Tip: Make it Easy for Editors to Feature Your Jewelry for Holiday

Even though the dog days of summer are upon us, it’s not time to slack off in your jewelry business.

Savvy jewelry designers are working hard (and having a little fun too) during the summer months.

If you are feeling discouraged because it seems like your summer sales have slumped, don’t fret. It’s normal for their to be a slight dip in sales during the summer months. Having more time to work on your business is one of the advantages of the summer lull.

Having a strong presence in the Media during the Holiday months can be something that can make the difference between a stellar Holiday Sales Season, or one that is Ho Hum. It’s a fact that using press opportunities either in Holiday Gift Guides and magazines, or in other Daily Publications, Daily shows or popular blogs can help you reach more DREAM Clients if leveraged correctly.

Here are a few easy tips that you can use to make it easy for editors to feature your jewelry for Holiday.

1. Professional white background product shots

Good photography is king! Professional photographs on a white background that are well lit can mean the difference between a “YES” we’ll feature your piece or a “NO” we can’t tell what it looks like.

Plus if you have your pieces beautifully photographed on a white background, it makes it easy for an editor to just cut and past the piece into a story if time is running out!

2. Have a look book ready

Make sure you have a professional “looking” look book, catalog and/or line sheet ready to email out (or snail mail if that is the preferred method).

A look book can be short and sweet with just your key items while a catalog or line sheet is more extensive and usually holds your entire collection. It’s best to send out line sheets and catalogs without prices or with retail prices, especially if it is a story that is featuring specifically priced items.

3. Craft your Pitch

One of the ways that makes it easy on YOU to reach out to editors, bloggers and producers is to have a pre-written pitch with the basic elements of your “spiel” included. Make sure you are reaching out to the “RIGHT” publications for your products. Remember Vogue might not be where your DREAM clients are shopping so Vogue Editors may not open an email that is not from a highly established “Fancy” brand.

You should always start by introducing yourself and your collection. Give a short description of the work you do. If you are working with a specific trend or type of jewelry, make sure you talk about that briefly as well. Finally, add a few low res images (on a white background) attached to the email. Make sure you thank them for their time and tell them how they can reach you for more samples.

Keep it short and sweet. Editors are busy!! They are most likely just “scanning” emails anyway until they see something that works for a story that they are working on.

4. Use an Interesting Headline

Keep in mind, editors, bloggers and producers are bombarded with inquiries on a daily basis. If you are pitching a trend that is popular or something, for instance Emerald was a really popular color for Holiday last year), you might want use a headline such as “Emerald Green Chandelier Earrings for Holiday.”

There are other things you can do as well, for instance, if you are a designer of colorful jewelry, you can send a headline with your pitch “3 Must Have Colorful Holiday Earrings.”

Our friend Melissa Cassera wrote a great post about crafting interesting headlines and I interviewed her a few months ago. She is a real PR master so you should take her advice!

5. Follow up

Remember what we said above, editors, etc. are super busy. Make sure you follow up in a timely manner. If you don’t hear anything back, take it as a “no” for now. Remember, you are submitting with lots of other people. It takes a little time to build a rapport and a relationship.

As with anything, the key to your success is a commitment to your business, a belief that you are worth it, fantastic saleable product and persistence. Your beautiful jewelry is just waiting to be seen by thousands.

Remember, Right now is the time to start reaching out to editors for Gift Guides and any issue that lands between October and December, high season for jewelry designers. Editors often work 4-5 months in advance. Producers and bloggers work a little closer to the story line. At the end of the day, Robin & I just want you to Ramp Up Your Holiday Sales by leveraging some fantastic press!

Did you know that most jewelry designers book about 50% of their sales in the last 3-4 months of the year? Robin & I are letting you in on some of our insider secrets with our free training Series:: Ramp Up Your Holiday Sales. The FREE video training goes live on July 5th. Make sure you sign up today.

Before you go, we want to hear from you! In the comments below, answer the following::

1. What would be your DREAM press opportunity?
2. What is your biggest hurdle for reaching out to the press?

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@Flourish_Thrive are dishing out 5 easy tips that you can use to make it easy for editors to feature your jewelry! https://bit.ly/10vLyRn