varies. It depends. If I feel like there are two different audiences. So if I'm sending it into a contact that I may have for children's publication I'll gear it towards that. If I feel like I'm one of them is maybe food and wine and the other one is Prevention Magazine. Let's say Prevention Magazine has picked up a couple of my articles, and they featured me. The audiences are very different, so the pitch may be a little bit different. I would encourage people to keep it simple in the sense that you can't generate an ideas list of eight or nine different pitches in one email. Because first of all, save it. Send it out. One of my things is, if you are over-annoying a contact, they will let you know. Until they let you know people are busy, you have to hope that your email crosses right away at the right time, that your title is exciting. And so there's no reason to bury it in one email, when you absolutely can divide it and break it up into a few different emails or pitches or pressors, things like that.
Gloria Chou 12:17
I love that because, obviously, there's a lot of contacts in the Starter Pack. And most people would go directly to the one, like if I were you, I would go for skincare, beauty and wellness. But you're like, 'No, I'm gonna use the food and wine content.' I would never even think about that, so that's amazing. So let's, can you take me through a journey where you came up with a pitch you pitched and then it got featured— what that looks like, in terms of how long it took, how many follow ups.
Dr. Ross Radusky 12:46
I want to remind everyone what excites producer or a director. One is definitely like a temporal nature to it. So if it's timely, I think that really important. The other thing is, people always love to see a face. They love a human interest story because it gets us excited. And so I want people to really keep that in mind as they sort of generate their ideas and think about what might be interesting. So for example, Men's Health. We know one of the articles that I pitched was I actually was seeing a really a rapid increase in rise in skin cancer in a particularly sensitive part of the male anatomy. And so again, this is a great example of your publication is going to make a huge difference. So I immediately thought of men's health. Not only was I able to connect to a great writer who I currently have a great relationship with, and who I pitch articles to all the time. I said, 'This is on the rise. We have a great treatment for it that I want your readers to be aware of and I can connect you with a face.' It was almost like a no-brainer for Men's Health, just sort of pick up that article. That was picked up with no problem. Then once you get those contacts cherish them. Keep them. Remind them that they've used you in the past and that you've used them, and then you should know each other. They're obviously reaching out to tons of experts all the time. From there, we were able to pitch a few articles about what's hanging. what's lurking around in your gym. What are some of the infections the common skin infections that you might see? And again, if I were to tell you Gloria, we're not going to gross out your listeners today about the nasty things you can find in the gym. It has not changed in years. These are still the same either bacteria or viruses that you still might find them, obviously Coronavirus excluded. But it's just putting it together and finding that right contact and saying, This is why it's important to your readers, whether it's now, whether it's five years ago or whether it's in the future, and it was well-received, and so they were able to publish an article on that as well. So using CPR plus using those techniques to find an angle, find the human interest. Again, remind yourself that you are the discoverer in a lot of things in your own field. Only you will have that inside knowledge.
I'll take another example for you. So back in December, for our patients who have acne, who are suffering from acne, and were on a medication called isotretinoin or accutane, they had changed the total setup of how it was done. And obviously, the news is not aware of the mess that is happening on the ground in dermatology offices. It's up to us. In this point, I was the expert to let the press know that there is a tremendous mess happening on the ground that is making it very, very difficult for our patients to get this medication that they so so need. So we alerted the Today' show, we alerted NBC News and local affiliates. And it slowly, slowly, slowly started to get picked up. Until finally it made like headlines and made front page news. So it only made front page news, because people in our position, this was our expertise, were able to promote it. And so if you're not a physician, and but you have that expertise in your field, and you're noticing a trend, I encourage you to create an email or create that pitch so that people are aware of it, because otherwise they have no idea.
Gloria Chou 16:30
Yeah, I love how when you talk about pitching and opportunities. You really see that anything is possible. And pressing that send button is just a part of the journey. I think for a lot of founders, they're so hung up on what to say and sending that first email that they don't even send that first email. Now that you know that, 'Yeah, maybe someone won't like my pitch, or maybe I'll have a mistake in my pitch.' But the more pitches I send, the better I'm going to get at my messaging, the more C's I'm going to put, you're not even worried about like the actual logistics of sending the email. You're just like, 'Who do I want to contact today?'
Dr. Ross Radusky 17:06
For sure. And practice doesn't make perfect. Practice just makes you better. I think there's just this viral Tiktok going around, or this professor who keeps saying that practices make you perfect, that just makes you better. For me, it's like an exercise to sort of, 'You give me the topic, I'm gonna try to find you some pitches, and you send it out. If it gets picked up, that's great. If not, then keep going.
Gloria Chou 17:28
So you've never, you said, people will tell you, and you probably sent out at this point, I don't know, like 50, 100 pitches. Have you ever had any journalist who was annoyed with you and said, 'Don't email me again!'
Dr. Ross Radusky 17:40
No. No, and I'll send it to the same people. They'll either not respond, which is, that's a rule of the game. Don't expect a response, or they'll write back be like, 'Hey, like, this is interesting, I'll keep you in mind.' And then it's really up to you, if you want to follow up with that and tell people. I absolutely would encourage you to do so. Because again, the more you put it out there, the faster you're coming into their mind. That's the only way that you can get the successes that you need. Now, one thing that I learned from you was, as an inventor of one of my products, it wasn't out there. And I was like, 'Well, I clearly can't generate any press for that.' That is not true. You find your expertise. You find your angle. You submit it in terms of the expertise, in terms of what you're providing. And then of course, in the follow through, you're talking about the product and things like that.
Gloria Chou 18:35
I love that. So I want to talk now about sunshotz, which is an amazing invention of yours. You're not only a dermatologist, but you're also an inventor. So you not only have a services business where you're talking about your expertise, but you have a physical product, which is a different type of pitch. Can you tell me about the similarities or maybe the differences between pitching your expertise, and then also for this product that you've invented?
Dr. Ross Radusky 18:58
For sure. The journey of becoming an inventor was quite long, and it was about finding the right connections. But I'm super, super excited that I was able to do it. I was able to use my expertise, my background and something that I was super passionate about to parallel. I want you to think of it as I was pushing two huge boulders together, which is one boulder as the invention, the other boulder is just what my expertise are and it's finding ways to link it. So for example, I have a, so can you guess why I have a golf ball in my hand Gloria?
Gloria Chou 19:38
Because that is the amount of sunscreen we need to cover your body.
Dr. Ross Radusky 19:42
You got it except who in realistic terms thinks of a golf ball when it comes to applying sunscreen. So I sort of explained what my I mentioned. So this is sunshotz. Sunshotz is a portable and reusable sunscreen measuring cup. It's designed to go anywhere and everywhere with you. It's portable. It's reusable. It's environmentally friendly. There's a one ounce line on the cup that reminds everyone what's the amount of sunscreen that you need to use. You are right that is a golf ball size or a shot glass full. That's sort of where the name is Sunshotz came from. It's just been great, and so there are a couple of ways that I've been able to promote it. One is finding that clever title like this is one sunscreen hack of summer that you need, and hoping that they open it and realizing like, 'Hey, this is actually a really great, great idea.' The other way is by tying it into something that I know best, which is obviously I know: Skin Cancer Awareness is super important. Wearing good photo protection, wearing the right amount of sunblock is super important. Then once you get that interview with, let's say it's Everyday Health, or let's say it's with Alor, or let's say it's with Insider, that's your time to say, 'Hey, we're talking about this topic, I want to make you aware of my invention. And here is sunshotz. Because this is something that people will really struggle with. When they have an invention it's, 'Here's my invention, you should really just listen to me.' But no, again, it's about finding that angle. It's making people aware of that angle, and then how you can tie your invention into it.
Gloria Chou 21:24
That's so clever as leading with value. The journalist is not stupid. They know you're probably pitching because you have something to offer to their audiences. So can you break that down for me a little bit more? Because I think so many people are like, 'Here's my product, can I send you a sample and lead with that? But you're saying you've actually gotten better responses when you lead with the challenge, right?
Dr. Ross Radusky 21:47
Yeah, so 100%. So when it comes to, and again, pick a season, so when it came to winter travel, here's one fact that I was able to pull, which is that you're more likely to burn, and you're more likely to develop skin cancer by taking those short trips, let's say to Aruba or to the Caribbean in the middle of January. It's writing an article right around either Christmas break, winter break, spring break that says, here are three tips that your viewers or three tips for spring break 2022. One of those tips is going to be sun protection. So I included that quick fact. And that's your plug for your invention. So you could do this with anything that you're looking for, let's say you're inventing a really unique type of candle. You could think about spring break, and how people want to relax, and people want to get away. And this is one way that they can totally zone out. They can totally get into their groove with just great aromatherapy and great fragrances, and that's your pitch. Then you mention your invention like that,
Gloria Chou 22:51
I love that. You're gonna have to come into my Facebook group and inspire everybody because you just really took the methods and ran with it. So let's keep continuing. So you you pitch the story, obviously, you've seen the pitches in the Starter Pack. So, we like to kind of stuff it in there. Not so obviously, but one of the three bullet points will be your product, and then what happens? And then what's the follow up in response?
Dr. Ross Radusky 23:15
Yeah, so the follow up has been just totally tremendous because you're not coming from the angle that you're just like pitching your product. You're totally giving an expertise that meets that need. When I wrote an article or when I was featured in an article that spoke about spring break tips, the link to sunshotz, and that links to my website, and that's instant SEO and that's totally searchable. Another example is if there's ever a story about skin cancer and Skin Cancer Awareness. There was a Canadian NHL team, where one of the audience members, someone in the stadium was able to find and spot a skin cancer in one of the coaches. I quickly sent an email and said 'These are the signs that you're looking for when it comes to skin cancer.' Of course, that's all my pitch. I just want to make people aware of skin cancer awareness. It has nothing to do with my product. There is a natural follow through with that, which is that if you protect yourself from this sun, and you protect yourself, by using the appropriate amount of sunblock, you could prevent that. So that's how that's sort of tied in. And that's where I was able to get that link. That's where I was able to get that SEO.
Gloria Chou 24:27
So did you have to explicitly ask on the phone call, because I assume that they respond and you get on a call, right?
Dr. Ross Radusky 24:33
Yeah, that's correct. So well, one of them was actually on the news. I was interviewed just like I am here, I was interviewed on the news. And that went to like 57 or 58 local affiliates across the country, which was awesome. I spoke from my position, for my level of expertise, and I mentioned it and there was no problem with at all.
Gloria Chou 24:53
That's amazing. Did you have to clear it with the journalist like 'Well, you know, I actually am also a founder.' Or were you told it was not even an issue?
Dr. Ross Radusky 25:03
For me, it's not an issue because if they're going to not want that, they're gonna say something. I probably did let them know, like in my title, I will tell them like, 'Hey, I am founder of sunshotz. And you could bring it up that way. It's really up to them whether they want to include it or not. If you're going to be on a live TV segment, you probably want to clear it, right? Because that's a totally different ballgame. But because you don't want to sneak anything through you, you should be excited. You should be enthusiastic. You should be like, 'Hey, you know, we're gonna go live, but I'm going to be mentioning sunshotz. And this is exactly why I'm going to be doing it.' Then there should be no reason at all. You should have no hesitation whatsoever.
Gloria Chou 25:44
Yeah. And you had, no one was ever like, 'Oh, you cannot mention your product.' Because your pitch is really serving people. It's really being a part of the solution. So that's what helps you get rid of that icky feeling that you're trying to sell something because your your solution is really helping people at the end of the day.
Dr. Ross Radusky 26:01
Correct. Yeah, I mean, I think you said that perfectly. Gloria. At the end of the day, you're selling what your goals are. And so think of what those are. So if it's to sell more of your invention, or if it's to sell more of yourself and your expertise then that is going to ultimately shine through in whatever you do. Be persistent. Continue using methods that work, that are successful. I think your methods are super successful because not only am I on the outside, but I've been on the inside. I've read those producer emails. I've seen what they look like. It's really just having that confidence. And it's a little bit of a numbers game, and you'll totally get there.
Gloria Chou 26:40
I love that. So another question I get is, Okay, what if I want to be included in a gift guide? Can I be more explicit about why, for example, sunshotz should be in your summer travel bag? Instead of having to stuff it in one of the three points and just say I want to be included in this product roundup.
Dr. Ross Radusky 26:58
Yes, 100%. You really should obviously use that angle, which is why I think that this should be in your summer beach bag, or this should be in your summer getaway pack or these are the things you must pack in your bag. So yes, it's a little bit different when it comes to the product features for sure.
Gloria Chou 27:16
Now, in terms of all the different angles you've pitched. You pitch holiday candy, you pitch acne. Which one do you think people should start with when they're just starting out? Maybe sending their first pitch?
Dr. Ross Radusky 27:28
Oh, that's a great question. I really think that finding something that is newsworthy, that's current, or that either gives them perhaps a new angle to something that's old. So I think that working that angle is really important. It could absolutely be talking about where we are in the calendar year. But remember that magazines are thinking months and months ahead. Gift bags and items and things like that, they're thinking months and months ahead. So anytime and every time is a great time to think about your product, and how that really, really makes sense. If you're just getting started, obviously, go through all of the tips that Gloria, that you offer. Keep thinking of different ways and different ideas and send as many emails as you want. Send a few. Use it. Use a server that lets you track you know who's opening your emails. That way, you could change your subjects a couple of different ways and track it down. And you'll only get better. So practice makes you do things better.
Gloria Chou 28:29
Awesome. So two other questions in terms of sending the email. How often do you follow up? And how do you use social media to make that really get through to them?
Dr. Ross Radusky 28:38
Yeah, so for a lot of my emails, I will send the email and then I'll find them on LinkedIn. I'll send a LinkedIn message like 20 minutes later, or 10 minutes later, and I'll say, 'Hey, you know, I sent you an email, I'd love to connect.' And that's it. So like that brief angle. If I don't hear back from them, usually within a week or sooner if it's even more attempt to, like, it's even more hot ticket item then I'll send something a little bit sooner. But I really think that a follow through is super important. Don't think that people are ignoring you because they don't care about what you've sent them. They're most likely ignoring you because they have so much on their plate. And this is just, they're being bombarded by tons of people, every hour and their inboxes are just blowing up. So just because you don't hear them, squeaky wheel oftentimes gets the oil. It might just take a follow up email. And again, be professional. Be nice. There's no need to be short or curt with anyone. And it's just 'Hey, just wanted to follow up. Just make sure if you've seen my emails.' things like that, I actually get as part of my affiliations just with journalism, I get pitches all the time. And I can't imagine everyone is using the Gloria Chou method, but the'yre similar. You're obviously giving people a great resource. And I never get offended when I see the same email again and again. So just, you got it,
Gloria Chou 30:00
You have to follow up. I have hundreds of people in the Starter Pack. I've pitched hundreds of times. I have yet to land a story without a follow up, whether it's email, or LinkedIn. And let's be honest, we're competing with these very pushy PR reps who are getting paid thousands of dollars as well. So can you talk to me a little bit, because I know you've also had some experience with PR agencies versus doing it yourself. I think for a lot of founders, they just say I don't have time to do this. It's either I hire an agency, or I just wait to do PR because I can't do it on my own.
Dr. Ross Radusky 30:31
Sure. So I would obviously discourage people from thinking that they don't have the time or the energy or the resources. One of the nice things is once you come up with your pitch. Just start with one, and it might have a couple of ideas. You're going to be able to send that out to a lot of people. So you're going to get a lot of bang for your buck. You're going to be able to use either the media contact list that's on your website. You're gonna be able to find the right people to send the same email. You should tailor it right. You shouldn't just write, Dear you:' It should say who you're sending it to. But set a goal for yourself. Make it realistic. Maybe choose or spend 15 minutes every day just going through. If even that's too much, spend 15 minutes a week, just going through the database, really finding the contacts that you need, sending the email, tracking it down, making sure you're looking who's opening it, who's not sending those follow ups. It grows because that's how the system works.
Gloria Chou 31:30
Yeah, and let's be honest, when you send that LinkedIn follow up message, which is probably the reason why they get back to, you want to send it from your own because it's awkward for a PR rep to do it. And the journalist is like, 'Who the hell are you?' So you're the expert.
Dr. Ross Radusky 31:45
Correct. People are always looking for new people to speak with. They see the face. They see your history. They see everything about you. And you're right, it's just like one last layer of just blockage that's removed when it's you sending that message on LinkedIn.
Gloria Chou 32:04
Yeah, journalism's not dead. Definitely, the reason why journalism is so highly regarded is because they do want to have new voices, not just the Elon Musks and the Jeff Bezos of the world.
Dr. Ross Radusky 32:14
Yeah, and journalism is everywhere. It's not just your traditional networks. I really encourage you to think outside. It's like it's sending an email, I promise you, it's sending an email to one of the largest airline carriers and finding someone in their department and saying, 'Hey, you know, what, pilots are at increased risk of developing skin cancer, like this is super important. This is Melanoma Awareness Month. This is May. Let's talk.' Where it's finding the hotel chain that has been just dealing, obviously, with pandemic- related travel slump. It's like, this is why this is super important coming up. So like, there's press everywhere. I encourage people to think outside the box.
Gloria Chou 32:50
Yeah, I mean, Dr. Greta Anderson, who you connected with, was able to use the CPR method to also land a partnership. So it's not just press, but actually a partnership. So can you talk a little bit about what you've been able to do? Because now you are a consultant for a major pharmaceutical beauty company. How were you able to use the CPR method to get yourself in front of this audience, this opportunity that was very tremendous for you?
Dr. Ross Radusky 33:13
Yeah, so one, I really encourage everyone to have a great LinkedIn portfolio because it's one of the fastest ways for people to see a resume in 2022 right where we are today. People are on LinkedIn more than they've ever been before. If you look at the growth rates of people who are searching people on LinkedIn, it just continues and continues to explode. And so I actually use a lot of the CPR method in terms of how I set up my LinkedIn, the specific LinkedIn segment part of it. So I am able to appear as the expert that I am, and this is exactly why. So I'm able to write like I've treated 10,000 plus individuals. I've done this, I've done that. I've done that because it really does look impressive. And just like an unpolished resume versus a polished resume, people only have a few seconds to look at, look you up, and find out who you are. If yours is done or made or you're searchable, you're going to come up and great opportunities will follow. I always say create the LinkedIn portfolio that you think you are, that you want to be, and great opportunities will follow. Someone reached out to me on LinkedIn, and they're like, 'Hey, you know what, you know, we're looking for consultants for one of the largest aesthetics companies in the world, and it's certainly in the United States. And we need your expertise. And, you know, I heard more about the job description.' It's just been a great marriage. It's been a great opportunity for me to offer some of my expertise in a consultancy role, and it's something that I love and that I'm really passionate about. And just a different angle that particularly for someone who didn't even think it existed, to really be able to offer that opportunity. So it's really been great. So again, have the LinkedIn portfolio that you think you are and that you want to be, and great opportunities can follow.
Gloria Chou 34:59
Someone really took a note of everything in the Starter Pack and ran with it. The best part about it is now you can say on your LinkedIn literally in the headline that you've been featured in all these places organically because anyone can pay for an ad. But it takes a little bit more work to be able to position yourself as the founder and have the confidence to pitch, right? I mean, that's what really, to me, that's what landing media is. It's showing that you are a leader. It doesn't matter how profitable your business is or where you are, but that you have the guts to actually go out there and say, 'I believe in this so much that I'm willing to pitch it to media.'
Dr. Ross Radusky 35:36
Yep. 100%, I completely agree. It's believing in yourself. It's really setting goals for yourself and asking yourself what you're looking to deliver and what you can deliver and create, crafting a plan and being persistent and sticking to it. I didn't pay a dime in PR, and I've been able to land really great press. I've just been really lucky. I think I had $125 sponsored ad maybe on Instagram at one point, but that's about it. And so it's really been great.
Gloria Chou 36:12
And also speaking, because I feel like you can carry that over to speaking as well. So I look forward to seeing you on some stages, whether it's virtual or in person.
Dr. Ross Radusky 36:22
Absolutely. Well, thanks, Gloria. I'm looking forward to that, too. I guess that should be my next frontier.
Gloria Chou 36:27
Yes, yes. One question. Really quick before we hop off is, you have this beautiful product, sunshotz. It's great for all seasons. It's great for kids. It's great. It's great for families. When you are pitching for the product feature, whether it's must haves in your travel bag. What about samples? How do you offer samples? What is the way you go about doing that?
Dr. Ross Radusky 36:49
Yeah, that's actually a really great question. Because there is a cost to your product. There's a cost to shipping. So you definitely have to do numbers. You have to take that into effect. You have to count on your inventory. Supply chain issues are real. These are real issues that we're all dealing with in 2022. And it's making sure your samples land in the right hands like the right address, the right individuals. Because throwing it out, like literally out of a window is obviously not going to get you the things that you need. But it's finding the right people in sunscreen companies, or it's finding the right bloggers who reach an audience or it's finding the person who just needs it. I've offered it to patients here who like totally need it, just just to let them know I want you to enjoy the sun. And I want you to sun responsibly, and this is one way to do it. So I think that's a really difficult question that people eventually will need to ask themselves: who is not worth it? But is this going to have an impact on either them or on my business? So those two things go into play.
Gloria Chou 37:55
Now, so I mean, obviously we know the answer to this. But do you only get featured if you have to send a free sample?
Dr. Ross Radusky 38:04
No, that is absolutely not true. I've been featured plenty of times without getting a sample. If you believe in your product like I do I always say, 'Can I please send you one? Because I just think that it's going to be that much more tangible to them. But there is no barrier and it should not hold you back. People should understand what you're pitching and what you're providing by either directing them to your website, or by talking about it or mentioning how it could be relevant to their audience, and then go from there.
Gloria Chou 38:33
So just to be clear, it's not a prerequisite. And if you are a bootstrapping founder, and you don't have all the budget to send everything, you can still get featured.
Dr. Ross Radusky 38:42
Absolutely. I consider myself one of those individuals. And I'm still getting featured. So it works. Yes.
Gloria Chou 38:48
That's amazing. So you have a thriving practice, you just moved to a new state, you had sunshotz is doing so well. What is next for you in terms of visibility and the opportunities that you want to create for yourself?
Dr. Ross Radusky 39:00
Sure. Well, summer is literally around the corner. In fact, it just it feels like summer here in Texas, because it is about 95 degrees today. I'm forgetting that parts of this country still haven't had their spring and summer yet. This is a great time for me to really start to pitch to local affiliates, to larger affiliates. I'm going to try to get it more featured on segments that are offering ideas about how to protect yourself this summer. Because news relevancy is like a wave. It'll go up, then we'll go down for awhile when I go up, then I'll go down again. And so it's again, just finding that right time, and to think about that pitch. So I would love to see a little bit more pick up and a little pickup of sunshotz, but now that we are getting into the summer, but when winter comes around, you better believe that there'll be contacts in Australia and in the southern hemisphere that I'll be reaching out to, and there'll be travel winter travel again, so it's all timely.
Gloria Chou 39:59
Now the world is your oyster and I know that so many people who are listening are getting so many ideas because I consider myself a pitching pro. But I didn't even think about pitching for Halloween like candies. The fact that you are, your mind is just blooming with these ideas is incredible, I can tell in your voice, that you really do think that the world is your oyster, and there is definitely, every single month, a week, a reason to pitch, even if it's something seemingly unrelated.
Dr. Ross Radusky 40:29
For sure. I think that connecting with the right people, I mean, the community that you foster is super important. Because I'm so lucky to have been able to get in touch with founders, just like myself. Just offer that piggybacking or that understanding of how we both can help each other. I truly believe that it's not necessarily who you know, it's how you use those connections to really launch greater successes for yourself and for your peers. Because you can't get to where you want to be just by yourself. You obviously need other peoplem and that's for a benefit. That's actually to stretch your mind. That's the encouraging to expand upon your creativity. Because sometimes, and I think we mentioned this earlier on the podcast, your idea just may seem so boring or so bland, and no one's going to be excited about it, but you mentioned it to someone else. And they can be either in an allied field, or they can be totally unrelated. But they're going to give you that confidence and that new self-awareness and that new perceptions that you could go out and pitch again, and just restart again and build up that energy level and keep it going.
Gloria Chou 41:35
I love it. I mean, I think so much of our business success, it's both mindset, and then the tools to get there. Oftentimes, it's not about the tools. We have tools. We have. It's just what you believe is possible. And I think for a lot of people who, before listening to this, thought their angle was boring or not adding anything new, you've just smashed all of those beliefs, and you've given us so much confidence. So we're going to need to have you back on the show. We're going to need to have everyone who's listening, definitely take notes. I feel like this is going to be one you're going to come back to, but Dr. Ross is also in our Facebook group. So if you want to copy and paste your pitch in there, we are happy to give you some feedback because he's someone who has done the work himself and now he's happy to share with our community. So thank you for that.
Dr. Ross Radusky 42:20
Thanks so much Gloria. I appreciate that. Yeah, happy to help out, posted, tagged me, and I love to just give you some some feedback on that because that's how we get better. Maybe, I'll tag a couple of mine. I got to think let's see, we just passed Flag Day. So what's coming up next, I'll come up with some sort of seasonal relation or something. And the news to get us excited about sunscreen and skin awareness, and both will be able to help each other. So thanks, Gloria. Thank you so much.
Gloria Chou 42:48
Now my brain is exploding with ideas. I mean, I'm thinking like National Hot Sauce day. I mean, I don't even know.
Dr. Ross Radusky 42:54
Goodness, yes. Well, hot sauce can worsen conditions like rosacea and sensitive skin. And one way that sensitive skin and rosacea gets worse is by too much sun, so you need sun protection. And you know, 'Hey, I'm the founder of sunshotz, I can do it. I promise you. That's how it rolls. Some of them will land. Some of them won't. Have fun doing it really just get excited about talking about it and sky's limit. Sky is the limit.
Gloria Chou 43:23
How do people find you whether it's for inspiration for pitching, whether it's for sunshotz, or for anything Dermatology-related?
Dr. Ross Radusky 43:33
Yeah, for sure. So you always could reach out on my website. It's www.rossmd.com. That's my personal website there. I've got a couple of demo reels if you wanted to sort of see some segments that I have. Of course, you could reach out to me on on my business website, which is sunshotz with a Z sunshotz.com. And I hope to actually one of the next frontiers has just posted a couple more articles there to use that to piggyback and, and use some of the things that I'm featured. So that's coming up as well over the next few months. So either sunshotz.com or my personal website, which is rossmd.com. Or in the Gloria community, just reach out, I'm in there.
Gloria Chou 44:08
Well, I'm going to need some sunshotz for myself because even though I look young, this Asian skin is not going to last forever. So I'm gonna order myself.
Dr. Ross Radusky 44:17
Come down to Texas, and you will see the sun like I have never seen it before. As a New Yorker, as a native New Yorker, I'm down here like, 'Oh, my goodness, am I on the surface of the sun?' Yeah, but yes, hopefully next time you come down. As this New Yorker, I just bought my first cowboy hat. And here was my pitch. I had to pitch it to someone very important in my life, which is my wife, who, she obviously lived in New York for a while, and I said, 'Look like I gotta be outside. I have to cover my ears, right? I'm not getting a sombrero while I'm here. I'm getting a cowboy hat.' So I pitched it in the name of sun protection. And that is why as a native New Yorker, I have my first cowboy hat.
Gloria Chou 44:56
That deserves a round of applause. I got energized. It's just so much fun talking to you, and I love that you've connected with so many people in the PR Starter Pack community. We're gonna have to have you back again and again because now I'm just like thinking about all the different angles and even national pet day. Anyways, for another day, but thank you so much.
Dr. Ross Radusky 45:14
Thank you. Thanks, Gloria. Thank you so much!
Gloria Chou 45:18
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 1000s 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.