DIY PR: Get your biz in the press!???

Build your media profile (and get paid to be interviewed)

Hello from London! We're back at Bankside for the weekend. It's hard to beat for culture: Tate Modern, Borough Market, St Paul's, Globe Theatre (last week of Romeo & Juliet!), BFI, and Foyles, all on your doorstep. And brilliant buskers on every corner—it makes my heart sing!

I'm writing this in the lobby at citizenM hotels . Good vibes, arty and cheery with books, mags and big desks - all set up for co-working. I've been self-employed for years, and I still find it hard to take time off during the holidays, so the laptop comes everywhere with me. I don't even like missing a week of this newsletter!

I had a pitch this week from a PR agency looking for clients. It must be my LinkedIn Company Page—folks assume you've got employees and a marketing budget. I've been pitched all sorts lately—SaaS services, headhunting, office space, apps, executive travel—and a few PRs offering their services. Spring vibes and the start of the new financial year…

I hired a local freelance PR to promote one of my books a few years ago and paid her ￡300 a day. She was great, and it worked out fine; I got some press coverage and interesting opportunities, but I felt stressed about the cost. Hiring a PR agency isn't affordable long-term for solopreneurs.

Other friends with small businesses struggle with this, too, and spend a lot of time on social media promoting themselves, which is a hamster wheel of content creation and hard to measure.

Better to DIY PR (no one?knows your biz like you do—or has the passion for it) and build your network and profile, so I always refer people to?Lightbulb.

Lightbulb??Entrepreneur & Press Hangout

Lightbulb is a private Facebook group for entrepreneurs & press with 5K members. It's ￡5.99 a month, and for that, you get:?

• Live chat with the press
• Daily media requests for interviews and appearances
• Strong community support from like-minded entrepreneurs

It's a place to cut out the middleman and connect directly with journos. Offer yourself as a case study or expert commentator and focus on building long-term relationships with the press.

Press plays a huge part in biz growth, so there is a better way than flogging yourself on socials. And don’t just pitch the big players - focus on local biz networks, newsletters and blogs too.

If you show up regularly and refine your pitch (give them everything they need upfront), you?will?get free press for your business. You might even get paid to be interviewed—always nice!

You can apply to join?here.

Happy 5th birthday, Lightbulb! And congrats to founder Charlotte Crisp on your big idea, which she describes as "an accidental business I never meant to start."

The best ideas are usually simple—a service that’s affordable and makes people's lives easier. Great to see it's still going strong five years on and launching in the US.

Here are Charlotte's 5 top tips for anyone pursuing a biz/membership model:?

Other ways to find journos to write about you – follow the hashtag #JournoRequest on X/Twitter. I still see daily pitches asking for help with sources and case studies.

Sign up for?Lucy Werner's?fab newsletter for tips on non-icky self-promotion, creative living and doing things differently.

I'm following Lucy Werner journey and she’s an inspiration. She's left London with the co-founder of her kids and moved to the south of France for a better lifestyle (and weather!)

Pivoting her PR consultancy from time-for-money/client-facing work towards content creation and workshops with her newsletter, Hype Yourself. Great to see her rising up the Business board here on Substack.

Here she is talking about ‘how to find SPICY angles that the right people cannot ignore’ on my fave podcast:?Everyone Hates Marketers Louis Grenier

Happy pitching and good luck! ??

Nika

PS?I've signed up for this?AI Writing Summit, which starts tomorrow, Monday, April 8. Five days of expert sessions, live panels, special presentations, and more (sessions start later PM GMT).

Grab your free ticket and check out the agenda?here.?

ICYMI, here's last week's post:?J. Thorn's eggcellent AI AMA.

Hi, I’m Nika!

I’m a writer and indie consultant.?Founder of Firebird, a small but mighty content consultancy.

I help entrepreneurs and biz leaders tell compelling stories that connect and inspire.?See my services?here.

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