Writing A Press Release For Your Etsy Shop

There are thousands of articles on how to write a press release strewn all over the Internet. So, I am not going to go into detail about the how of writing a press release. I am going to talk briefly on the why, when and where.

Why you would write a press release is pretty simple: Exposure, Exposure, Exposure! The idea is to draw the attention to you and your shop, whether it be crafts or vintage. You write a press release to get people to notice you and your products.

The "when" of writing a press release is a little more complicated. You should write a press release when you have something that is news worthy. Maybe you have been chosen to make something for a local celebrity or you were accepted into a prestigious art show. Maybe you are going to be featured on a morning talk show. Or maybe you just came out with a product that everyone will love.

Submit your press release to your local newspaper. That is, if they have a section that appropriate for your press release. The "Living" or "Fashion" sections usually work. Newspaper and magazine editors like well written time sensitive articles and press releases. Why? Because they do not have to write it!

It is good to check to see what the submission guidelines are for where you want to submit. Some publications have deadlines and rules to follow. Most publications will have the guidelines at the beginning or end of the publication (in print) or is a section on their website. If they do not, write or call them before submitting.

Make sure you have something to say. Make sure what you have to say is timely and interesting. Make sure you submit it correctly. This can get you a lot of exposure. If you have trouble writing, there are services out there that are free or low cost. You probably even have a friend that studied journalism.

I'll be back tomorrow with some tips and tricks to help you gain higher Search Engine Rankings! Until then, please send questions to MarketMyShop@gmail.com or leave a comment.

How To Get Your Shop Noticed

It would seem that there are a lot of artists, crafters and vintage sellers all after the same bit of disposable income out there. How can you get noticed enough to get a leg up on the competition. There are several things that you can do. You can do free advertising. You can spend some money on advertising. You can write press releases and interviews and submit them to the media.

Free advertising is the only option some of us have. We are already living on a shoestring budget and just do not have the money to advertise. Social Marketing is one really great way to help spread the word about you for free. Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and many more sites allow you to spread the word about you and your product for free. Some do not allow actual links to a shop but any exposure you can get can be a good thing. Trial and error here is free of cost but can take a lot of your time. Time is money so try and make sure you are getting your money's worth.

Paid advertising is good if you can afford it and if you can track the results. Back in the days before the internet the only way to track if advertising was working was an increase in revenue. With all the stats available today you can see how many times your ad was viewed and how many times it was clicked on. Being able to track a paid advertising campaign is great because if it is working you may want to extend it and if it isn't working you will want to move on. Trial and error can be expensive here. Ask your fellow shop owners what has worked for them and try to get as many details as possible.

Lastly, getting interviewed for a blog, newspaper, magazine, radio or TV can really help boost your brand and your sales. Look at the team forums on Etsy and forums on ArtFire or anywhere that a large group of bloggers hang out. Bloggers are always looking for things to blog about. It seems that blogs about people seem to do very well for all involved. Many times it is just a matter of letting a blogger know that you are interested in being interviewed. You can also write up an interview type letter asking and answering interesting questions about you and your business. Make it so easy on the blogger that all they have to do is copy and paste!

Writing press releases and articles and sending them to your local media is a great way to get some exposure. When writing press releases make sure that it is for something that is press worthy like a craft show or fund raiser and how you are donating a portion of your proceeds to a local charity. As for articles, most newspapers have a spotlight on locals. Be sure to send it to the appropriate editor. Make your story concise and to the point and include high resolution photos. 300dpi is usually good enough for print. Be sure the photo is in CMYK because this is generally the color scheme that is used in print. It is also a good idea to send a B&W version of the photo as well. If you are emailing this is easy, if not be sure to either not expect your photo back or send an S.A.S.E. with your submission.

Free advertising is great! Remember to watch how much time you spend on it. Paid advertising eliminates the need for a lot of time being spent on it but can be costly. Writing articles and press releases take time but can get huge amounts of exposure. Remember that the more work you do for the editor the less they have to do. If it is written well enough it will go in the media right away, but it might sit until there is a need for it.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.