How to Get Published When You Know NOTHING About Public Relations

Fact 1: Getting Published is an indispensable marketing tool for brand growth. Thousands of companies all over the world tap into the power of media and the press to stimulate brand visibility, create a positive and lasting image for the company, and to reach targeted markets. Revenue-wise, a company that’s been seen on national or regional press has the potential to triple their income, or even more.

Fact 2: There’s an ongoing impression out there that intimidates interior designers into doing actions to get published.

“Getting published is hard.”

“Reaching out to the media is complicated.”

“Public Relations is costly.”

“Getting my design company published takes a lot of time and energy.”

“You have to be well-connected with the press to get yourself a story.”

Though there may be some truth to these impressions given the intricacies of the trade, the reality is that setting yourself up for your first feature in design magazines or websites is NOT rocket science. There are, however, processes, strategies, and rules you should heed on to, and they’re definitely worth a try.

Hence, Interior Design PR was born. It is the ultimate resource for new and established interior designers to get published in some of the best media outlets with a wealth of comprehensive guides, templates, and contacts all in one place.

“So you’re saying, I pitch my own stories, projects, expert opinions and recommendations to the media—and they can get me published? Is this for real?”

It is. Think of it this way:

Flip the coin on this question and see it from the perspective of a publication. The media needs stories. The media needs CONTENT. Every day, editors scour the world for fresh, interesting, note-worthy things, designs, and ideas to write about. So with the right story angle and timing, what makes it so impossible for you to be published?

“I’m a designer. I really don’t have time to do PR.”

“I don’t know anyone in the media. How on earth would they pick my pitch?”

“To whom should I send my pitch to? What do I say? What things should I attach in the pitch?”

These are normal questions you encounter in the path towards getting published. For someone who is trying this out for the first time, it can be quite intimidating that you wish you had the budget to employ a full-on PR agency to do the job.

But what if you’re just starting up? What if you’re still in the stage of growing your business, looking for better quality leads, searching for a new audience—and simply wanting more exposure in the regional and national press?

It would be nice to have a PR agency do all the leg-work for you, but what if you just can’t afford to have one for now? Does it mean getting published will remain just a dream until you finally get the funds to employ a PR firm?

 We took all those apprehensions and limitations to empower interior designers with $0-2M in annual revenue longing to get a PR initiative running for their business and get themselves published in design magazines and websites.

If the ultimate goal is to land that spot in the pages of say, Elle Décor, House Beautiful, and Architectural Digest, what exactly should you have in your arsenal? You’ll need these:

☑  An understanding of how Public Relations is done (the do’s and don’ts—the to-do’s and what-nots)

☑  A clear-lined PR strategy (your ultimate gameplan)

☑  Some really, really good pitches (coz you’re going to need to know what to say, right?)

☑  Professionally-taken photography of your projects (an interior designer must-have)

☑  Editorial contacts (the people you’ll pitch to)

When you have all these with you, you’re ready to rock your first story. Remember, businesses that have been featured in regional and national press have seen double or triple growth—so the difference of doing this now (or not at all) can mean everything for the future of your design business. It’s your call.

There are tons of ways to reach out to the press—but with hundreds of pitches they receive from people every day, how do you stand out? The answer is STRATEGY. There are smart ways to get ahead and these ways had been proven to be effective even by agencies.

Here are the essential steps on how you can get published, and how Interior Design PR gets into the picture of making things easier for you.:

1.       Establish an organized pitch cadence for your exclusive project. To do that, create a list of your top three to five target publications and pitch one at a time.

❗ Hold on a minute—what’s a PITCH? This is what you communicate to the publication—a description of your story and an explanation of why it should matter to an editor. A good pitch can spell the difference between getting noticed by editors—or getting trashed-- so you better know what to write in that email.

❗ Woah—so what do I say to the editors? Interior Design PR gives you access to a database full of drag and drop easy to use pitch emails, so this part of your getting-published journey is covered. Boom, you got yourself tons of winning pitches to choose from, and by winning, we mean pitches that are used by PR agencies themselves.

2.       Be mindful of the publication’s aesthetic, specific sections, editors, etc. It is best to check on a publication’s Editorial Calendar so you know what sorts of topics they prioritize in a given period.

❗ Wait—what’s an EDITORIAL CALENDAR? It’s sometimes called a “Publishing Guide” and most, if not all, publications have one. All their topics and ideas on what to feature are organized in their Editorial Calendar so try to find that on their website or Media Kit.

❗ Is it hard to find a publication’s editorial calendar? Well, there are a few intricacies here and there, but the good news is, Interior Design PR gives you access to Editorial Calendars for 15+ design publications—so that, again, is another problem solved.

3.       An effective pitch submission must be quick and casual. It contains an introduction and a couple of sentences that describe the project, and what makes the project unique or special.

 ❗ What photos should I attach? Most digital publications will require high-resolution, already-edited photography so be ready with professionally-taken photographs. Attach 3-5 photos per pitch, and should they ask for more, send a cloud-drive link like Box or Google Drive and place your photos there.

4.       Now with everything ready, it’s time to send your first pitch to the publication.

❗ Who will I be sending this to? Your pitch will go straight to the editors. You should research about who these people are, and find their contact details.

❗ It’s not always easy to find the right contacts, but good news—Interior Design PR provides an email list of over 1,000 editors from top industry publications worth over $2,500.00.

5.       Wait for a response from the publication. Patience is key.

❗ Once you get published, AMPLIFY the message! Share it on your social media, blogs, your website, and tell your clients about it! Congratulations! That was fun, wasn’t it? Now be ready to reap the rewards!

❗ However, on a side note, some publications (especially blogs and digital magazines) can’t respond to every submission. After two weeks, one follow-up email is appropriate. If you haven’t heard anything after your follow-up email, you can submit to the next publication. Do not be discouraged. There are many reasons why you didn’t get an answer—and most of the time, it’s really not about your story, or your pitch. Trust in the process.

See, getting published can be intricate, but it can be done with the right resources. Interior Design PR is created to get you published for a fraction of the cost as a full-service agency.

Brand visibility, awareness, a wider audience—these are drivers to growth. All the most successful design companies and individual interior designers know that the quickest way to gain notoriety, exposure, and inquiries is to have their interior design work published.

So the question now is—are you ready to grow your business? We’re here to help.