#34 PR & MARKETING “TODD REED STYLE” WITH LIZ KANTNER
On today’s podcast, I got together with jewelry-lover and trailblazing marketing specialist Liz Kantner to have a very important conversation.
That’s right, whip out your pen and paper, because today we’re talking about how to get maximum exposure for your jewelry brand.
Though she started her career in healthcare then digital marketing for consumer brands, Liz Kantner is obsessed with all things jewelry.
When we first recorded this interview a few month ago, Liz was the marketing and PR specialist at Todd Reed Jewelry and handled all digital marketing and PR for the illustrious luxury jewelry brand.
She is now consulting for emerging, luxury jewelry brands. I had dinner with her last week and one thing is for sure, she has solid advice for how you can create a wonderful PR & marketing strategy just like she did for Todd!
My hope is that this episode will help you better understand how to position yourself as a designer and your brand in a way that gets your jewelry seen by the eyes of editors, bloggers and “potential” brand advocates!
What are you waiting for? Press ‘play’ below and let’s get started!
Click here to download the show notes
How to Connect with Press + Editors
Magazine editors and show producers get hundreds of emails a day, let alone the dozens of samples a week sent to their office. How do you make your jewelry stand out from the crowd? Two words: relationship building.
If you’ve ever taken our Laying the Foundation course here at Flourish & Thrive Academy, you’ll know we’re big advocates on building strong relations not only with your customers and clients, but press and other media outlets that will get your brand more exposure.
Liz recommends Instagram as the #1 tool
….to get the job done. Yes, instagram, and social media at large, can help promote your jewelry brand to the masses and prospective DREAM clients. But, did you know consistently following and liking posts of editors and staff of your favorite magazines, bloggers and press outlets can help building a social media relationship with their brand?
The relationship should follow a natural and authentic progression, too. As Liz points out, one great method is to “[follow] the editors you’re interesting in connecting with and commenting on the photos when you have something relevant to say… If they followed you back, then… it’s prime time to send an email about stopping in and doing a desk side or talking to them on the phone.”
Liz also mentioned one of the newest social media darlings, Periscope. Make sure you listen to the episode to find out how to do it right. You’ll hear about jewelry industry veteran Cindy Edelstein and her stellar use of Periscope. (Sadly, Cindy passed away in January of heart failure.)
Commit to Marketing Goals
It can be hard to gain the forward momentum you need to get your brand featured on big name websites, blogs, or magazines. While your designs must be what the press is looking for, getting featured in the press takes more than just luck. You must build up your pitching confidence, do your research, and – above all — commit to your marketing goals.
As Liz says in today’s episode, “You can’t just walk in assuming they’ll like your design and that’s the end of the story. It’s a lot of work on your end too.”
Instead of just saying “I want to be in Marie Claire,” you need to read multiple issues of Marie Claire to understand what they are covering, what the stylists use in photo shoots, and what stories they are trying to tell. Do your research and strategically plan your pitches to the tune of their specific editorial calendar for the year (which can usually be found publicly with a simple Google search).
Dig through our free PR and pitch resources here at Flourish & Thrive to kickstart your research, and mark up your own personal calendar (physical or digital) to jumpstart your process.
If you’re interested in hearing more about Todd Reed’s design process, Liz’s brilliant marketing campaigns, and more of our press-pitching conversation, don’t forget to take a listen to the podcast (above).
Important Links & Resources:
Liz Kantner
Todd Reed Jewelry
Cindy Edelstein
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