FAQ: How Did You Get Your Press?

Reposting, added section about Blogs!:

I've had Handmade Jewelry by Peggy Li Creations for over five years now and there are questions that I am often asked about my business. I'll try and cover one of those questions each week here on the blog!

By far the most popular question is, "How did you get your Peggy Li Creations press?" followed by "Did you do it yourself?" and "How do I get celebrities to wear my jewelry?" and "How do I get my jewelry in magazines?" All of these questions are related. The general answer is, you do it by being persistent and being smart! And yes, I got all my press myself.

1. Do your homework. Target TV and press that fits with your design style.
2. Create a professional-looking press kit. Approach this as you would applying for a job. You create a cover letter, addressed to a *person* (find this person on the masthead of the magazine or the credits of a TV show). Generally you want the Accessories Editor or the Costume Designer. Add a few pics of your jewelry, a bio page and your contact information and those are the basics! I don't recommend sending samples unless they are requested.
3. Tell a story. Do this by sharing a little bit about yourself on your bio page. What is your design inspiration? Give them a quick one or two lines about your design philosophy eg "I make everything from recycled materials and my goal is to help the environment".
4. Be timely. Remember that TV shows and magazines are working about 3 months in advance of airing or print. Newspapers (don't forget local publications!) have a shorter lead time. But don't send something talking about holiday gift guides in November! They have set their issues months before.
5. Be patient. Jewelry is very competitive. Take the time to evolve your business image and learn to edit your descriptions (and your designs!). Learn about the industry and discover your niche. Don't worry if you aren't in the black yet -- it takes time to grow a healthy business. Keep your goals realistic while still having the "stretch" goals of world domination ;-).
6. Be professional. Respond in a timely manner, keep the casual chatter to a minimum, and remember -- relationships are everything. We are human and sometimes we don't respond to an email or there is an online miscommunication, but it is a small world out there. If you tell a magazine you will send samples by Thursday, they better get there Thursday! It's not personal; it's business.
7. Don't forget online press. Online press is great exposure not only because it is often "free", but because links and online mentions will benefit the SEO for your website! Look for product review sites, shopping blogs, etc. If you have a coupon code, post them on coupon sites like reesycakes.com or grechenscodes.com. Sites like Grechen's take full advantage of Twitter to broadcast your news even wider. Check out Modish's tips on approaching blogs How to Approach Blogs and get Them to Write About You.
8. Generate your own press. Don't forget to send timely sales news to your email list, Facebook Fan page, and Twitter followers! Taking advantage of these new mediums will only benefit you. Hopefully I'll have more time to write about it. In the meantime, you can read about tips from Nina Designs Social Marketing efforts.
9. Other freebie tips. Again, the Nina Designs folks has a great post on Recession Jewelry Marketing.

There are other great resources out there on this topic:

Modish Biz Tips
http://www.modishblog.com/biztips/
Tips from a blogger and networking with other small biz folks. Set goals and learn about marketing from a blogger's POV.

Amy Peter's Design Studio blog:
http://amypeters.blogs.com/
You'll find me linking to Amy's blog quite a bit, as she covers a lot of territory my FAQ will cover and has way more experience as a small business owner than I!

32 Flavors PR:
http://thebuzzlounge.blogspot.com/2005/12/5-steps-to-take-before-you-launch-your.html
Straight from a PR professional's mouth! Great tips to getting started with your business.

The Switchboards Forum:
http://www.theswitchboards/forum/
An online gathering place for small business owners to share tales and tips. I am "plcpeggy" on the forum!

You can also check out my FAQ on Press Kits Part I and FAQ on Press Kits Part II.