Relying only on Meta for Q4 sales is dangerous business. Between high CPCs and Meta’s epileptic performance, small/medium store owners need balls of steel to rely on Meta this season.
In Q4 2024, small and medium ecommerce brands need to diversify, and spread out their tentacles to SEO, Google Shopping, email marketing, social media marketing, and (my favorite!), PR, aka media outreach.
How does PR work for ecommerce brands?
PR outreach is when you reach out to journalists, influencers, or media outlets to introduce your store and tell your brand’s story (mainly through media coverage).
You know that feeling when you see your favorite brand featured in a magazine or online article? That’s the kind of credibility boost that PR can bring to your brand. When a respected digital outlet covers your ecommerce brand, it’s like getting a gold star from the cool kids at school. Suddenly, potential customers look at you with fresh eyes, thinking, “Hey, if this trusted source is talking about them, they must be onto something!”
But there’s a right and wrong way to do media outreach. What works for a tech company won’t necessarily work for your ecommerce brand.
The best strategy for getting your brand into top publications
If you’re familiar with how PR works, you’ll probably find that there is A LOT of pitching involved – a lot. To get your brand in one publication, you’ll have to:
- Create a list of publications in your niche
- Find the contact details of journalists who’ve covered similar products or topics
- Craft your perfect pitch, adding your newsworthy angle
- Wait for a response
- Rinse and repeat through the list
If you pitch 30 journalists and get 1 response, you’re doing well.
But there is a better way. Journalists are drowning in pitches every single day, and to stand out, you’ve got to take a different approach.
And before you get tempted to ask AI to regurgitate various iterations of the same pitch, remember that there are hundreds of others like you doing exactly the same thing.
For example, here’s a request for pitches I put out asking ecom store owners how they increase their conversion rates
Response 1:
Response 2:
Response 3:
One-size-fits-all? Not in this game. You can see how easy it is to detect AI-generated responses that will get your pitch automatically rejected. You’ve got to show each journalist that you’ve done your homework, and you care about what they care about, without annoying them like Amy Lewin shares in the session below
Here’s a better way to get journalists responding to your pitches
Go where you are wanted
As with relationships, so it is with getting media recognition. You’re likely to get a response if you pitch to journalists who are actually looking for your products.
You have higher chances of getting a response if you pitch to journalists who are looking for your services. Here are some platforms where you can find journalists who are looking for you. Register to stay up to date with journalist requests:
- Connectively/HARO
- Qwoted
- Fashion Monitor
- X (Search #prrequest or #journorequest)
Do your research
Check out the publication to see what sort of companies/products they have featured in the past. This will help you determine which products are the best to pitch to them, saving both yours and their time. Bonus points if you can also talk about their previous work to show that you were paying attention.
Craft your subject line
If you’re pitching directly to a journalist’s email, (rather than via a pitch platform) please please go straight to the point. Be as specific as “Pitch: Made-in-USA ladies’ golf clubs for your Christmas 2024 gift guide”
If that catches their attention, you’ll hear back very quickly. If it doesn’t, you won’t.
Keep it brief
Go straight to the point and put the big W’s (Who, What, When, Where, and Why?) upfront. Open your paragraph with these, not fluff so that the journalist knows where this is going, and can decide quickly whether or not it is a fit for their audience.
Add a call to action
Don’t leave the journalist hanging. Let them know what to do next to proceed. If you’re offering them a product sample, then ask them to “send their address for a sample”. If your offer requires a discussion, add a Calendly link to the bottom of your email so that they can book a call right away.
Fix up your site
Finally, if your product makes it out there, don’t let the side down. Get your website optimized for conversions, to convert as many visitors as possible into buyers. This means offering multiple checkout options, showcasing reviews, updating your product guarantees, etc. Also check that your web host won’t throttle your speed if your traffic suddenly spikes. Also ensure your information – returns policy, contact phone numbers, chat boxes, email addresses are all up to date.
Keep networking
Media PR is an ongoing exercise, so leverage social media for networking. Follow your target journalists, engage with their content, maybe even slide into their DMs (professionally, of course). Building these relationships can make all the difference when your pitch lands in their inbox.
Most importantly, don’t give up! Keep pitching, and don’t relent. If you need help with pitching your ecommerce brand to journalists, get help here.