I spoke to a group of artists and makers in New York recently and after my talk a woman came up to me, opened a copy of my book on DIY publicity to a well-worn, dog-earred page and said, “thank you.” I looked down to see the opening picture of my chapter on Creative Collaborations. The picture was ceramist Rebecca Wood, a friend in her fifties who continues to inspire and encourage artists in my home of Athens, Georgia while still forging ahead with her own.
The woman thanked me for including someone a little bit older in my book, someone whose smile lines told her story, the knowing, the love of life she found in creating.
In the same way, I was looking for a cheerleader and community of support when I launched my book and consultancy last year and hit the road giving workshops across the country. I found that in Jessika and in OMHG! Thank you, Jessika, for your can-do spirit, your nurturing ways and for being, well, you. Happy Birthday!
To celebrate Amy is giving away 5 copies of her amazing book Recipe for Press-just enter below with your biggest marketing challenge/struggle for a chance to win! Giveaway ends December 20th with the winners announced at the bottom of this post the following day.
The biggest marketing challenge I face is that I don’t have a portfolio. The majority of my work has been confidential, so I can share it with potential clients. And I am struggling to come up with the time and ideas to create portfolio samples without a client.
I struggle with promotion when I don’t have something “new and exciting” to share. I really find promotion after that initial wave of marketing when your shop is new and you’re introducing yourself is hard!
I struggle with the timing of it all. Making time to market is SO necessary but very difficult when it is a one woman show. I also struggle with what Marisa (just above me in the comments section) wrote. Thank you for this lovely giveaway!
I own and love this book. I bought it the minute I read Jessika’s tweet on it about a year ago. It is concise, easy to read and full of great information. Thank you Amy for sharing your insight and for making reaching out easier to so many.
We struggle with finding the time to market. You can get so wrapped up in creating that you put marketing on the back burner, then all of a sudden it bites you in the butt! By the end of the day, we have gotten so much accomplished, but most of it ends up just being work.
Marisa, I devoted a whole chapter in the book to your conundrum. It’s titled “The Importance of Being New” and I share how brands that receive tons of press manage to do so even when their product is not new. You just have to get into the habit of thinking like an editor. Try and consider associating your product (not new) with a new trend or hot color. If you a longstanding shop then perhaps you pitch the “exclusive” or new line you carry.
My biggest marketing challenge for 2013 will be figuring out how to convey a fundamental shift in my target market.
Hello, this book looks lovely! I’d say my biggest challenge is just putting myself out there. For so long, I was just happy with any press that came my way, but am seeing that I now need to push myself and pitch. How?!
🙂
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!
allisa
Hi there! My biggest struggle is finding my target market, who are they, where are they and how do I speak to them without sounding salezy.
Developing relationships with bloggers and editors will, moving forward, become a priority for businesses small and large. These days the pitch is a short, personalized email directed specifically to the editor of the page you want to be a part of. About 1/3 of the pitch should be an amazing picture of your product. You’ll be surprised at how many placements you can land if you follow this and dedicate even a few hours a week to pitching and followup!
I cannot believe that I’m just now hearing about this book, because I could use a double dose of this advice. My biggest challenge right now is lack of confidence to be able to go out there and publicize myself. Give me a compliment, and I start sweating. Ask me to reach out and drum up some publicity, and I will find anything else to do to avoid putting my neck out there. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book.
For me, it’s figuring out where and how to pitch. I just feel like I’m floundering in the middle of this huge ocean, watching all these big ships (shops who successfully market) pass me right on by. It’s overwhelming!
For me, it is the sleazy salesman feeling I get when I try to market my work. I think it’s a fine line- I want to learn to be a good marketer without turning people off/annoying them.
Also, at this point, my Facebook fans and Etsy followers are mostly family, friends, acquaintances from my real life- I want to move into the realm of having the majority of my fans be strangers online who see my work and love it rather than friends/family who are there for support and want to see what I’m up to but are less likely to buy.
My biggest challenge is being a better writer. I feel like I’m an average writer, but I want to become one of those writers who captivates a reader within the first few sentences.
um, the whole marketing thing itself!
I struggle with what is press release worthy and how to wrote one effectively. Then I struggle with where the most appropriate places are to distribute my release! Help please!!
I get really jazzed about the pitching the story & product aspect of something new… until you feel like you’ve pitched it 173 times. Even with successful features or runs I sometimes feel like it’s old news then & I need to come up with something even greater. (And then I won’t pitch anything until I feel I’ve done so)
So I guess I struggle most with consistently pitching & promoting. I hope that makes sense?
What a great post & such a generous giveaway! My biggest marketing problem is me… I find it hard to write about myself & my skillset in relation to my business. I hired Tracey Selingo – who did an awesome job! – to write my bio & shop intro & only now feel more confident to take on some more adventerous marketing because of that base.
Looking for new and unique ways to market our business and ever changing seasonal products. I think that I’d like to focus more time working on ways to get more print press and internet exposure.
Biggest marketing-struggle – how to come up with a STRATEGY and not spend so much time on twitter, facebook, pinterest etc. without seeing results. 😉
The whole how do I get press to notice me or how to put together a press kit is also still a big mystery to me. 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win!
xox
Ursula
Biggest challenge: finding my target market
I knew there was a need for my book! Thank you so much for sharing your concerns. Most, if not all, are addressed in Recipe for Press where as an editor I have tried my best to demystify what we want, what we need, and what we don’t! Thank you for sharing!
my biggest marketing challenge at present is the fact that in my startup I way overspent due to my first website being an absolute nightmare. I had to bite the bullet and pay the money for an entire new site, I then found that I didn’t have the money left over to spend on SEO + Marketing. Therefore I really need to concentrate on PR, but with little or no contacts in the industry I find it near impossible to get heard.
Thanks so much for the generous opportunity! My biggest challenge (besides time) is creating a solid message – one that customers get almost immediately.
Marketing non stop is the biggest struggle for me. I’d rather be sewing. 🙂 Thanks so much for the opportunity to win a book!
Oh geez, I have to say that my biggest issue is two things. The first is communicating my brand the way I see it in my head and tie it back into my shop, blog, social media, booth, and photos. It’s getting close, but putting a brand out there in a way that people will identify it and make it unique is exciting and horrifically hard.
My other issue is getting in contact with the right people. Press kits, finding my target audience, and just getting the word out is hard. Oh and it’s scary. The thought of contacting an editor gives me chills.
Hi Amy. I’d say my biggest struggle is finding the right people to pitch to and then writing a captivating pitch. I want it to be perfect before I hit the send button so I (a) spend too much time thinking about it (b) take ages to write something (c) can’t seem to work up the courage to actually hit that send button.
I struggle with not spending too much money on marketing. I’d rather spend time on it and not spend too much money – like right now, I make my own business cards from scrap paper instead of buying from Moo, which I used to do.
I want to get the word about my blog and side projects, but without much overhead.