#87 | Publicity and Marketing Strategies for Interior Designers with Selena Soo
Welcome to the Designers Oasis podcast. I'm your host, Kate Bendewald. If you're tired of one-size-fits-all all advice to running your interior design business, you're in the right place. Join me each week as we dive into topics to help you run a thriving interior design business. Without the hustle. We'll talk about the business of design, but also mindset and mental health because I know when you thrive, so will your life and business. It wasn't that long ago that I stepped away from my corporate interior design job to build my own design business so that I could realize my own creative dreams, have more time with the people I love, and serve my clients at the highest level, while making more money than I ever could have working for someone else. It wasn't always easy, and I made my share of mistakes along the way. Fast forward to today. And I've learned a thing or two. Since then I've built multiple six-figure interior design businesses on authentic word-of-mouth referrals with many repeat clients. And I want to share it all with you the ambitious, inspired, and I get it occasionally overwhelmed interior designer who shares this dream of transforming lives through the art of interior design, You can do this. Thank you for letting me spend part of this day with you. Let's get to it.
Kate Bendewald
My guest today is Selena Soo a publicity and marketing strategist for visionary entrepreneurs and experts who has helped clients and students get featured in places like domino, oh, The Oprah Magazine, Forbes and Inc, and land interviews on popular podcast and national television. Joining her is Sharon Stokes Selena's, head of publicity programs and senior media coach who has served as a TV producer for close to 20 years, producing interviews with notable personalities, including Oprah, Richard Branson, Marie Forleo, and Gabrielle Bernstein. I've personally worked with Sharon and Selena and my very first publicity pitch after working with them was accepted, and featured in Domino. With this kind of success. I wanted to invite Selena and Sharon on the podcast so you can hear directly from them. How you can use publicity to grow your interior design business. Hi, Selena and Sharon, how are you? Welcome.
Selena Soo
Hello. It's so great to be here. Hi, Kate.
Sharon Stokes
Thanks for having us.
Kate Bendewald
Hi, Sharon. Hi, Selena. I'm so glad that you guys could join me today. I as I mentioned in the intro, I had first of all, I've been you've Selena, your business has been in my orbit in my sort of world for a while. But it was only at the end of last year that I really took a closer look, because you had a program, which we're going to talk about the ready to pitch program that really felt like a good fit for what I was looking for. And so that's when I dug in. And I have to say my experience working with both of you was phenomenal, not just in the experience itself, like how you guys structured the program, but also the results, you know, I still have a lot more to pitch and to work with, given what we developed and working together. But it was really exciting that my very first pitch, which would have been first of all terrifying to do without you guide. But I just also wouldn't have known where to start. And I have books and I've read blogs and I listen to podcasts, but it was really you guys walking me through the the full experience that gave me the tools, the know how and the confidence to be able to pitch on my own. And the result of that was my very first pitch was accepted and dominant, which I was very excited for and and proud of. And I'm still working to kind of take that one that of publicity and sort of use that in other media. So it was just a great experience. And I know that that program, specifically I think is one way that a lot of our listeners could benefit from working with you. So I wanted to bring you in and just kind of let you guys share a little bit about what you'll do. So welcome. I want to ask, I always love to get a good backstory. Um How Asselin I'm gonna start with you. And Sharon, I want to hear from you too, because you seem like you both have a diverse backgrounds in the world of press and publicity. Selena, how did you get into the field of publicity? How did you find yourself here?
Selena Soo
Yes, so I got into the Word of publicity. Because when I was in my mid 20s, I had a quarter life crisis. And I was working in a nonprofit at the time, in New York City, making $42,000 a year. And I felt like I wasn't living up to my potential, but also I was in a place where I'd become clinically depressed. And I was searching for answers and to find a way to feel better. And I discovered this world of experts and authors and thought leaders and I just realized that you know, when people are struggling and suffering, that they are looking for inspiration and hope. And so I'm really passionate about elevating people who I consider to be role models who help people improve the quality of their life in some way, whether that could be beautifying their home, or having a better relationship with themselves healing themselves from chronic health. So all of those kind of live your best life, people that just make it better for us to live our amazing lies are the types of people that I love to elevate. And I would start to tell people about some of the people that I was following that I was inspired by, and my friends had no idea who I was talking about. And so it really dawned on me that sometimes the people that are doing the best work out there in the world, or have a really powerful message that they can be that best kept secret. And I really felt that publicity was a powerful way to elevate their brand and get their message and their work in front of more people. And also a way for more people to really take their work seriously. So that's how I felt to the world of publicity.
Kate Bendewald
This makes sense. Because you're right on your homepage, it says, are you I'm gonna botch it because I don't have it in front of me. You could probably say it better. But if you
Selena Soo
write your house name, yes,
Kate Bendewald
yeah. That that resonated for me for sure. Sharon, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you found yourself in this world of publicity and press. Yeah,
Sharon Stokes
thanks, Kate. So I actually went to school for broadcast journalism, and ended up working in television for close to 20 years. So I live up here in Toronto, Canada. So I've worked on shows. I mean, if you're familiar with the Canadian networks up here, I worked for a lifestyle TV show called The Maryland Dennis show, I worked for Entertainment Tonight, Canada. And yeah, just really fell in love with being able to tell other people's stories to get to meet some really incredible, inspiring thought leaders along the way. When I worked at ET Canada, we produced a series called ET Canada connects where we got to highlight a lot of the amazing work that thought leaders were doing in the world such as Oprah, I know you mentioned and Gabrielle Bernstein and Marie Forleo. And Lewis Howes and Matthew Hussey. So I think, for me, I fell in love with, you know, there's the publicity side, there's the media side as being a TV producer. But then also the other side of it, because I also have a background in life coaching as well. So being able to bring those two worlds together, where, you know, we're telling incredible stories from amazing thought leaders, but also my passion, when it comes to the work that these people were doing was really inspiring. So then when I was able to come on board, as the head of publicity with Selena, and how senior media coach, been able to work with more of those types of entrepreneurs who are doing really incredible things in the world, and helping them develop their messaging to get that out to the media, and coming up with some really great story ideas, just has been just the most perfect fit for me. So it's just been such a joy to be able to bring my media background with my coaching background and work with the clients that we currently have.
Kate Bendewald
You guys be quite the team, I have to say, and I and I love you two together. And Sharon, I knew this about you. But I did forget that you have this background as a life coach. And it's like, Oh, that makes so much sense. Because I recall a moment where you sort of gave me a life coaching moment when we were there to, you know, talk about, you know, putting together these pitches. And I I remember saying to you, like, I'm so scared to send this email, I just, like, almost felt like I froze, even though I had all the tools that I needed. And we had done all that prep work. And you reminded me not to take it personally. And that the reality of the folks that we're communicating with, they're often very busy. And if they don't get back to you, it's not personal, and you can always try again. And so having that background, I can see how it not only helps you with developing these stories, but even in your coaching that you do with students and clients like me, it really comes in handy. So I want to thank you for that because you got me out of that rut. Oh,
Sharon Stokes
good. Thank you. Yeah, and it was such a joy to work with you and it's true. I'm I mean, a lot of the clients that I work with, they don't know the media, they don't understand the media. So that's definitely where I come in with my expertise and the know how, from that side of things, but yeah, also just having an experience as an entrepreneur and knowing how challenging it can be to a find the time to like, develop your publicity strategy. But also, when you don't know how the media works, I'm able to help people understand. So it doesn't feel so intimidating, so they can get out of their own head about it, you know, it's not about it being perfect. It's just about putting it out there putting yourself out there. And I know a lot of people have fears around visibility. So I definitely like to help people through those fears. And through those obstacles. And, and yeah, it's, it's, it's part of what I do, and it's part of what I love.
Kate Bendewald
I love that so much. And we're going to talk a little bit about those fears of visibility here in a minute, because that's for sure. One aspect that I know folks, including myself, you know, have have struggled with. But first I want us to back up a little bit and just speak to the person who's listening who's like, I understand in theory, what publicity and presses but can you sort of define publicity? What what is it? How does it work? And why do we need it?
Sharon Stokes
Yeah, definitely. I mean, publicity really is about sharing your message and the work you do on other people's platforms. So traditionally, you know, we think about publicity when it comes to TV and magazines and newspaper. But it's also things obviously, like what we're doing here today with being on people's podcasts, doing an Instagram, live with maybe other colleagues of yours, other people, you know, experts in your field, you know, as guest speaking at other people's masterminds. It's all about just having these visibility opportunities where you're reaching audiences outside of your own existing audience, right? So outside of your social social media channels, or your own newsletter, so you're able to grow your business and reach more people and the masses so they can know who you are and what you do.
Kate Bendewald
I love that you listed those examples. Because you're right, I definitely when I think of traditional publicity and press, I think of print magazines, or even digital. And, you know, obviously TV shows and that sort of thing. But as we become a more digital, we live in a more digital age, and there's more so many different platforms, you really laid out how how much variety there is in the way you find publicity. And maybe there is a platform that is a better fit for somebody who, depending on what you do. So you can sort of think outside that start to think outside the box of how can I leverage publicity for my business in a way that feels good for me. And in that way, like, for example, you'll never probably never see me on television, standing up in front of somebody talking. Because that's just not where I'm at. But I can do a podcast interview, and I can write those sorts of things. So that that really helps clarify things. Thank you. Selena, talk to us about why publicity is so important for entrepreneurs and business owners.
Selena Soo
Absolutely. So it's one thing for you to tell the world, hey, I'm the best at what I do hire me. That's a whole another thing if other people are saying that podcasters experts, writers, magazine editors, TV hosts, who are saying you got to check out this person's work. It's amazing. It's changed my life. I've personally worked with them, just like you've said about the work that we've done together. And you know, if all things are equal, people are going to work with a person where there's buzz around them where other people are promoting them and recommending them and endorsing them versus someone who has not been endorsed or recommended by anyone.
Kate Bendewald
Mm hmm. Yeah, it's like, the credibility factor really improves when you've got other people singing your praises for you. Well, that's, that ties really beautifully in with the work that we do. And a lot of the things that we talk about, because a lot of what I talk about is around making sure that your clients have an amazing client experience. And that's the thing that's going to help create those natural evangelists for you and your work. And so if you can get that right, it's easier to get your clients and your partners and your colleagues and your community to sing your praises. So once you get that dialed in now you've got the tools hopefully after listening today to and hopefully maybe even working with you guys to take the work that you're doing and elevate that message and sort of create that that ripple effect in terms of getting more eyes on you and what you're doing. So we hit on this a minute ago. So I want to come back to it Selena you have have identified publicly as an introvert. Most people are very shocked to hear me say that I'm an introvert as well. And so can you talk a little bit about how have you, yourself overcome your own fears of visibility?
Selena Soo
Yeah, absolutely. I think that, you know, so many of us can relate to the fear of being seen. Whether we are an extrovert or an introvert or somewhere in between. What has really helped me is remembering why I'm doing this, right. So for myself, and for my clients, we're mission driven, we are sharing our message, because there are people we want to reach, there are people that we want to help. And so I used to be at a place where, you know, I was overly self critical, I remember doing a video interview, and afterwards, watching it and writing down like, or numbering all of my filler words I use, and I was like, wow, I talked way too fast, I had terrible eye contact, my face look weird. And my intern at the time who were there and watching it were like, I thought that was a great interview, I think that a lot of people are really gonna like it. And so it just kind of reminded me that we are our own worst critic. When we look more work and judgment, I think that many of us can relate to that. But today, just ask myself, you know, did I show up with generosity? Did I share stories and experiences and ideas and strategies that could really help someone improve the quality of their life, help them take a step forward, help them improve their business, or you know, whatever it is, whatever that thing is, that you're here to do? And if the answer is yes, then I did a great job, because I'm not here to look perfect. Whether I stumble on my words, you know, whatever it is, that's not why I'm showing I'm literally showing up so I can serve and help people. And so that really takes the pressure off, where I tell myself, my performance doesn't matter. It's more about did I show up with an open heart and with generosity, so there's more that I can share about, I will say that that is the number one thing that has helped me the most taking the tension off of me, and really focusing on who I want to serve.
Kate Bendewald
I had no wiser words have been spoken that I needed to hear that personally, today's Thank you. It's true. Like, if you think about it, if we can take the focus off of ourselves, and really hone in on what am I doing? Why am I here? What's what's the value that I bring? How am I helping people? I know for me, I get really fired up about topics like interior design, and how it can improve the functionality of people's homes, how it can improve their daily lives, how it can really elevate your everyday experience from making coffee to hang out with friends, or whatever. And that's a topic I can get really passionate about. The other one is, you know, helping women build successful businesses where they have something that they can call their own, something that is going to sustain them and their families that gives them financial independence, these are all things that I can get really passionate about. And so just hearing that reminds me that if I'm going to show up on any sort of media of any kind that I can really remember those words, that it's really about the message. So I really appreciate you sharing that. And it's so simple, you know,
Selena Soo
absolutely. And also, you know, it's a skill to learn. So, you know, each of us is good at the thing that we do, whether it is interior design, or life coaching, or business consulting, whatever it is. And so we can expect ourselves to be media experts and media magnets overnight. That's why you know, we get some more, that's why people join a program. That's why, you know, there's practice right before you go live. So I know when I did podcast interviews, for the first time, I would practice with my team member, you know, with my assistant, and we would go back and forth on the questions. And then over time, the thing that felt so scary, become second nature when you do it enough. So it's just really important for people to not feel like they need to be perfect. I think that we can look at the people that we really admire our mentors that maybe seem to have so much confidence, they're gracing the TEDx stage, they're doing live video. They're writing these amazing articles, that most people who are out there doing those big things had some kind of help whether they hired a media coach, a public speaking coach, practice, you know, multiple times in front of their friends, had someone edit their article before it goes live. And so we can't really expect perfection from ourselves. And just knowing that when we get started, there's going to be a gap from where we are currently to where we want to be. And we just have to be patient with ourselves and forgive ourselves for not being perfect. But just know that when we continuously show up, it's a sign of bravery and passion for helping others There's, and eventually we'll bridge that gap.
Kate Bendewald
I love the grace that you sort of lay out for ourselves. It's like, and it's true. If we look at the people who we are admiring, or we're looking up to, or we're sort of, if we look at their early works, or early speaking, the early writing that really whatever, you'll see a transformation. I'm sure my first podcast episode, I don't know if I would actually want to do it takes it takes time. And it takes practice. And I love the reminder too. But nobody I say this all the time. Nobody got to where they are on their own, I have definitely counted on countless experts, leaders, coaches, including you guys to help me as well. Sharon, do you have anything to add to this conversation about overcoming fears of visibility, given your background? I feel like we should definitely hear from you on this as well.
Sharon Stokes
Yeah, it really is like progress over perfection. And it really is just not being too hard on yourself. Understanding again, what Selena was saying, your intention for doing media and how it's from a place of service, and you just want to be able to help others and provide value. So you know, when we can get out of our own heads, I think that's just such a big part of it. We overthink things, so much. I know for myself as well. I mean, I obviously worked in the media. But then when I had my life coaching business, I also obviously was on the other side of it as an entrepreneur, but I did publicity and media as a life coach, it was so even interesting for me that even though I was familiar with the media and knew how it worked, I still had these nerves and fears, because it's still a different skill set that you're utilizing. And the more that you do it, the more comfortable you are going to get. So I highly recommend, like Selena also mentioned, like, if you're going to be on a podcast, practice it, get comfortable with it, go in with, you know, knowing what you're going to say the things that you want to get across, I think you're just going to feel a lot better and more comfortable in the moment when you feel prepared. So I think yeah, properly preparing is a big part of it, too, to help you feel more at ease.
Kate Bendewald
100% Thank you so much for that. So I want to ask you guys, um, you've been around, you've seen it all can you share? What are some of the biggest mistakes that you see entrepreneurs making when it comes to managing publicity? And what should we be doing differently? Yeah,
Selena Soo
absolutely. So I'll start with the first one. So the first one is, are not tying their publicity to their business model. So what I mean by that is, there's an infinite number of things that we can share with the media about our life, our business, our line of work, I like to ask my clients, where does 80% of your revenue come from? For us, the majority of people come to us, because they're really interested in getting publicity. They're interested in building their brand being seen as that go to experts. So visibility is the thing for us. Now, there was a time where I had a Business Mastermind, and it was, you know, an expensive, you know, 25 to $30,000 investment, there was a small number of people in that mastermind about 15 to 20 people. And, you know, within that mastermind, we're talking about all kinds of topics like how to scale, how to hire a project manager, director of marketing, different things like that. So there's a lot of talk about hiring and team. Now, if I was like, you know, what I'm talking about publicity and visibility all the time, I just wanna talk about something different. So let me go on the podcast circuit and talk about how you can hire your first project manager, well, then people are going to be hearing me talk about that and think, oh, I need a project manager, I should talk to Selena. And yeah, that was, the mastermind was actually a very small part of my overall revenue. And hiring and team was just one of the many topics inside the mastermind. But when I really look at my business model, you know, people are signing up to learn about publicity, whether in a self study format, or through one on one services. And so the publicity that I get the topics that I talk about the story ideas really need to match what I am offering, it's not just about getting into the media, it's getting the right kind of media for you. And that's not to say that you can't ever deviate from your core topic, you absolutely can. But I would say the majority of the time, you should really be talking about the thing that is directly connected to your core offer. So think about you know, when people reach out to you, and you get on the phone with them, or they're emailing you and asking questions, what are the struggles are sharing what are the problems they have? What are the questions that they're asking you to see if you can help them and really your publicity should be centered around those big ideas.
Kate Bendewald
That makes perfect sense. And I can see the importance to of thinking about just putting myself in the mind of interior designers who are listening in So thinking about who your ideal client is to, and if your primary service is full service design, and that's what you want to do, you would want to avoid, you know, any content that might be construed as DIY related. And make sure that that those topic ideas are focusing, because a lot of designers have multiple services, right designer for a day is a very popular one. And that service is often tied to clients who want your eye and your aesthetic and your input, but they want to take those ideas and run with them themselves. Kind of like your, your offer that we're gonna talk about in a little bit. But the majority of their client work might be full service where they're really taking the reins and taking it from concept to completion. And so what I'm hearing you say is that, if that's 80% of your revenue, focus your topic ideas and content on topics that are relevant for those clients specifically, am I getting it? Right? Exactly. Okay, wonderful. What else?
Sharon Stokes
Yeah, I'll jump in with the the next one, I think when people go to pitch the media, something they don't think about is pitching an actual story idea, not just pitching themselves as an expert. And, you know, these are the things that I can talk about. I think that when we can do the work for the media, and really lay out an amazing, powerful story idea what the takeaways would be, you know, have a really compelling headline, you're helping to sell the idea to the media, instead of putting it on them to figure out okay, well, what could the story idea be for this, you know, interior designer, for example. So I think really being mindful and intentional with the ideas that you're coming up with, and really thinking them through and letting them know, you know, these are the valuable takeaways that the listener or the reader is going to get from the story idea that I'm sharing with you. I think that really does go a long way. So instead of just saying, you know, I'm an expert in sales or design or, or money mindset, you just want to get really specific with an actual story idea, like, I know, we came up with some great ones, Kate, that were really specific to you really specific to certain projects that you did, and really highlighted the specifics of those projects, when we were sending out those pitches, which I think really went a long way.
Kate Bendewald
Yes, 100%. Now, can I put you on the spot for a second? Just thinking about interior designers? Can you give us some examples of some story driven pitches? I know I didn't prep you for this. We're just gonna wing it. If you have ideas. I'm curious for to hear some examples.
Sharon Stokes
Yeah, like it, okay, when you and I work together. I mean, when I work with a client, we do like a deep dive on that first call, because I want to know everything about your business, I also want to know you from a personal standpoint, because you never know how those personal stories might become really amazing story ideas that also relate to your business. And somehow, somehow, and you know, we're always looking for that human emotion element when it comes to story ideas as well, because people really relate to those, you know, those more vulnerable stories as well, highlighting maybe some mistakes that you made that you learn from that you overcame. So, you know, there's those types of stories where we're bringing in that human emotion element. But then I know, for interior designers specifically, I mean, you had some really great projects that were just kind of sitting in a folder on your desktop, and you're like, I really want these to be seen, right? So you know, we looked at them together, and we really picked out, you know, okay, what are these projects, highlighting what are the main points of these projects that we could really pitch to the media that they would be interested in. So I can't off the top of my head, think of like the specific headlines that we came up with, but I know one was like, you know, how you turned this bungalow into a beautiful, you know, rustic ranch. So, you know, you're really being specific with, you know, what the before was what the after is. And you obviously also had beautiful photos to accompany it as well, which I think was really important for the media to be able to see that before and after, at the same time, because obviously, with interior design, photos are a big part of what you know, the viewer or the reader is going to want to see as well.
Kate Bendewald
100% and I'm going to use this as an opportunity to plug a past episode, which we'll link to, which was an interview with my photographer, Jeff Jones, who I love and we really talked about storytelling through photography, interior photography, so I when we do these photo shoots, I'm always thinking about the angles and the the styling in terms of the story that we want to tell and really thinking about the client. So they do go hand in hand and I already had that in mind. So that was helpful. The other thing that you recommended that I do, which I thought was a very helpful exercise was to actually go and read and some of the articles in the publications that I wanted to be in because not only did it give me a sense of what kind of content they were looking for, but doing it with a different set of eyes, typically when I'm looking through articles, or I'm reading stories, I'm really just prior to this extra that was just absorbing it as a typical reader. But in doing it, through the publicity and storytelling lens, I was able to pick up on some different things that I didn't catch the first go around. So when you can go back and read some articles that in these publications and look at it through the storytelling lens, what are some characteristics of the stories and traits and there's like a cadence to it as well. And it can start to spark ideas for your, for your own business and for your your own stories. And it makes sense that, you know, it would be hard to just throw out ideas off the cuff here, because one of the things you guys do, and do it so well, is really honing in on your client's personal journey and story, which is unique to them. And it's not this run of the mill, grab bag story, junk that just gets thrown out there. For the sake of putting something out there. There's real meaning and impact behind it. So I do appreciate that. Selena, do you have anything to add to this about some of the mistakes that you see people making? And yeah, differently?
Selena Soo
Yeah, so big mistake that people make is that they don't have a call to action. So after someone has connected you to via, let's say, a podcast interview, they're excited about your work, they're gonna wonder what is next. And I find that some people don't tell them where to go. Or they might say, well, I've got a book on Amazon, and I'm on Instagram and Twitter, and this and that, and all of us know from just kind of like basic marketing, that if you point people in too many directions, it's gonna be really hard to get them to go to that one place where you want to go. And so I really recommend that everyone get clear on what's a primary place with a primary next step that you want someone to take? Do you have a special free gift and you want them to download a lead magnet? Do you want to invite them to book a one on one call with you, you can have more than one like, but I would say to at the very Max and have a very clear call to action. I also find that when people are giving their call to action, they almost feel guilty, like I'm not allowed to share what I'm doing. And they just rush through it really quickly, maybe the URL that people are supposed to go to is not even clear. So in some cases, it may be make sense to say a second time so that people really know what that is. So I'll actually go ahead and just you know, if it's okay, kind of share a free gift that we offer people, including everyone listening to the show. So one of the biggest things that people struggle with is what Sharon talked about, which is I don't know what to pitch like, what's my story idea. And so when it comes to the media, there's three things that they're looking for in every story. They are looking for stories that are you know, valuable, that are search slash service driven, right, it's not just look at my success. But here's how following these tips, is going to help you improve the quality of your life, right. So service driven as big, they're also looking for stories that have an emotional charge, whether they inspire us or move us, or sadden us or motivate us to take some kind of action, right. So that emotional element is also very powerful. And then last but not least, they are really looking for stories that have a timely angle to them. So they are seasonal. And so with whatever you're doing, you can add a seasonal spin to it. If you're a business coach, you know how to start your side hustle over the holidays. Or you could take a New Year's angle, or there's just like different little spins that you can do to things and that makes your story really relevant for right now. And so we have a 12 month publicity calendar. It's really epic. People keep telling us that we should sell this but we've given up. And so it's over 40 pages worth of publicity strategies, store ideas and special huts to get into the media. And every single month has a list of special dates. And then pages of story ideas that are connected to that. So it's a really powerful tool to get people's wheels turning in terms of what are the exact kinds of stories that the media is interested in, what are the kind of angles that I can leverage to get the media's attention for the month in which I am pitching them. So that is all in our free publicity calendar and people can get that at impactingmillions.com So impactingmillions.com/designersoasis as the name of the podcast. So impactingmillions.com/designersoasis, they can go there and get instant access to our 40 page publicity calendar to get really powerful ideas and angles to start. aren't getting featured in the media today.
Kate Bendewald
Do you see what she did there folks, she is leading leading by example, I love that I have a copy of this. And I have to say it is fantastic. It is absolutely a wonderful tool and resource and epic would be a perfect word to describe it, we'll be sure to include a link to that. Now, before we go, I would love if you guys would share a little bit about your ready to pitch program because I know that people can work with you in a number of ways, including one on one. For me, your ready to pitch program was this wonderful sort of hybrid experience. But I don't, I think it'd be best for you guys to share your vision for it and how you use it to help your your clients and customers. So could you share a little bit about the ready to pitch program,
Selena Soo
I can just start by kind of sharing why we put it together. And then sharing could talk about some of the features and deliverables and how we specifically help people and where people can go if they want to find more about that. But we just found that there are so many entrepreneurs that are doing amazing work, and the world just literally doesn't know that they exist. And in order to grow your business, you do need more people to know about you beyond your existing audience. The other benefit, though, is when you get publicity and your existing audience sees it really elevates the work that you're doing in their eyes. And I find with a lot of entrepreneurs, you know, they are so busy being the expert what they do, but they are not media experts, and they need someone else or this is their zone of genius to help them with that. And I find that also a lot of entrepreneurs, they're pulled in a million different directions. They're producing content for their own channels, whether that's a newsletter, or a podcast or something else. They are serving clients, they are, you know, maybe managing a team or whatever it is that they're doing. And so unless they hire someone to help them and get focus, they're probably not going to get any publicity initiatives off the ground. And so we have incredible trained media coaches, Sharon is our senior media coach, and also runs our publicity program overall. Because we do have multiple coaches that work under our brand, that are really trained in our methodology to help people get strategic publicity that really grows their brand and grows their business. So I have Sharon share a little bit about what it's like to work with clients and what specifically we help them with.
Sharon Stokes
Yeah, so you know, the ready to pitch program is it consists of five calls. And as I mentioned before, that first call really is like a deep dive getting to know you and your business. So I just have like a really in depth idea of what it is that you do. So I can do my job in finding and coming up with some an amazing story idea angles. So it's really like a done for you program. But I think what's also really important is I also, I also teach a lot of education when it comes to pitching and the media as well. Because at the end of the day, we really want to empower you because I want you to really understand how the media works. And for you to be able to go after those media opportunities yourself. So you know, I work on creating that media bio. With you, we create an amazing media list for our clients. So we really make sure that we're our media list builders are sourcing outlets that are very specific to you and what you do and what your publicity goals are. So whether it's you know, finding really great podcasts or online publications or TV spots, so we really spent a lot of time curating that list for you. And then yeah, coming up with some really great headlines and then figuring out the story ideas that we want to focus on. And then I, between our calls, I work on those story ideas, I write them out, I develop them. And then I definitely want it to feel collaborative as well. So I always make sure that you feel good about it, that everything feels aligned to you and your business. You know, like Selena mentioned, we're using your core offerings and your expert topics to be really strategic. And we're coming up with these story ideas to make sure that they make sense for your business, we can help have those opportunities, grow your business at the same time. And then, yeah, I create these templates for you. So you know exactly how a pitch to the media should flow, the things that you need to include in those pitches. And then I customize a couple of them for you as well to send out to the media so so yeah, it's actually like a really fun program. It's very collaborative. And yeah, like you said, yourself, Kate, like you sent out that first pitch and you got immediate win right away with Domino, which is really, really exciting. So yeah,
Kate Bendewald
I want to add just for the listeners, one of the most valuable things I thought was yes, so the media bio is great, but you coming up with the pitches so because I always love to do that. On my own, it would probably never would have been done. So having you do that, but then the MEDIA list. So that is the list of direct contacts. And what I think is so genius about this is that this gives your client, your customer, your student, whatever you call them, the power to be able to take the stuff that you guys work on together. And yes, it's very collaborative. But it is done with your expertise. holding you, I mean, you, you did the writing for it for me. But we had conversations to build that, right. So it's not like you were pulling stuff out of the air. So we develop these pitches, but then, by having the MEDIA list myself and not sort of gatekeeping that information, I now have tools so that in the future, when I come up with new story ideas, I now have not only the contacts to reach out to but I also have the skill set and the this toolkit to build off of for the future. And to me, I just felt like that was one of the most valuable, most genius things about this specific offer. So I really wanted to highlight that aspect of it.
Selena Soo
Yeah, I can't, I really like what you said about you having the skills because at the end of the day, you know, we need to be able to promote the work that we do, and get other people excited about who we are our story ideas. So they open up doors for us for visibility. And so, you know, well hiring a PR agency can be you know, quite an expensive endeavor. And as soon as you stop paying the monthly fee, then the pitching stops, you also don't get any of the contact information because that business model is about you, you know, relying on them for as long as possible. And so we work with clients during a concentrated period of time. And then we hand over everything to them. So they have the media lists, they have the store ideas, they have the customized pitches, they have the pitch template, and they have the skills and understanding and strategy on how to get continuous media for their business for years to come.
Kate Bendewald
I love it so much. I think it is this beautiful, sweet spot that I think entrepreneurs who are maybe a little earlier on in their journey, and maybe they don't have the budget to pay for a full blown, you know, PR strategist on their team. I think this is a perfect way to get that PR built into your media strategy without the price tag. So I'm really grateful you guys are being true to your mission, I think and helping folks find visibility to help spread their message and create value for people. And so to me that I think it was really worth sharing and bringing you on today to share about that specifically. Any final words of parting words for listeners, before we go before we wrap up?
Sharon Stokes
Yeah, I'll just say I just I love working with entrepreneurs. I love being collaborative and coming up with some really exciting, amazing story ideas. And you know, at the end of the day, you're not expected to be the media expert, right? Like that is what I'm here for what we're here for is to really help guide you and educate you when it comes to that. So you know, we're always happy to have conversations with anyone who might be interested. You know, we have a link selenasoo.com/publicity, where people can go and learn a little bit more about the program. There's also a link there to book a publicity strategy call if you have any questions about the program after reading through it. So yeah, if we can help answer any questions about the program further, we're more than happy to do so.
Kate Bendewald
I highly recommend folks give you guys a call and see what which of your programs might be a good fit. Selena Sharon, I can't thank you enough for taking time out of your day to come chat with us and share about how to incorporate publicity to grow your business. I think that our audience is really going to love hearing from you guys. So thank you so much. And before we go, just Can you repeat, we're gonna link to all of the URLs below, but we've got impactingmillions.com, forward slash Designers Oasis, and there was one more.
Selena Soo
Kate Bendewald
Cool. Okay, wonderful. Thank y'all so much. Y'all have a wonderful rest of your day. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks
Sharon Stokes
so much. Kay, that was so fun.
Kate Bendewald
Hey, friend, thank you so much for letting me spend a part of this day with you. I'm so passionate about helping designers like you. And I believe in a rising tide that only one of us does. Well, we all do better. So if you share this attitude of abundance with me, I want you to do just one little thing. Please share this episode with someone using might love it. And if you're feeling extra generous today, go ahead and take just 30 seconds to open your podcast app and leave us a five star rating and review. It's free for you to do and it helps me to be able to keep making more Episodes and resources for you. However you choose to help, please No, I appreciate you so very much. Thank you, my friend. Have a wonderful rest of your day. I'll see you soon.
