What To Pitch The Media This Month: July 2021

WHAT TO PITCH THE MEDIA THIS MONTH: JULY

HELLO!

We did this! We brought back Tin Shingle's monthly series, "What To Pitch The Media This Month: July 2021"

We went over ideas for national print magazines (6 months ahead), local (2-3 months ahead), and trending news stories right now. (HINT: This is the time for Holiday Gift Guide pitching! That coveted print space in November/December issues.)

This TuneUp is a menagerie of ideas. Not only did we go over monthly themes you could spin your business pitching into, but we also covered:

• Trending news stories you could latch onto.

• (ex: Refinery29's obsession with Mom Jeans- why?! why are they stealing our sexy?)

• How to make your own news.

• Did you participate in a protest? Tell someone about it - outside of your Instagram.

• Different ways to pitch.

• What to do when you get press coverage.

• Why Instagram isn't enough.

PS: This means Office Hours were closed, as we did the live, free, open to all TuneUp at 3pm instead.

PPS: If you couldn't make it to this free broadcast, Tin Shinglers with the Media Membership get 24/7 access to watch any TuneUp whenever they want. Activate your Tin Shingle membership today to get access!

HOW TO WATCH

Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.

MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE (FREE)

Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen.

NON-MEMBERS ($65)

Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play.

Including The Deaf Community In Your Instagram Posts - Turning On Captions In "Stories"

Businesses are becoming more and more comfortable with posting videos on Instagram, allowing their platform to reach users globally. What you may have noticed is that now viewers are reading captions in the videos, rather than listening to them, or while listening to them. This is a huge inclusionary step for the Deaf community, who otherwise could not access all of the content in the same way.

When you’re posting videos to Instagram, it is essential that you add captions to your videos, and here’s why…

Video Captions For Accessibility

First, accessibility! Some viewers may be Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and missing out on what you are saying. Mashable reported in 2019 how Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used Captions, and how Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco tweeted his appreciation.

We checked in with Licensed Clinical Psychologist Jamiee Arnoff of BFF Therapy, who specializes in teens and young adults, including those in the Deaf community, to learn her perspective on this important and inclusive move. “I'm so glad that this is being talked about and that accessibility is highlighted. In terms of how captions impact the population, it is all about inclusivity. Captions allow for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to engage in the content without issue, encouraging dialogue on the topic from the entire audience. It definitely does not go unnoticed when someone includes captions in their posts, taking the extra step to ensure the information provided is accessible.”

How To Turn Video Captioning On - It’s easy!

Finding the settings to turn your Captions on is a little tricky.

THE STEPS:
Go to Settings. This is behind the 3 bars in the top right of your screen..

Click “Account”

Click “Captions” and toggle on “Auto-Generated Captions”

You’re not done yet. You will need to set the Auto-Generated Captions for each IGTV Video.

That’s right - your video needs to be an IGTV Video right now, which means you’ll need to select that type of post when you’re posting.

The IGTV VIdeo needs to be at least 1 minute long.

When you’re posting the IGTV Video, before you post, scroll down to the Advance Settings tab. Click that, and make sure the Auto-Generated Caption is clicked on.

This guy, Alec Wilcock, made a super easy video about it to show you, which we have posted below.

PS: Dr. Jaimee gave additional guidance on how to speak to and about the Deaf Community. Her points center on capitalizing the D in Deaf, as well as the term “hearing impraired” that you may be used to, but is time for retirement. Dr. Jaimee says: “The term ‘hearing impaired,’ can be replaced with "Deaf or Hard of Hearing,’ as many Deaf individuals do not view themselves as having an impairment, and there is some long-standing resentments about the negative, medical tone of the word, being that it was coined by hearing people. There is also significant cultural meaning behind using a lowercase or capital (d) when writing out the word deaf (we know it terms of the "little d" and "big D" discussion).”

Thank you, Dr. Jaimee, for helping us speak to and about a community!

How Tin Shingle's TuneUp Office Hours Is Helping Author Winifred Tataw

During a Wednesday Tin Shingle TuneUp Office Hour, which is open to members from 1-2 pm, I, Katie, got to meet Winnie @winsbooks! Professionally as an author, she is Winifred Tataw, and both her names are part of what we discussed SEO-wise. Winnie is a writer in the Young Adult Fantasy genre, and her book is available on her website.

Part of why Winnie joined Tin Shingle was to improve SEO on her website. “I’ve downloaded 30 SEO apps, and it’s not happening,” she told me on a call before she joined. The simple truth is that those apps won’t help! I haven’t seen everyone, but what has always helped since the dawn of SEO 20 years ago (which is when I started), is creative writing with keywords in mind, and linking out to other related web pages is the perfect combo.

First off, we discussed where Winnie had to put her name on different pages (because her website won’t rank well for her own name if it’s not mentioned anywhere...a common problem of speaking in 1st person...and having her author name on blog articles isn’t weighted enough for Google). We discussed her Author Spotlights, a service she created to spotlight other writers of color who are Black, Brown, Indigenous, and otherwise unrecognized. Being the month of Ramadan, she has been surprised to not see the author highlights of Muslim authors right now.

Winnie interviews the author and does a full feature on the book. While this is in a section called “Services,” she doesn’t charge for this, unlike others in her field. We discussed how she is creating pure publicity for these authors, and while that is a gift/service for them, in the publishing world, it is called something else: publicity ☺️💜

She is going to rename that section to Author Spotlights and feature recent interviews on its home page. Tin Shingle is adding Winnie to our Media Contacts Idea Center, and tagging her as #BlackMedia for others looking to find opportunities. Winnie is Tin Shingle’s youngest member: she is in her 3rd year at The College of Charleston! Which is where I went also! It is an honor having a student trust Tin Shingle enough with her investment. Her eye is on the prize(s).

Why We Talk About Hair Blowouts During TuneUp Office Hours

Not gonna lie, sometimes during the TuneUp Office Hour, we discuss COVID hair blowouts, and how that can become a media pitch idea. Because that is what makeup designer mixologist @nycluckychick has mastered for her curly hair during the shutdown. This is a media pitch that isn’t a feature on her business but can keep her name and company name in the news lightly.

We also discuss things like Grammy makeup themes as seen on the virtual red carpet and how to incorporate that into her customer newsletter to increase sales. In the past, @nycluckychick showed up and we discussed short, quick, and really effective ways of getting her new makeup brand in front of editors. Makeup artists love her brand and have reached out to use it for the Grammys!

Want in on this fun? Office Hours at Tin Shingle is a special opportunity for members only, where they call in with their questions, concerns, doubts, big ideas.

Tin Shingle Members can attend this TuneUp Office Hour session as a way to have a micro-brainstorming session on their own marketing needs. The time will be shared and moderated. Come join us if you haven't yet! Private Training is always available with a discount to Tin Shingle Members, and group connections are always appreciated. www.TinShingle.com/tuneup

TODAY: The Live TuneUp Returns

What To Pitch The Media This Month: January 

When: Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Time: 1pm EST
Where: At your computer or on your phone
Price: Free for all during this live broadcast

The live TuneUp is back this week for a look at what you can be pitching the media this month for coverage in national magazines as well as blogs and TV. There is a lot to cover, including ideas for, Home Decor, Finances, Taxes, Healthcare, Health Insurance, Amazon VS Shopify, Voter Rights, Mutual Aid Networks, and More! Get your 2021 Editorial Calendars out and let's go!

Get ideas! Join us live on today's broadcast! 

If you can't make it to this free broadcast, Tin Shinglers with the Media Membership get 24/7 access to watch any TuneUp whenever they want. Apply for Tin Shingle membership today to get access!

Where Can You Watch TuneUps You Missed?

If you miss any live, free class, you can watch all of Tin Shingle's Training TuneUps from our website! Tin Shingle's Media Membership gives you unlimited streaming of all online classes we recorded. Organized by topic, including Instagram, Photography, Facebook, and more. Browse our library of TuneUp Replays here.

Tin Shingle is your partner in getting the word out about your business. Generating buzz is our jam, and it can be yours too.

Loving what you're hearing in the Training TuneUps, but need help applying it to your business? Schedule a Private Training Session with Katie to get you on track. Share ideas, doubts, and goals. Come away with actionable items you can start on now to carry out your marketing campaigns. Tin Shingle Members get a Discount on this service. Contact Us for coupon code.

You Had Ideas Today - Put Them Here!

Hello, 2021!

You had big ideas today. You need to log those into your group Editorial Content Planner that you share with your team, or share with yourself on the go when you upload it to your Google Drive.

Today was the big Re-Entry Day as everyone completed the Holiday Season, and were Back To Work. Slack crashed, and new emails of intentions flew into inboxes.

HOW THE EDITORIAL CALENDAR WORKS
When you have Big Idea for content - like when you are going to launch a new program, need to get a press release out and want to make sure you have content published on your website to back up this initiative - you plot this out in your 2021 Editorial Calendar that Tin Shingle designed for you.

Created as an Excel document with 12 tabs - a tab for each month - every single day of the year visible to you very easily. Daily ideas are also included for each month, so you know when to plan for Martin Luther King Day or National Mentoring Month.

FREE: This Editorial Content Planner is free for Media Kit Members of Tin Shingle. Activate your membership today to download this and all of our exclusively produced Templates.

FREE: If you are not a member, but purchased this template in the past, you are able to download this year's - and every year's - for free. The investment that keeps giving.

INCLUDED WITH THIS 2021 EDITORIAL CONTENT PLANNER TEMPLATE

• Organization: Article Assignment Slots for 12 Months, 365 Days Broken Down Into Weeks
  Every single day of the year is organized into 12 monthly tabs for your viewing and organizational pleasure.

• Content Ideas: Over 250 Hot Topics & National Days for Instant Ideas for Fresh Content

• Social Media + Newsletter Options: Dedicated columns to call out when you are sending a special newsletter to your customer base or subscriber list, and when you need to publish a social media post, and not necessarily publish an article to your news or blog section.

• Who Does What: Tracking Who is Writing, Who is Making the Art, and Who is Posting the Article, and Socializing

• Forever Access: Always have free access to next year's Editorial Planner Template

• Free for All Access Tin Shingle Members: If you are an All-Access Pass Member of Tin Shingle, you automatically have free access to this Template. Just hit that Download button when you are logged in!

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

Media Contacts Updated! The Conversation, Mindbodygreen, MedPage Today, Podcasts, And Many More

MEDIA CONTACT UPDATES

The Conversation, Mindbodygreen, MedPage Today, Podcasts, and many more have been updated in our Media Contact database and what is a better time than now to pitch pitch pitch!

A few examples include:

Beth Daley who is the Editor and General Manager for The Conversation and specializes in all things, Kids, Environment, Genetics, Climate Change, Food Labeling, Fishing & Journalism.

Bruce G Wilson Jr, who is the Chief Innovation and Development Officer of The Conversation specializing in, Business Development, Strategic Branding and Communications, Publishing and Content Monetization, Building Sales and Marketing

And to name a few more (because we like you...)

Jason Wachob, who is the Founder of Mindbodygreen and Co-Founder/CoCEO of the MBG podcast has been added. His areas of interest include, Psychology, Wellness, Health, & Digital Media.

And another one! Stephanie Eckelkamp, who is a contributing writer for mindbodygreen specializing in, Health, Wellness, Nutrition, Natural Remedies, & Natural Beauty.

There are many more Media Contacts who have been added to our database! Plus, it is super easy to use! We made a short video to show you how to search for media contacts in our database. View it HERE.


Tin Shinglers with the Media Kit Membership get access to any and all Media Contacts. Apply for Tin Shingle membership today to get access!

Get Ideas

Need ideas of why to pitch these shows? Start a conversation in Tin Shingle's Pitch Whisperer. Or tune in every other Wednesday to our members-only group consulting session, Pitch Whisperer TuneUp.

You can also get private, one-on-one help through Private Training.

NEW! Community Network Tool

We heard you! You want to network with other members, right now, this instant. And we want to also! Therefore, we have created a new community in Google Groups where you can email the Tin Shingle Google Group and instantly reach other Tin Shingle members with your question, desire for feedback, or just sharing something new that you are launching.

Tin Shingle does have a forum on our website, which we will be retiring, because it is old. And unimpressive. However, should we wish to custom design it in the future, we will always have that ability that we've always had. For now, we think that you want to use modern tools at places you know, like Google.

You might be wondering why we are not using a Facebook Group. Tin Shingle is not a huge fan of Facebook in general, and we have an issue with how they use your data and how their groups work. This way, with an inbox based group, we feel that you will be able to connect with each other and build relationships in a way that is not overwhelming, is safe, and gives you notifications when you need them.

HOW THIS WORKS

This is in beta for now as we get used to it, but here is how this is going to work:

• Tin Shingle Member: you need to be a Tin Shingle Member to use this. It is a private group. Once you become a member, your email will be added by our team and you will receive an email notification. If you are already a member of Tin Shingle, your email has been added, and you should be getting a notification shortly. If you are a Tin Shingle Member, and do not want to be in this group, that is fine! Please email us and we will remove you. *Please note, just because you are receiving this email, it does not mean you are a Tin Shingle Member. You are a member if you are paying a member subscription. If you do want to be a part of this group, and you are not a member yet, click HERE to activate your membership now!

• Email The Group: When you're ready to reach out and network, you will send an email to the Google Group via a special email address. Only Tin Shingle Members will have this email address, and if you are a member, you will get it in a separate email.

• Rules: We are developing the rules of behavior and appropriateness, but you may use this group to help other members by answering their questions, network when you are launching or promoting something, etc. We want you to use this group to give and get support.

How To Design Your Instagram Story Highlights (Circles) To Make Them POP!

Using Instagram to get the word out about your business is key! It helps to build a personal connection with people through sharing images of your brands uniqueness, plus, there are millions of users! Instagram Story Highlights (Circles), specifically, are extremely valuable because it allows you (and your business) to showcase important content that you want your customers to see! Think of them as a really good movie trailer… where you just can’t wait to see more!

Canva - The DIY Graphic Design App - Made Designs Templates For You!

Using the Canva app for graphic design can help to create beautiful designs for your business. Canva is an app for the phone or laptop that is like a graphic design program/platform that enables anybody to be an amazing designer - even if you aren’t a designer. Canva has all of the tools necessary - templates, elements, styles, text, etc. Find what works for you and your biz. It’s easy once you get the hang of it!

See below for screenshots of the step-by-step process.

Best Practice For Designing Highlights (Circles At The Top Of Your Instagram Page)

To really make the Circle Highlights stand out for a smooth flow on your Instsagram page, you’ll want to make sure circle images ‘flow,’ meaning, are cohesive with one another. This helps people see your page as a unit, instead of bouncing around a bunch of unrelated visual markers.

Ok. Now you’re ready to design your own Highlight circles!

Step 1: Search Instagram Story Highlight

Use Canva’s search box to search for exactly what you looking for (shown below). Use the keyword term “instagram highlight.”

Canva’s ready-to-use Highlight templates will show up in the search results. You may be presented with several selections. Look below to see.

Step 2: Customize To Your Liking!

Pick one of those templates, and then plug and play. Add different colors or fonts, move shapes around, whatever you want! Canva has an abundance of free tools to use. Use the tool bar located to the left to upload some of your own images/photos, browse different elements, add funky text!

Canva allows you to choose colors and fonts that fit in with your business theme! You can create from scratch, or you can choose a template and then change things around to fit with what you want.

Step 3: Download Your Design

Once you create a design, download it, and then head on over to Instagram to edit your Highlight cover with your new beautiful design images!

Step 4: Where To Find The Place To Upload Your New Highlight Circle Design In Instagram

Inside of Instagram, you will find…

You’re all done!

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Now It’s Time To Add Your Custom Designed Circle Highlight To Your Instagram

Here at Tin Shingle, we elected to use a soft color of pink. That goes with our branding, and the flowers we tend to use elsewhere on our website. It’s easy on the eyes, and does indicate that Tin Shingle has a feminine approach, even though our platform is gender neutral.

STEP 1: Access The Edit Point

Hold down the Highlight you want to edit and click or tap ‘Edit Highlight.’

STEP 2: Select The Cover Art

Next, you’re going to click or tap ‘Edit Cover.’

STEP 3: Grab The Image From Your Phone

Swipe all the way to the left until you see a white outlined graphic with an image placeholder. Choose the photo image that you downloaded from canva.

STEP 4: VOILA! All Done!

Your Story Highlights are poppin’!

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“Help! Just Do It For Me!”

Sure! The team at Tin Shingle would be happy to take care of this for you, and design the branding of your Highlight circles! We can either walk you through it or be your sounding board when you book a Private Session. Or, we can do it for you in our Highlight Circle Design Package. For that, we’ll take a deep dive into your existing branding, and design a selection pack. We will upload it for you as well.

If you are designing them on your own, and want feedback from the Tin Shingle Community, simply activate your Tin Shingle Membership and create a conversation in our Community Forum!

[PR] TuneUp: Best Ways To Get And Leverage Testimonials

I know...I know...you're deep into all of the memes, fact checking, and discoveries made by friends after the first presidential "debate" (was it a debate? or a soggy mashed up episode of Dr. Phil and Judge Judy?). If you are a parent, you also might be deep into Morning Meetings of Remote Learning and helping your child stay on track at home.

That's why this TuneUp is fast! We breezed through one of the best marketing tools you have, but may forget to use: The Testimonial.

Testimonials are one of the best ways to convince a potential client or customer to buy from you. They are often the most forgotten marketing tool you can acquire and use! This TuneUp will dust off your Testimonial Hunting skills (because you have to go out and get them - they won't just drop from the sky! unless you're a seller in Amazon or have a Shopify shop and have a widget).

HOW TO WATCH

Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.

MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE (FREE)

Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen.

NON-MEMBERS ($65)

Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play.