Kristin Marquet // Owner + Creative Director, Marquet Media, LLC
Meet Kristin Marquet! She’s been a publicist and business owner for more than 15 years. As the owner and creative director of New York-based PR and branding consultancy, Marquet Media, LLC, Kristin oversees the daily operations of the business while executing client campaigns. In 2017, she launched the FemFounder.co brand, a media company dedicated to helping female entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
FemCity Founder, Violette de Ayala catches up with Kristin and learns about her and her course that helps women go from nameless to notable!
I am in love with the name of our course, Nameless to Notable. What was your AHA moment that led you into creating a course to help women go from nameless to notable?
Thank you so much! I have a 15+ year background in PR and digital marketing. I actually owned a boutique agency in NYC and offloaded that in 2018. And now, I have a small consultancy in New York where I work 1:1 on PR, branding, and design with a limited number of clients every year.
Throughout the last several years, many of FemFounder.co’s readers requested a hybrid coaching PR program that didn’t cost thousands of dollars, which is how From Nameless to Notable came to fruition. I spent many months brainstorming the name and finally came up with From Nameless to Notable. I wanted the name to express how any business owner can go from having no or minimal press coverage to a lot of coverage in a short amount of time with the right strategy and messaging.
Do you think all women can go from nameless to notable or only women in certain fields and industries?
Interesting question—I think any female entrepreneur can go from nameless to notable if they have the right press strategy, set attainable objectives, know what makes their business newsworthy and credible, and have a thorough understanding of how the media works. If one of those pieces is missing, then their media outreach efforts will probably fall short. We teach all of these aspects within the course to ensure our students don’t run into those issues.
How does going from nameless to notable help women and their businesses?
Gaining media coverage can make a huge difference to a business. For starters, media coverage can help entrepreneurs become thought leaders in their industries, help them build an online profile to send traffic to a website and build an email list, secure the right clients, add credibility to a brand, attract and retain the right talent, generate sales, and even attract investors—if the media placement is in the right publication with the right angle. Just think about what a feature in the Wall Street Journal or The New York Times can do.
What are some of the trends you share in your course on how women can start to leverage media in 2021?
There are a number of trends and skills we cover in the course. We’ll reveal a handful below.
Goals and Objectives
To begin any publicity campaign, you should have clearly defined goals. So, ask yourself: what exactly do you want your campaign to accomplish? If your goal is to sell more products or services in a brick and mortar store, you’ll want to connect with consumers through local or regional media.
If your goal is to attract investors, you should target financial outlets that prospective investors read. The Wall Street Journal, CNNMoney.com, and The Financial Times are great places to begin.
If your goal is to become known as a thought leader or expert within your industry, you should focus on bloggers and trade media that cover your area of expertise. You can find all of the right contacts by conducting a simple Google, Bing, or Twitter search.
Media Lists and Editorial Calendars
We recommend creating a list of all of the media you’d like to reach throughout your publicity campaign. To find out what editors and journalists cover on a month-to-month basis, look at magazine and newspaper editorial calendars. You can find this by visiting an outlet’s website or conducting a simple Google search.
Use keywords such as “Vogue editorial calendar”. You’ll find an outline of all the sections and topics they plan to cover throughout the year, which will help you put together short-term and long-term pitching schedules.
Working with Bloggers and Influencers
Don’t discount the influencers and bloggers. If you’re in the fashion, beauty, health, or lifestyle industries, bloggers and influencers can be just as influential as magazine editors and television show producers.
Put together a list of the top bloggers in your industry and pitch them accordingly. Offer contests or giveaways to increase your chances of coverage. You can find most bloggers on Instagram.com and Facebook.com. Although many larger-scale bloggers with larger followings charge for sponsored posts, they are usually more accessible than magazine or newspaper editors, and usually more apt to cover you.
Publicity Timing
You also need to consider the timing of your pitch. Certain top-tier and mid-tier magazines work three to six months in advance, while others only work a few weeks in advance. To make sure not to miss an opportunity, know each outlet’s editorial deadlines.
Tying your business to a major holiday such as Hanukkah or Christmas can help you generate publicity for your business, but it also means that you compete with other businesses for coverage.
You can also tie your pitch to a larger story happening in the media or piggyback off a large story. If there’s a national story trending, localize it and tie in your company, brand, product, or story. It’s a great way to build your brand in your community.
Guest Blogging or Contributing as an Expert
Guest-blogging is a great way to generate publicity. Make a list of the top blogs that you would like to write for and email the editor-in-chief for submission guidelines.
Although you won’t be paid, you will receive a byline, which will include your contact information. If you can secure a guest blog post for a site like the BusinessInsider.com or Entrepreneur.com, you’ll generate a significant amount of traffic back to your own company website.
Other Media Opportunities
Finally, get creative and think beyond pitching obvious or relevant outlets. Pitch to college and graduate school alumni outlets, small-town, or regional business outlets, podcasts, and local talk radio. Many of these outlets hold untapped opportunities.
Any “don’ts” you can share with FEMS?
Yes, when it comes to implementing a publicity campaign, I suggest that you follow up with the media a few days after you sent the initial pitch, and if you haven’t heard back, then it’s okay to follow up one more time before moving on to the next publication. In many cases, you won’t hear back and that’s okay. Just keep moving forward.
And you should respond to any media interview requests in a timely fashion - a good rule of thumb is usually 24 hours or less. The media usually works on very tight deadlines, so if your response is delayed, you may find that the opportunity is no longer available.
Final advice for those contemplating on stepping out and pushing their brand through media?
Don’t be afraid of reaching out to the media. Editors and journalists are people too. Just know what makes your business newsworthy, credible, and interesting. Be thoughtful when you’re crafting your story narrative. Send a pitch that resonates with their audience and you will maximize your chances of getting a response.
Where can FEMs connect with you and learn more?
We’d love to hear from your readers. They can reach us at FemFounder.co or Marquet.company. They can grab the five simple tips that any entrepreneur can implement to get media coverage at NamelesstoNotable.co. We are also on Instagram/FemFounder and Twitter.com/Kristinmarquet.