?? Day 3/30: MEDIA, PR AND PODCASTS

Let's directly start with the big question- Have you paid for media mentions and awards?

Awards: No, Never.

Media Mentions: Yes, in the early days of @Lazysuitcase, I did pay for media articles and mentions. At that time, I and my co-founder invested in a Media Kit with one of the biggest Hong Kong-based travel online digital magazines. The first time around, we thought it worked great, offering us a social post of recognition for the travel-based content we had shared. However, the return on investment didn't play out as expected when we tried it again and again. Learning from this, for my next stint I decided to let the work speak for itself. If the efforts and ideas were truly worthy of media mentions, Meetmumz, would be featured and I chose to invest that money in building the business instead.

As mothers in business, we carry stories of resilience, passion, and an unwavering commitment to make a difference. It is key to understand that the responsibility lies with us to step into the spotlight and share our narratives authentically.

Luckily, My first organic external validation came with a feature in the South China Morning Post SCMP (SCMP), thanks to Kylie Knott and Female Entrepreneur Worldwide, even before my official launch. This experience fueled my promise to pay it forward. What began as the "Who is she" segment of the meetmumz blog, spotlighting mothers, evolved into the impactful stories of Mother/Founder, celebrating the resilience and journey of mothers in business.

( Nearing 100 features for mothers in business)

Link to Blog:

What Worked?

Focused on Organic Media Marketing these were the things I focused on:

Crafting My Story

Focusing and Starting with 100% authenticity became my superpower while I crafted my story. It helped me maintain consistency in my choice of words and narratives, fostering strong connections. Embracing my unique perspective as an expat with a particular skill set was crucial. "Nobody is you, and that is your superpower!" became my guiding mantra.

Storytelling is Key

Practicing various pitches regularly, from a 1-line elevator pitch to a 3-minute narrative, allowed me to refine my storytelling skills. So much so, that I even practiced 10 words, 3 words, and 1 minute pitches with strangers!

Engaging Strategically

Engage in Events and Online Conversations

Many have asked how the first article was SCMP that happened even before I Launched?

Attending an event on Media that had a media spokesperson share the kind of subjects one should have for Pitch emails to be opened, I took the courage, raised my hand in a room of 100+ people and asked :

"Would Tinder For Moms" be the kind of subject?

Of-course that spokesperson avoided me for the rest of the evening, but the next thing I knew I was speaking with the amazing @Kylie Knott from SCMP who so beautifully captured my story. Link

Monitor Media Requests

I started keeping an eye on platforms where journalists post requests for sources or stories and opened doors to self-published podcasts, submissions, and networks. @The Asian Entrepreneur Podcast by Callum Laing called Callum Connects was such one!

Be Resilient in the Face of Rejection

I faced many Rejections, which became a ground for me to refine my story with authenticity, more clarity, and finesse. Unfortunately at that time, I did not have the Courage to celebrate my Failures Publicly as I was focused on Celebrating Milestones Publicly. It was those rejections that helped me further with my storytelling art.

The Media Research Kit

While I didn't have a traditional media kit, the folder that I shared with journalists and blog writers included research, government-backed data, statistics, analysis, articles, quotes, and anything that could assist journalists in their research on writing about the topic. ( A task beautifully packaged by one of the part time interns I had hired then)

In time other things fell into place like a Domino Effect.

Featured Blog at Alibaba Cloud as part of One of HK's Top 10 Startups (click article)

Relationship Building & Elevating Your Brand

In navigating my entrepreneurial journey, I discovered the power of leveraging podcasts as a conduit for not only sharing my story but also for showcasing thought leadership.

Collaborating with businesses and influencers in dynamic, collaborative campaigns not only garnered attention but significantly expanded my reach. Across Social Channels, especially Linkedin, by staying abreast of industry trends, and features by fellow founders in the space, I honed the art of timely pitching, ensuring my stories resonated with the current landscape along with the solutions I was building.

Winning the Female APAC Entrepreneur Award - Business on Stilettoes by HK JCI Jaycettes! 2021

Participation in awards nominations ( fair and square) and recognitions became a strategic move that caught the scope and helped me elevate my presence involved positioning myself beyond a business owner and embracing the role of an individual empowering other women along the journey.

Featured on Youtube by Alibaba, 199K Views (click here)

The Background of the Video:

THE BIGGEST LEARNINGS AND SECRET

When the Alibaba Video was being recorded, In all honesty, the one thought that was etched strongly in my mind was that of "Imposter Syndrome"!!

It made me wonder, all that Glitters on Social Media is not true always!! In hindsight, there is always an opportunity cost to your already "Limited time and energy". The choice of where you choose to invest could help make or break your business and mind space. One could choose based on the seasonality of your business to bring more partnerships, and collaborations, grow the business, build the systems, hire a team, run feedback loops, create automation, work on a stronger Revenue Model introduce alternate revenue models or simply spend quality time with family and self if not Media features.

At that moment, I can see now: I was chasing butterflies, when I could also have been working more towards building a garden to attract more butterflies. Maybe I developed a patch, but I still had a long way to go!

Media is important. PR is important. but having your BUSINESS TO BE MEDIA READY, is the most important!!

Make that time invested, worth it!

Today, sharing vulnerability with strength has become an integral part of my narrative, connecting authentically with others on their entrepreneurial quests. Together, let's embrace the spotlight, celebrate our achievements, and failures, lets collectively use our narratives to uplift fellow mothers in business, illuminating the path for others to follow.

??? #Motherhood #Entrepreneurship #MediaBrilliance