#016 - Julie chats with Selena Soo, a publicity and marketing strategist who helps experts, authors and coaches go from hidden gems to admired industry leaders. They talk about how you can grow your business a.k.a. sell more boxes through publicity.
Links:
Sparkle Hustle Grow
Subscription Box Bootcamp
Impacting Millions Publicity Checklist
Get all the details and your ticket at SubSummit.com, THE conference for sub box businesses. We'll see you in Dallas this June!
#016 - Julie chats with Selena Soo, a publicity and marketing strategist who helps experts, authors and coaches go from hidden gems to admired industry leaders. They talk about how you can grow your business a.k.a. sell more boxes through publicity.
Links:
Sparkle Hustle Grow
Subscription Box Bootcamp
Impacting Millions Publicity Checklist
Get all the details and your ticket at SubSummit.com, THE conference for sub box businesses. We'll see you in Dallas this June!
So you want to launch a subscription box, don't know where to start? Girl, you are in the right place! I'm Julie Ball, a subscription box coach and your host here at Subscription Box Basics, a podcast for new and aspiring subscription box entrepreneurs that want to avoid overwhelm. So grab a coffee, some pen and paper and let's have some fun! Hey and welcome back to Subscription Box Basics, the podcast. Thanks for joining me today. I'm Julie Ball, founder of Sparkle Hustle Grow and your subscription box coach. So today I'm super pumped because I'm chatting with Selena Soo, entrepreneur and visibility expert about how you can grow your business a.k.a. sell more boxes through publicity. If this is a new topic to you, publicity is simply when you get attention through the media, and this may show up in a variety of ways, maybe podcasts, interviews, media mentions, guest blog posts, maybe even TV appearances. And I know what you may be thinking, I just want to stay behind the scenes, but girlfriend, you are doing yourself and your business a huge disservice. People aren't buying your product or hiring you just because you offer what they need. They're also buying because it's you and you are uniquely qualified. You have unique experiences and they've grown to know, like and trust you. This is so important in business and I want to share a little bit about my experience with publicity before I introduce you to my guest, Selena. So I'm going to break it down into three ways that I have grown my business through publicity. Actually no, how I earned more profit through publicity because that's a big part of running a sustainable business, right? How I earned more profit through publicity. So first social proof. Social proof is the concept that people will follow the actions of the masses. Approval from say a credible expert like a magazine or a blog or even celebrities that can have incredible digital influence and it simply makes it so much easier to close the sale. You probably personally experienced this on the regular,"Well if such and such says it's a great product, I'll trust them so I'll buy it". Boom! Sale. That's social proof. And then second, publicity helps you get in front of new audiences. So you've got your network and you likely can reach one or two more degrees outside your own network through your organic marketing. But at some point it stopped. Like you just can't seem to get in front of more new people. But when you get publicity, say you got interviewed on a podcast, all of those listeners may be hearing about you and your business for the first time, and because you are having a conversation with the podcast host who the audience already trusts, this audience will be primed to do business with you. So publicity can really help you expand your reach without the pain of paid advertising. And third, publicity creates awareness. Okay, so this one's harder to track in terms of actual revenue, but I can't tell you how many times people said,"Oh, I heard you on the Boss Mom podcast", or"I saw you speak on stage at Sub Summit" then,"I got your ads and I swear you are everywhere!". Yes, people have to see lots of times to actually take action with your marketing message. You've probably heard the marketing rule of seven, but I swear with today's attention spans, I'd say that it might be dozens of times that people have to see you and hear you and hearing your message before they actually take action with that message. So to recap, publicity can help you grow your business by demonstrating social proof, which of course makes the sale easier by getting in front of new audiences and by creating awareness for your brand. But I want to mention one more thing about publicity that helps the bottom line. Publicity helps maximize your return on marketing dollars. We aren't talking about paid programming here, we're talking about editorial coverage and most times that's free. It just takes the time and effort to pitch your story. Less marketing spend equals more profit. So this whole publicity topic may sound a bit daunting to you, but trust me that it's totally doable and actually fun. Stick around to the end of this podcast because we'll be giving you a free download that will totally break it down and give you a clear cut checklist on where to start with this whole publicity thing. So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Selena Soo, publicity and marketing strategist who helps experts, authors and coaches go from hidden gem to admired industry leader and even household names. So if you've dreamt about getting interviewed in Oprah magazine, maybe becoming a New York times bestselling author, scoring a Ted Talk, or even just how to get on your dream podcasts, you are going to love this. I'm so excited to be chatting with my secret weapon, my publicity coach and my friend Selena Soo. Welcome, Selena!
Selena:Hey, Julie!
Julie:It's good to have you here. Okay, so my listeners are so excited to be meeting you. So let's just dive right in and let's start at the beginning. Can you tell us how did you get into this work in the beginning?
Selena:Absolutely! So I started my business because in my mid twenties I had a quarter life crisis where I found myself clinically depressed. I had trouble getting out of bed. I had trouble eating. And I remember saying to a friend,"I need to find a way to feel better because I can't live like this". And it was through that that I got exposed to this world of experts and authors and entrepreneurs and just people doing really cool things. Um, and I realize that, you know, when people are suffering or struggling in some way, um, that, you know, people get inspiration from these experts and authors and entrepreneurs. Um, and you know, I just think it's so important that people are doing the things that they love, that they are creating, you know, amazing products, services, experiences, messages and putting them out into the world. So I'm just like, I'm really passionate about elevating the voices of people who are doing incredible things and that's why I do what I do. And I believe that publicity is the fastest way to really get that instant credibility and also a really powerful way to reach more people.
Julie:That's such a great story. Thank you for sharing that. I know some of that's very deep and I too felt very lonely in some times of my entrepreneurial life and finding those places to fill your bucket. Um, you know, following mentors, following experts. It really does fill that bucket for me. So as you know, you've seen me go through your programs and you've seen me get lots of media and it's been such a game changer for me. Everything from getting social proof to it turning into like real life conversions, sales. Um, so you'd know that it's been this huge catalyst in my subscription box business. But I want to know why you think publicity is important for entrepreneurs, whether you're product-based or service-based.
Selena:Yeah, absolutely! I mean, it's one thing free to tell the world,"Hey, I've got the best product in the world. It's number one". But if you're the only person saying it, it's only gonna mean so much and go so far. You know, it's so powerful when you have taught media outlets or influencers who I considered to be the new media talking about you creating that buzz. So you've got to check out this product, this service. It's amazing. I love it. I know when I am looking to buy, you know, all sorts of products, but I see that something has won an award or been featured in a magazine or a blog or you know, or endorsed by someone who I recognize, like I pay attention because there is that instant credibility. And you know, the truth is we have so many options. Um, you know, whatever you're selling, there's another version of that somewhere else. Um, and so having those credibility markers and that excitement buzz will help people choose your product over other people's.
Julie:It's so true. Um, I've, I've told you the story and I've told my listeners the story, but the one that sticks out to me the most absolutely is when we were featured in Forbes as the best subscription box to gift the boss babe. And within 30 days it was the gift-giving season. So it was in December, it tripled our gift box sales. And I get chills just thinking about it.
Selena:Awesome! Yeah.
Julie:A lot of times we think, oh, it's just street credit, it's just an"As seen in" section, but that that story just goes to show you that it really does translate into selling. And that could be translating into selling your services, your coaching programs. It could be translated into selling your products. So I love that. But you know, one of the things that, um, we deal with at Sparkle Hustle Grow a lot and with our subscribers and just as female entrepreneurs in general, is that fear. And that's, it's so interesting. We decided that in March this year we are tackling that our theme is"Farewell to Fear"and it's all about, uh, as I've said before, you gotta show up to be seen. So what do you personally say to someone who doesn't feel ready, who's got that fear that they feel like they might not be ready or, um, almost have that imposter syndrome?
Selena:Oh my gosh! Yeah, I hear that all the time. That really is the number one thing that is blocking people from getting publicity. Like from anything, like, you know, I'm more of a behind the scenes person. I don't really want to get in front of the camera or I'll just kind of let the product speak for itself or, you know, I need to lose some weight or, you know, my business is too early to attract publicity. The thing is, I believe every single entrepreneur can get publicity and should get publicity. And you know, a lot of it is really about taking that imperfect action. You know, you don't have to be perfect to land publicity. There are people who are getting tons of press coverage and buzz and endorsements and you know the big difference between them and the people who aren't getting it. So they're actually taking action. They are choosing to put themselves out there. And I just believe that it's truly attainable and it's so important for business owners and you don't have to wait forever and ever. I mean with every product, you know there is a story around why that product was created. There was some kind of like passion and reason that led to it. Sometimes people think, yeah they need more customers or whatever there is, but you know, if you've got a product that has a story behind it, as in that adds value that helps solve a problem in someone's life, then there is tons, there are tons of publicity opportunities for you.
Julie:I agree. And I mean shoot, people like to see the real life side of things anyhow.
Selena:Yeah!
Julie:So when you're sharing those vulnerable stories and when you're, it's okay to say you're scared. Heck, I was scared when I started my podcast. I was scared when I did my first Facebook live. But I really believe that you can be scared and brave at the same time to take that imperfect action.
Selena:Oh, I love that. Yeah. And I think that people are so curious and found their stories. I find with physical products, a lot of people think, you know, they don't need to know how to get publicity themselves as an entrepreneur, but that's just going to open up more avenues for publicity if you're putting yourself out there or also, you know, beyond just the product itself. If you're just pitching products, you know, sometimes it's going to be like,"Oh well that would be an advertisement that you'd have to pay for that". But if it's like, you know, the represents something, maybe it's, you know, around self care or women's entrepreneurship, whatever it is, there's other angles and expert topics that you can read in, then there's just like an infinite number of opportunities.
Julie:Yeah, and I think too that a lot of people with, um, product-based businesses think that the product is going to speak for themselves or itself. It like you are the product. Like you created it for a reason to, to solve a pain point or to fulfill a need and stepping into being that brand almost spokesperson or the face of the brand is so powerful. I see the most traction when I'm showing up.
Selena:Yeah, totally.
Julie:So, you know, we've talked a little about fear and how this can work for entrepreneurs. So you've got to start somewhere. And for me that was um, when I was first introduced to you and I started doing some of your free training. So I know that you've got a free gift that you have for our listeners. So can you tell us a little bit about that?
Selena:Yeah, absolutely! So it is our Impacting Millions publicity checklist because like I said, I think every entrepreneur can and should get publicity and there are some essential things that you do want to have in place to really attract and land those opportunities that you want. So we share seven must-haves to getting publicity that can get you on to top websites, podcasts, magazines, TV, and people can go to ImpactingMillions.com/JulieChecklist to get that.
Julie:Perfect. Did you guys hear that ImpactingMillions.com/JulieChecklist. So you guys got to download that. I'm going to make sure that you have the link and Selena, I just wanted to say thank you so much. You've been such an inspiration to me. You've taught me so, so much that and things that have made actual traction in my business. It's always such a treat to spend time with you, so thank you.
Selena:My pleasure.
Julie:Oh, that little interview made me so, so happy. Having someone like Selena in your corner is just what you need to learn how to do this PR thing. You got to go download that checklist and we'll put the link in the show notes. I'll be talking more about publicity in future episodes, talking about my wins, like getting featured in Forbes alongside my losses, like being a Shark Tank reject. Yup. I can not wait to tell you those stories. Thank you for joining me. As always, go download that checklist and I'll see you in the next episode.