Getting products to celebrities can be very exciting! It can bring you major brand recognition, possibly get you on TV, attract wholesale buyers, boost online sales, start new trends, and give you awesome credibility! Choosing the right celebrity for your brand depends on who your target market admires, so be sure to approach celebrities that will entice your buyers.

Getting to know your target market is probably the MOST important thing you will ever do in your business. Really dialing into this (one) person is the key to your success. Grab and pen and paper and make a quick list of the ideas I give in this short video and get cracking on your ideal avatar. Love to know what you come up with so be sure to share it with me.

Dear Sarah,

If you've had a placement in a magazine, how long should you wait until you approach the magazine again?  Should you continue to pitch them as long as you have noteworthy news or product updates?

Thanks in advance,

Erika Deady-Wohlers    Tutu Pour Mon Deux

As we approach NY fashion week next month, award shows and the holidays in general, Pop-up shops which are often popular become rampant…….and so do the solicitors who are looking to you to fill the available spots. I know, some of them are really good sales people and you are ready to sign on the dotted line right?   Are they worth it?  How much can I expect to make?  Is the celebrity really going to take a photo with it? What is it going to cost me? What's a girl to do?

I participated in a few of these back in the handbag days and I have to tell ya…….not a lot came of it.  I find that photos of celebs with your product are pretty useless with the media as they know it's a "forced photo" when they see the backdrop, and sales are usually low as most attendees are getting it for free.  Yes, you can use the photos on your website and in social media, but even boutique buyers are getting hip to the award show events and are not impressed with that type of celeb photo any longer.

Pop-up store fronts can be lucrative if the host can produce the people. But how do you know if they can?

I have put together a short list of questions you can ask the host or hostess prior to accepting to make the most educated decision possible. Don't forget, usually about 30% of the RSVP's actually show up!

This list is an assortment of questions you can ask about a celeb event or a regular pop up store front – just pick and choose what is relevant each.

1. Have you done this before?  (Or "Been in charge?" if an ongoing annual event)
2. How many guests do you expect?
3. How many Celebrities are you inviting?  How many RSVP'd?
4. Has the press been invited?  How many RSVP?
5. What were average sales last year?
6. Do all the celebs take photos with the products?
7. What kind of promotions are you doing for the event?
8. Can I bring an assistant?

Let me know if you have done a successful Pop-up and what the outcome was, and equally, LMK if you find some great new ones this year!

Andy Grove, co-founder of Intel Corporation said, " Only the paranoid survive". 

I am a total believer in this theory.  Not sure you need to take it to the extremes with paranoia, but constantly reviewing your strategy, staying on top of your next move and noticing that scared stomach feeling you get at times as a welcome reminder that your business is alive and well makes for a healthy business .  If we want success, we have to be consistently coming up with new things to sell, new ways to sell it, new stores, new marketing, new PR, new celebrities and in general, fresh news about our company.  In short, we need to be better, faster and stronger than we were the prior quarter.  

And yes, you will have friends and family bugging you that you work too much or too hard, and are always concerned about your business. Instead of defending yourself, just say "Thanks for noticing"……this will totally rock their world.  But you know what you were really saying, is that this fear (or paranoia) is what makes you successful. 

I find that when I get too comfortable with what I am doing in my business that sales slide, I find myself to be utterly boring, my blogging suffers, and in general, things are not going well.  Daymond John told me that his mom always said, "It takes the same energy to think small as it does to think big."  I think of this quote often when jumping out of my comfort zone.

Failure is not an option right?

What do you do to get out of your comfort zone?

Dear Sarah,

I make these super cute round terry towels, that are incredibly absorbent, and have an unique button loop so you can hang it from almost anything; towel bars, stove bar, fridge handle, apron strings, high-chairs, cribs, strollers, tennis bags,  and gym bags.  I have targeted several celebrity moms, chefs, tennis pros and dog lovers who I want to send these to (I have your "How to get your products to Celebrities" CD) but how can I promote this if I can't get a photo of the celeb with my product since it most likely will be used in the home and not worn like a handbag or other fashion item?

Thanks,
Lana  Simply Lana

Dear Lana,

Thanks for asking this question. In this instance, I would proceed as planned to send to your target celeb list.  Perhaps you will see a tennis pro using one or a celeb mom with one on her stroller (cute photo on your website by the way) that you can find on TMZ or another celeb website or even in a weekly magazine.  But the approach you might want to take with this item in particular, is to find out what charities these celebs are into and offer to give a percentage of the towel of their choice to their favorite charity. That would give you the ability to put their photo on your website and drive traffic through social media and the celebs Facebook page as well.

Let me know how it works out!
xoxo
Sarah

Ok, so are you doing the dance of joy?    This can be a really controversial topic as some people feel you shouldn’t promote this as it’s a breach of privacy – but my take is that if they bought it, and didn’t have an assistant do it under a different name, they are willing for you to use their name.  I see this as a great opportunity to get the word out and get your self some press! If you feel uncertain about this, you can always contact them directly and ask permission!

Remember: The media wants to know about this the minute it happens, not months later when you get around to it.  You have to act quickly to capitalize on this luck and try to turn it into more sales FAST!

So what can you do to spread the good news?

• Get a photo of the celebrity and put it on your website home page saying they bought the item
• Use the same photo on the item page on your website
• Send out an email blast to your list showing the product and celeb photo with a call to action to buy it.  Perhaps offer a special promotion for a day or two.
• Post all over social media – again, a special promotion can help here too.
• Create a “One Sheet” which is a single page promoting the product and celeb and send that immediately to the media outlets you want to be in.  Be sure to only list retail prices when sending anything to the media.
• Send the “One Sheet” to your current store list as well your dream stores to show what a superstar you are.  Be sure to only list wholesale prices when contacting stores with stories like these.
• Add the “One Sheet” to your Press page

Good luck!

Have you ever wondered how to get yourself on TV and strut your stuff for the world to see?  I have been on TV a few times myself over the years, and let me tell you…….it works!

Here are 30 cool tips and tricks from my Entreprenette Experts that you can use to get your bad self on TV!

Don’t be shy about signing up for my Instantly Famous Products mailing list to get your products into the hands of celebrities – it’s a great way to get on TV.

1. Help Behind The Scenes

How To Get On Television: I have had the good fortune of being on multiple television shows, and I think I have discovered the secret (at least for me). I call on the studio and ask them how I could help the show. Maybe do research or bring a live audience or spread the word. My objective is to genuinely help. When I do it enough, they often are so grateful that they invite me to be on the show. Definitely not the typical approach.... but it works!

Thanks to: Mike Michalowicz of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.

2. Get a Following!

How To Get On Television: Creating a YouTube video and generating a great following for that video is a great way to show validity that there is proven market appeal for your product or service and thus validate why it should be chosen to be featured on tv. It is a marketing "pull" strategy versus push with a lower cost than traditional "pull" strategies. (yes I am a marketing nerd.)

Thanks to: Margo Schlossberg of KuraDesign Accessories.

3. Give a Great Pitch

How To Get On Television: A lot of people don't take into account the fact that news shows need content as much as you need a free plug. If your item can be tied to a specific season, holiday, etc., put together a good pitch via email on why their audience would want to hear about it in a way that isn't pushy or overly-promotional and send it to every local news station. You don't need a PR company to get on TV, you just need to ask. The worst that can happen? Nothing, you are no worse off than before!

Thanks to: Anthony Adams of The Hangover Cure.

4. Doing Well by Doing Good

How To Get On Television: Give your product to charities sponsored by the TV show you target. For example, for toys, The Today Show does a great toy drive and gives a full 30 seconds to 1 minute per guest. The Ellen show and Rachel Ray also do holiday drives to gather products for the needy.

Thanks to: Michael Araten of K'NEX Brands, L.P..

5. Know who you are pitching to

How To Get On Television: Do your homework before you pitch your product, watch the show,find out what kind of products they like to feature,and then tailor your pitch to fit them,they aren't going to change their format and style to fit your product,your product has to fit into their format and style. Have a standard "core" pitch that has all the important info in it and then tweak it to fit who you are pitching to.

Thanks to: Anna Eves of DigiPix.Us.

6. We Love Changing Seasons

How To Get On Television: "Summer is coming and I MUST have this!" The changing of the seasons is a perfect time to shine a light on your product. Start early by contacting your local morning shows to get on their program schedule. If they don't have a segment planned that fits your product, develop one for them! Offer a new way to use an old standby or introduce the newest "must have". Get your act together before the TV appearance, and be ready to answer emails, phone calls, process payments and ship efficiently.

Thanks to: Laura Davis, AIA of HPD Architecture in Dallas, Texas.

7. Check your email

How To Get On Television: There is a wonderful website that everyone who owns their own business should use. The website is called HARO (help a reporter out) and is a great resource to the opportunities out there for promotion. This website provides you with three emails a day. They include a variety of writing and promotion on every topic from pet grooming to women in their 50's who love ski diving. There are plenty of opportunities for blog features, magazine articles and TV spots!

Thanks to: Michelle Littler of littletoad.

8. It Never Hurts to Try

How To Get On Television: I am not going to tell you that getting on TV is easy...although I have to say for me it couldn't have been much simpler. I noticed that the NBC affiliate here had a morning show that did little 5 minute segments on new businesses. So I thought "it cant hurt" and sent them an email with mine and asked them if they wanted to spotlights a mompreneur. The very next day they replied inviting me on the show. No kidding. Maybe I was lucky, but it never hurts to try!!

Thanks to: Kelly Robinson of SchKIDules.

9. It's all about fun and games!

How To Get On Television: When I realized I created an original game that could change the way women interacted with each other at baby and bridal showers, I knew that I had to be creative in getting my product in front of the right people.

I made a video of my friends playing a custom game for ellen and sent it to her. Twice. No call. Did the same with the Today Show. Same results. I emailed a pregnant anchorwoman and said I have the most unique games she needs to know about for her shower. She did a story on me.

Thanks to: Susan Newton of BadaBadaBingo.com.

10. Send a Personalized Letter

How To Get On Television: 1) Study the types of shows/stories that this media outlet does and how they use experts

2) Propose a story which would be of interest to their viewers and in which it would be natural for them to include you

A producer or journalist wants to give her audience something special. If she gets a press release, she knows that lots and lots of other media are getting this too. But if she gets a personal letter, she’s going to give it more consideration.

Thanks to: Sally Shields of The Daughter-in-Law Rules.

11. Gotta Be Must See TV!

How To Get On Television: If you want to get TV exposure, you really have to find what it is about your product or service that is unique and different. But not just unique and different, but newsworthy...in other words, being different is not enough. You have to find the angle that makes it newsworthy, fun, informative, innovative. If you can't find that hook, you will have a hard time getting on TV. Also, as much of a visual that you can provide (it is TV after all), will really help!

Thanks to: craig wolfe of CelebriDucks.

12. Give them a unique angle

How To Get On Television: Understand the show's (and Reporter's) demographic and provide an angle that will appeal to that audience that is unique to your product. By providing a creative story idea for the reporter's segment you are more likely to get a spot in their lineup. This has worked on several occasions and don't get discouraged, I have received last minute calls when someone had to cancel an appearance and this made it easy for them come up with a new idea quickly.

Thanks to: DeAnna Cochran of DeAnna Cochran Jewelry.

13. Outspoken or Outstanding

How To Get On Television: Promoting yourself or your products on television can be a daunting task. While trying to remain humble, you must inform, educate and entertain viewers with your goal. The best way is to contact the producer with short informative information, a press release with who, what and where, pictures and an offer of a sample for testing. Reminding them after a reasonable time helps the busy journalist or producer and a quick response to their inquiries is a must. Swimming is a good sport for business.

Thanks to: Karon Gibson of AmericaNurse.

14. No Name? No Book? No Sweat!

How To Get On Television: I got on prime time television with no name, no book, and no publicist! I simply called every day for 2 weeks with the same pitch. I carefully listened & responded to the exact time of day they told me to call and the person they told me to ask for. I mimicked their tone and the speed of their voice and by the end of 2 weeks I was invited to do an interview. So I had a teen create a website overnight and got 600 hits for a 3 minute segment with nothing to sell! Just imagine if I was serious!

Thanks to: Adelaide Zindler of HomeOfficeMommy.com.

15. Quit being so self-centered

How To Get On Television: Who likes someone that only talks and thinks about themselves? No one, including TV producers. Instead, think about how your product genuinely helps people or how you can educate the market, then tell your story from that vantage point. And please, don't make it a thinly veiled sales attempt. We can smell a rat.

Thanks to: Carrie Rocha of Pocket Your Dollars.

16. Ditch the Pitch

How To Get On Television: Don't pitch your product. When I pitched my book, I didn't get on TV. When I wrote an article about the health and wellness of teen girls, which is the subject of my book, I received the call. So hey, every now and again, you have to change your way of getting attention.

Thanks to: Candi Meridith, MPH of Meridith Health & Wellness.

17. Persistence and Patience

How To Get On Television: My one tip to get your product on tv is persistence. I have emailed producers numerous times before getting a response which led to television exposure.

Many producers are extremely busy and do not have time to read all of their emails. It is important to make your pitch catch their attention and then follow-up a week or so later to make sure they received it and see if they have any questions.

Thanks to: Danny Kofke of Survive On A Teacher's Salary.

18. Fresh Success

How To Get On Television: Make sure your product is fresh, original and interesting; be relevant to the viewers needs.

Thanks to: Kerry Bannigan of Nolcha.

19. Find a local news producer!

How To Get On Television: TIP... start out locally and find the right T.V. producer. News stations in your area like to feature local entrepreneurs to showcase. You can then use your local appearances to try to generate some national publicity (i.e., post the video to YouTube and add it to your website and reference it when you contact national producers). You should call local stations and get producer's email addresses. You will not have much luck if you just submit an email through the station's website.

Thanks to: Gregory Ladas of The Couch Potato Diet.

20. A Place Setting For Four?

How To Get On Television: Getting your product on television can be fun and probably the most rewarding thing you can do. There are steps to follow so don't try to bulldoze your way in front of the cameras. Showering producers with samples sometimes can backfire, if they come out of nowhere and lack that key ingredient called context. We always recommend coupling a pitch with a subject or news angle with something topical, especially if an outlet you're targeting has run stories with which your product connects.

Thanks to: Adrienne Mazzone of The Knife and Forklift.

21. Land Your Product On TV

How To Get On Television: My best advice would be guerilla marketing. Contact your target company directly. Email the company directly to pitch your product. Pick the highest level of corporate contacts you can find, devise a specific email about the product, how each company would benefit from selling the product, outline your prospective. Ask advice on how best to move forward with the idea & how to advertise in order to get maximum exposure for the idea. A great company to contact would be AsSeenOnTv.com. Think BIG!

Thanks to: Michael Di Pippo of PenFishingRods.com.

22. Promote A Non-Profit, Not You

How To Get On Television: The best way I've found to get my product on TV is to be connected with a non-profit organization with an event coming up. The pitch to the TV station is that you're promoting the event. TV news, etc. love to promote non-profits because they're good for the community, and they are usually happy to give you a plug at the same time. The fact that they will be featuring/selling/giving away your product at the non-profit's event becomes almost incidental, but it will get your product on TV!

Thanks to: Elizabeth Yarnell of Pomegranate Consulting, LLC.

23. Always put the audience first

How To Get On Television: I sent items to NBC (Philadelpha) for breast cancer awareness month and was featured a segment called "Loves it". We were also on FOX Philadelphia with our line of funky crystal tees for people that have had plastic surgery. How? Along with your product samples & a sincere, polite pitch, be sure to include a few bulleted talking points for the host, and show how this will make an entertaining segment. What will the audience get out of watching it? Keep it upbeat & be pleasantly persistent.

Thanks to: Lee Sequeira of Sparkle Plenty Designs.

24. Think like the Producer!

How To Get On Television: The best way to get your product or service on TV is to first think like the producer, not your client:

What can you supply the producer that will help *their* audience (if it's a national TV show you better be available EVERYWHERE) that is visual and has movement - and is not just a talking head with a static image. First and best rule is *be* the producer and solve their problem - and your client will get what they need as well :)

Thanks to: Barbara Pflughaupt of BP Media Relations, LLC.

25. BYOV - Bring your own video

How To Get On Television: The classic conundrum - you can't get your burgeoning client tv segments without them having already been on tv or having a reel. So make one yourself! I block off about two hours and take a Flip camera and film my client talking about their brand and their business. I am a fashion/beauty publicist so I usually have them go through the collection and highlight their favorite items for the season and why, exactly how a style or beauty expert would do on the Today show.

Thanks to: Janna Meyrowitz of Style House PR.

26. Be Newsworthy

How To Get On Television: If your product provides a service and/or is news-worthy contact the news department at as many TV stations you think would be interested. They usually monitor their web site for submissions. If you get any response; be courteous, understand how they want to fit your product in to a story, provide what they want and continue to follow up until completion. Dont forget to purchase from a 3rd party vendor your appearance. This way you have it for future use.

Thanks to: Alan Klayman of STUDENT at the wheel®.

27. How to Get Your Products on TV

How To Get On Television: The TV producer I worked with on this local TV spot: http://www.my601.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?articleID=958 had pretty simple advice about getting your business on TV: just contact your local TV stations with the interesting or exceptional story about your business. Local TV stations like to showcase local businesses with outstanding stories. Get on their list of contacts and tell them your accomplishments and the topics you can comment on and then respond (right away!) if they call.

Thanks to: Grace Bateman of Peru Paper Company.

28. Get Your 15 Minutes!

How To Get On Television: As an avid TV craft show fan I wondered how artists were chosen to demonstrate or have their work featured on air. I decided on trying the simple approach - why not contact the people at TV shows I was interested in & just ask? Three days after sending the initial question to customer service I was on the phone talking to a producer. It had actually happened & I was finally able to attain one of my highest goals – all because I just asked.

Thanks to: Consuelo Okdie of Consuelo Okdie Art.

29. Shark Tank Pitch Tip

How To Get On Television: Speak from your heart! Show how much you love your product and others will love along!

Thanks to: Lori Lite of Stress Free Kids.

30. To TV through Twitter

How To Get On Television: Getting on TV isn't easy, but it's certainly doable. Are you following your favorite TV producers and on air experts on Twitter? You should! TV presenters and contributors like Jennifer Jolly aka The Good Idea Gal @goodideagal often tweet about the stories/segments they are working on and look for suggestions from their followers on Twitter.

Thanks to: Inga Vascenkova of ItsHot.com.

I am really excited to share this private interview I did with Jordan McAuley, Author of Celebrity Leverage.

Profit From The Power Of Our Celebrity Culture

This man has the 411 on celeb connections galore!

Jordan speaks candidly about how celebs can help your business, how to get to celebrities quickly and how to make the most of it.  He offers insider tips and is very generous with his knowledge.  He is also the owner of Contact Any Celebrity and has a special offer of only $1 for a week trial!

Celebrity Leverage is a great DIY guide for every entrepreneur.

Jordan's book, Celebrity Leverage is available on his website at  http://www.celebrityleverage.com Follow him on twitter: @JordanMcauley