Happy 2019 New Year!

Happy New Year!

Tin Shingle offers a lot of ways to set yourself up right for a strong start to 2019 as you grow your business and build buzz. The most important thing you can do for your marketing is reach people in a myriad of ways. The biggest resistance to this concept that we hear from people is: "But won't they get sick of me?"

No :) These are your customers, clients, friends and future clients. They are your supporters, and you inspire them. Keep reaching them. Tin Shingle helps you do this.

Upcoming Group Training - Private Sessions

If you're an All Access Member of Tin Shingle, you have the opportunity to meet online for free every other week with Tin Shingle's co-creator, Katie, and other members who join the call. This is the TuneUp, but one that is dedicated to you. Bring your questions to the table, and get support and ideas from Katie and other members.

A GREAT FIT FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT

• Instagram Breakthroughs
  If you're not using your Instagram, or if nothing is happening from your Instagram. This is a tool not to be wasted. Get ideas on what to post, and why you are posting. The "why" is the biggest key, and will unlock future ideas for you.

• Followup on PR Pitching
  If you're pitching the media, and want guidance on emailing your top goals, or guidance on following up with reporters and editors.

• Growing Your Client Base and Sales
  Come to these private sessions, and let's discuss the smarter ways you could be working to grow your sales (hint: it's in Newsletters you send and better crafted Instagrams).

Upcoming Dates (always on Wednesdays, 3pm EST):

• January 9th + 23rd

• February 13th + 27th

• March 13th + 27th (weird coincidence of same numbers!)

Private Training is available for one-on-one sessions (see pricing). But you'll get a lot out of these group training opportunities for free with your Tin Shingle Membership.

Press Portfolio: Tin Shinglers In The News! Runner's World, eBella, and Others...

Getting featured in the media is a major deal! Tin Shingle created an entire section of our website - the Press Portfolio - just to feature when our small business, artist and maker members get this kind of exposure. Here are a few recent PR hits from our Tin Shingle Members!

Tin Shingle's co-creator Katie's most recent monthly column in the Highland Current newspaper was published, and explores her bout with a Bah Humbug Christmas last year, a gift request that went bust, and her return to a Mariah Carey themed Christmas once again.

Christi Lavoy, founder of Botanistix, the pretty orchid support stakes, had an article of orchard tips published in eBella Magazine. Right off the bat, she tells you about the easiest way to kill an orchid, and the one thing you can do to prevent it.

If you're a runner, your biggest fear is not being able to run. Jennifer Conroyd is changing all of that, by making it easier for you to run in water with the app she developed in the app-kit Fluid Running. Runner's World was so impressed, they devoted entire feature to it.

Bursting onto the TV circuit to talk about women and entrepreneurship is Kathryn Brooks, seen here with Gregory L. Funderburg Jr. for News Channel 9 WTVC on Good Morning Chattanooga.

Want To List Your Press?

It's easy! Log into your Tin Shingle Member account and click the My Account link. You need to have Level 2 Membership at least, and then upload a picture of the press, link, and description!

Are We Connected? Tin Shingle's Communities for Members

Are We Connected?

If you're a super-hooked in Member of Tin Shingle, starting at the Community Level 1 all the way up to All Access Level 4, there are 2 ways we stay connected online to share ideas and open minds to new ways of doing outreach for your business:

COMMUNITY BOARDS
The Community Boards are Tin Shingle's online forums. It's for people who like the Internet 1.0 (like those girls at The What). We've had it for years (before Facebook Groups existed!), and it's a safe, quieter place to ask questions, get feedback, write a lot if you need to, and easily find older conversations and recommendations. Available to our Community Members and up.
How It Works: Just log into your Tin Shingle account, and click on the tab "Community Boards." If you want to ask a new question or start a new conversation, you just click into one of the specialized forum places, like "Pitch Whisperer" or "SEO" or "Social Media" or "PR (Public Relations)" and click "Start a New Post" at the top of the page.

FACEBOOK GROUP
For those who like the feel of instantly connecting and tagging one another, Tin Shingle does have a closed Facebook Group. Only Community Members and above are approved into it. You can ask questions and give and get support here too, or just shout "Hooray!" if something exciting happened that you want to tell us about.
How It Works: You need to request permission to come into the group. We'll see it, and grant it (if you're a member - go activate your membership here)! If you're a Community Member and above, click right here to reach our Facebook Group and knock!

The "Pitch Whisperer" Forum

Arguably one of our most powerful areas in our online forum in the Community Boards at Tin Shingle's website: The Pitch Whisperer. This is where you get to copy and paste your email pitch to a writer, editor or producer, and you'll get support from Tin Shingle's owner Katie, who is also a publisher of an online newspaper/blog that reaches 21,500 views per month.

She sees a lot of pitches from people in the world (regular people and PR agents), and can identify what's working and not working. She also thinks up article ideas that work for a large audience. So she knows a good angle when she sees one.

But this is just one person weighing in. Any member of Tin Shingle who wants to help out can give their feedback also. Helping others feels good.

If you're a Community Member and above, click here to get to the Pitch Whisperer.

We've Got A Live One!

Last week, a member wanted feedback on an email she was going to send to the media about the app she created to help people get their deliveries (versus having them be stolen off porches).
After a little tweaking, the email pitch changed dramatically, and she even developed a second pitch for a totally new angle!

You can see the transformation of that pitch here.

Today's TuneUp: Private Member-Only Jam Session

We're changing it up here at Tin Shingle!

The most important, game-changing thing we can do sometimes is to connect and talk - out loud. Not just typing. Therefore, we are alternating this TuneUp space to be one week the regular public TuneUp (stream all of the past TuneUps here), and the next week will be a Members Only TuneUp, where people who have activated a level of membership can come onto this call for a Group Strategy Session.

How This Works:

Moderated by Tin Shingle's Katie Hellmuth Martin, you can bring 1 Challenge you are experiencing, or are challenging yourself to do. Usually this is a small group of people, and it is always a safe, supportive space.

• Each person brings 1 goal or challenge they want to unpack.

• Each person will get to present their challenge, and get feedback from others on the call on how to get there.

• Homework will be assigned to each person. You'll have your own homework assignment created just for you to get you closer to reaching your goal.

This Group TuneUp is Great For:

• PR: People who are trying to get featured in the media.

• PR: People who didn't realize that they could get featured in the media, and need an outlook adjustment!

• PR: People who are pitching the media but getting nowhere.

• SOCIAL MEDIA: People who are shy in social media and need a plan to put their business or brand out there.

• SOCIAL MEDIA: People who need to fine tune what they are doing in social media to get better results (i.e. sales, bookings, etc.)

• WEBSITE DESIGN: People who need feedback on their websites.

• SEO: People who want to elevate their SEO to a new level.

Today: Tin Shingle's Member Mingle for September 2018

Hey Hudson Valley Tin Shinglers!
Let's meet up!

Tin Shingle's Member Mingle is a special opportunity for those members located in New York to meet in person and talk shop about questions in PR, Social Media, Marketing and SEO.

Bring your burning questions or simply a desire to absorb new ideas from others and contribute your own.

Membership with Tin Shingle at the Community Level 1 is required ($45/month), so go activate your membership if you haven't yet, and see you soon!

LOCATION: 291 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508, First Floor, First Door
DAY: Monday September 26, 2018
TIME: 12:00 EST
Upcoming Meeting: October 29th, 2018
No Meetings for November + December because they fall on Holidays

TuneUps - Change 'em Up? Do You Want a Buzz Building Challenge?

When: Every Other Wednesday
Time: 3pm EST
Where: At your computer or on your phone.
Price: Would be for All Access Pass Members of Tin Shingle

Do You Want a Buzz Building Challenge?

About two years ago, at the request of a Tin Shingle Member out of Chicago, Lisa of Your Pet Chef (makers of raw dog food), we tried something new: A PR Challenge. We held it online using GoTo Webinar, and members could call in on their computers and we could all see each other, face to face. It was so fun to connect!

It quickly morphed into a PR and Social Media Challenge. Many growth moments happened for the members on the Challenge. One former jewelry designer, Sierra Bailey of Manic Trout, put herself out there and got a national crafting TV show. Yeah - she did that! All because we were hashing things out on the call.

We've been wanting to bring this back, but the timing has been hard. When to have it? Everyone is super busy doing All Of The Things. As we're building the Fall Schedule for Training TuneUps, we're taking a moment to step back and see if there is an opportunity here...
 

Alternating Every Other Wednesday:
Training TuneUp, then Buzz Building Challenge

What do you think? Here's how it would break down:

Training TuneUp:
One week (Wednesday, 3pm EST) you'd get the chance to call in to the show and watch or listen for free during the live broadcast of the Training TuneUp, like always. These are one-sided, so you can only type in your questions via the Question Box. Online Class Members (Level 3) are able to stream all of these Training TuneUps for free later on 24/7.

Buzz Building Challenge:
The next week, (Wednesday, 3pm EST) only All Access Pass Members could call into a special private line and hook in face to face. There would be one homework assignment each week. The agenda would work like this:

• Check in. What's been going on? How are your pitches? How is your social media? Did you send that newsletter?
• Goal check. What are your goals? Why are you doing outreach and marketing? Let's make sure you're doing the right things to get you what you need.
• Homework assignment. You've got two weeks to complete the assignment. You'll find out what it is in the Buzz Building Challenge.

What do you think? Let us know in the Comments below with a Yay or a Nay.

Yay: Yes, I want to alternate between Training TuneUps and the Buzz Building Challenge (guess I better jump the fence and become an All Access Pass Member of Tin Shingle once and for all!)

Nay: Nah, keep the Training TuneUps coming every week. I'll get things done on my own time.

Look forward to hearing from you!

#Magazining: Who Are You Reading This Weekend?

Who are you reading this weekend? Pitching the media becomes so much easier when you know what they covered, who else covered it, how they covered it, and where your story angle fits in.

Easily fill up your PR Planning and Tracking Template with story angle ideas for the myriad of ways different media outlets could feature your business or product or service expertise.

Download the template from the Template section of this website. Free for All Access Pass Members of Tin Shingle!

PR Tip: Just because there are 10 different ways to feature your business, you wouldn’t include all 10 of those in your pitch. You would zero in on 1, and write the pitch around that. I go into more detail about this in Tin Shingle’s Commmunity Boards available to Community Level 1 Members. Join us! And start improving your pitches. 

Member Update: Media Contacts Updated + Member-To-Member Conversations

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Easy-Access List of Editors + Writers at Magazines

When you're doing your own PR and getting the word out, you need to think big. Of course you can get featured in a big magazine! You just need to pitch the right person. How do you find that right person?

Skim Through Tin Shingle's Media Contacts Database

Tin Shingle's Media Contact Database makes your research a little easier. Do you want to be featured in the pages of Wired Magazine? Allure Magazine? Or more of a spiritual magazine?  You can do that with our easy-to-use list that includes ways to search by subject or media outlet.

We have recently updated media contacts at O, the Oprah Magazine, Ebony, Shape, Elle Decor, and others. Now, you can see exactly when each name in our database has been updated because we added a time-stamp to each name with the date of which it was updated.

Upgrade To Media Contacts Level 3 - Get 'Em - Then Downgrade to Community or Directories Level 1 or 2!

You won't always need access to the full collection of Media Contacts, but you'll still want to stay hooked in to Tin Shingle's Community for support - and showcase your website and offerings on Tin Shingle!

You can do that! You can change your level of membership at any time from your Account Dashboard.

Media Contacts Updated for Cosmopolitan

Wishing your business could be featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine? Cosmo was just updated at Tin Shingle’s website in our Media Contacts Database. Many media outlets are in the database, and they are updated in a rotation.

Best ways t get featured in Cosmopolitan:

STEP 1. Read the magazine in print - as it should be read - to get real familiar with what they cover and how businesses, artists and makers are featured or mentioned in their regular roundups or dedicated theme pages that repeat in each issue. 

STEP 2. Dive into Tin Shingle’s Media Contact Database to get a good idea for who to pitch there. Get a list of names at your fingertips to help you in your research and relationship building. Always double check a contact with what they are currently writing about, or what they have written about recently by visiting their Twitter or author profiles on their own professional websites.

Available to Tin Shingle Members Level 4 All Access Pass!

www.tinshingle.com/membership

New Template: PR Planner & Tracker for Organized Outreach to the Media

New Template: PR Planner & Tracker for Media Outreach

They key to getting PR is to actually pitch the media. Chances are, you have several brilliant ideas of why Good Morning America or Inc. Magazine should feature you or your business. All you need to do is tell them about it.

They key to that is simple planning. If you haven't pitched the media in the last 30 days, then you should listen to this Training TuneUp: "Breaking Through PR Blockage". Most importantly, you need to plot out your ideas and tick them off one by one each time you pitch. Easiest way to do that is to plot your ideas in Tin Shingle's newest template, the "PR Planner & Tracker for Media Outreach".

In the PR Planner & Tracker template spreadsheet, you will find:

At-A-Glance Media Landscape

In one place, see your plans for when you want to pitch a print magazine like Entrepreneur, and what you want to be pitching blogs or local TV. Because these media types work in different cycles, the content will vary drastically. TV and blogs may be working on Summer subjects, but print magazines are working on Fall and Winter subjects. Keep things straight on this at-a-glance sheet.

Idea Sheets

Once you have your at-a-glance plans down, go into specifics on the idea sheets for each media outlet type. Track your ideas for magazines on one sheet, and your ideas for bloggers on another. Input your intended Media Contacts right there, and a column for if you pitched that idea or not.

Color Coordinated

Individual idea sheets are color coordinated with the At-A-Glance Media Landscape.

Pitching Log

Pitching the media can become a game of numbers. The more you pitch, the more your chances increase of getting picked up. Track each time you pitch and followup in one sheet - the Pitching Log.

Removing Rejection Syndrome

When you pitch the media, you often won't hear back from them. That's OK. But the silence can hurt. Remove this per-occupation by pitching several different media outlets, and following up with them. When you begin pitching a lot, you won't think about who didn't get back to you and why. They will simply be in your rotation of who you want to pitch when.

Snapshot of the PR Planner & Tracker:

The At-A-Glance Media Landscape will help you get your big picture view of what you should be focusing on for each month.

Detail your pitching plans in dedicated worksheets for each media outlet. Shown here is the "Magazines to Pitch" worksheet. Put your intended magazine contacts and ideas for them here.

Tracking writers as they move around is very important. You can do that from a worksheet in Tin Shingle's PR Planner & Tracker. Contributing Writers are looking for content for several magazines at once. A writer may be a very good fit for your brand. You'll want your business to be top-of-mind for when they need to highlight a product or seek advice from an expert.

Two Ways to Get The PR Planner & Tracker for Media Outreach

1. Buy It: Purchase it here and have Forever Access as we make updates to it. Simply download the latest version.
2. Get it for Free: All Access Pass Level 4 Members of Tin Shingle get this planner for free. Learn about membership here.