Remember yesterday when I was like, hey, let's talk about getting exposure for your little biz?
And remember yesterday when my hair looked like a wet wooly mammoth? (Oh, wait, you didn't see that part. Well, for the record, my hair yesterday was seriously HAVING A MOMENT.)
And remember yesterday when I was like, you can totally get your business, product, or services featured in the newspaper and in magazines and even on TV…for free…if you know what to say to a journalist?
And remember yesterday when I was like—this is the key to ⭐ Selling out of everything you make. ⭐ Having a waitlist of clients begging YOU to work with THEM. ⭐ Creating a premium group program that sells like hotcakes. ⭐ Becoming a bestselling author with hundreds of thousands of people having your book on their nightstand. ⭐ Getting invited to speak at the industry conference of the year. ⭐ Growing the hell out of your business—without paying for advertising.
And remember when I said that publicity is the secret to getting you there—because when you have media outlets, famous podcasters, experts, and influencers with huge audiences putting you in front of thousands (or even millions) of people AND endorsing your work…the world takes notice and big doors start to open.
And remember yesterday when I was like, you can do this yourself even if you're just starting and you have zero connections—as I did back in 2009, as a baby Ash, just starting The Middle Finger Project?!
And then I proceeded to show you the world's most hilarious article—a full-on story written about me and The Middle Finger Project, in which the newspaper even had a photographer come out to take my photo and the whole shebang.
And THEN I promised that today I would show you the pitch I sent to the paper, so we could unpack what the secret is to getting yourself featured—without publicists or spending money on advertising. So that's where we're at!
(If you're just joining us, obviously go back and read yesterday's article first.)
Without further ado, lemme show you the pitch I sent to this journalist—including what her response was. (Sorry, the spacing is weird. My Gmail from 2010 did that. Disclaimer: I don't use that email anymore, so don't jot it down, LOL. )
In case you're having trouble reading it, here's what it says:
PHILADELPHIA, PA, February 23rd, 2010—On Wednesday, February 23nd, The Middle Finger Project, a Philadelphia-based website dedicated shunning mediocrity and helping others live excitement-filled, inspiring lives, announced the launch of its Hula Hoop Video Contest 2010.
The contest asks participants to videotape themselves hula hooping in public, in order to send a widespread message of nonconformity, independent thought and social change. On March 22nd, the contest deadline, The Middle Finger Project will publish all submitted video entries on the site, and have readers vote for the most creative and unique public space where contestants can be seen hula hooping. Winners will be announced no later than March 31st, 2010. In addition to being featured on the website, the first place winner will receive $100 cash, the second place winner $50 and the third place winner $25.
“The theme of the website is challenging the status quo, and a hula hoop video contest seemed like an ideal way to get readers involved in shedding their inhibitions and to serve as a reminder that we don't always have to take ourselves so seriously,” states Ashley Ambirge, founder of The Middle Finger Project. “There’s a mini-social revolution going on in which people are realizing that they don’t have to live their lives in the way they’ve been told to. The contest is an exercise in pushing past your comfort zone and living alive—not just living a life.”
All video entries can be submitted to: ash@themiddlefingerproject.org, and must include your name, location, and email address within the body of the email.
Official contest rules can be found by visiting https://fancysmancytmfp.tempurl.host.
ISN'T.
THAT.
JUST.
ADORABLE.
A hula hoop contest—ha! But you know what? It did the trick.
Because turns out? The #1 key to getting yourself featured for free in the newspaper or in a magazine…is in engineering a story that's newsworthy enough to tell. (Even if you don't feel like you have any “news” to share—there's a way to position your stuff as “newsworthy.”)
That is not to say you have to run a hula hoop contest! Or a hot-dog eating contest! Or a deodorant-eating contest! (Please don't run a deodorant-eating contest.) But you have to learn how to think like a reporter and then feed them a story that they can basically copy and paste and run if they wanted to. That's, like, the key to LIFE.
Once you learn how to do that?
You can get free exposure for your small biz at the drop of a hat. It might seem like this far-off thing that only people who are already “famous” can do, but that is SUCH a misunderstanding of how it all works! Whether it's TV or magazines or podcasts or papers—
People don't get featured because they're famous.
They make themselves famous because they get featured.
So how can you get yourself and your business featured in places like Cosmo? And Oprah Magazine? And Travel + Leisure? And Prisoner's ‘R Us?
You gotta know just three rules.
Once you know these three rules, you can send a message to any journalist or editor and—bang—they're gonna love you SO HARD for giving them news to write about.
So what are the three rules? My publicist friend, Selena, is gonna tell you what they are in this video. (You'll have to opt into the series.) (Also, I love the fact that she looks gorgeous there in Puerto Rico, while in the meantime, my hair and I look like a wet wooly mammoth here in Costa Rica. ? ? But, hey, international babes unite!!!!!!!)
ALSO ALSO ALSO. Underneath the video, you can also download our free “hot list” of 200+ media outlets that are open to your pitch, right here and right now, and accessible to anyone. Meaning, they're happy to receive an email from you right now about your product, service or business, and you don't have to be anyone special—you just gotta show up in their inbox and know what to say!
So take a minute and watch the video to discover the three rules you gotta know, download the hot list of 200+ media outlets (save this), and then tomorrow, we're going to continue the conversation and get you a full-on action plan for making this happen for YOU. (I'll also tell you about my experience with The Today Show last year for my book!!!!)
Get Me Into Cosmo, Baby!!!! >
^Haha, that's the link to the video and the download. Getttt itttt!
XOXOXOXOXO,
Ash