216: PR Made Easy with Gloria Chou

you. So obviously, I wanted to refresh that with that conversation with her. But I also wanted to dive a little bit deeper on the specifics of what photographers who are looking for not just like worldwide notoriety necessarily, but local features that can help them not just sort of inflate their egos, but really connect the dots to getting clients interested in inquiring. PR has so many valuable kind of side benefits,

right? It adds credibility when you get to put that you were featured in a local magazine or newspaper or a bigger magazine, or newspaper or blog or whatever, on your website right there little icon and as seen in section of your website, that can be really great for credibility when somebody finds you and is interested in hiring

you. But maybe your prices are higher or whatever that gives them sort of that mental check box that says, oh, no, the reason that she charges more is because she's you know, well known, she's an expert, that sort of thing. So that can be a benefit, it can be a huge benefit to your SEO because you're getting a link from a reputable, trusted source that the internet knows. And then it also can just be the sort of thing where you reach a new audience. I mean, as simple as

that, right? We're all trying to be found and seen by those ideal clients out there. And we can't always know where those people are. But if you are in a if you're on a podcast, and you're being interviewed, and that podcast gets 4000 downloads a month or whatever, especially if it's a more locally focused kind of a thing. You're for sure going to reach years that have never heard of you before. And that can be absolutely

invaluable to your business. So I know you're going to enjoy today's interview with Gloria, I want you to really commit to yourself that you're going to put this into action today, she is going to tell you about the masterclass that she offers at the end, sign up for that block off some time on your calendar to think about what you have to offer where you might want to reach out to, but but make this happen. You know it is this is the sort of thing it's not going to cost you anything but time

and a little bit of energy. And I think that the payoff can be so so huge. Welcome to this can't be that hard. My name is Annemie Tonken. And I help photographers run profitable, sustainable businesses that they love. Each week on the podcast, I cover simple, actionable strategies and systems that photographers at every level of experience can use to earn more money in a more sustainable way. Running a photography business doesn't have to be that hard. You can do it. And I can show

you how. GLORIA Chow Welcome back to this can't be that hard. It is so great to have you back on the show. And the first time that you joined me I got so much feedback about what an eye opener this conversation about PR was. And I am just so excited to dive a little deeper today. How have you been?

one. But let's do just a quick recap about PR because I think a lot of photographers, PR is so far off their radar as a as a means of marketing their business. And I love that you are like, here to evangelize about the fact that it is not and in fact could be one of the best sources of new business for a photographer.

is legitimate, right? So not like a, Hey, do you want to get into a fake 30 under 30 are top entrepreneur entrepreneurs, no. Earned organic PR. And the reason why we want to do that, instead of the pay to play is one searchability. It has higher reach to its credibility. So a lot of times when you do pay for the most innovative photographer awards, like it's actually not editorial content, it's advertising content. So it doesn't have like the reach of

credibility. So how do you convince a journalist that like a New York Times or like a refinery, right, that's what really my method is? And the reason why you want that is again, searchability, right? Because SEO, because Instagram could be banned, it could be blocked, I cannot tell you the number of people I know that have their social media accounts taken down. And I'm sure you do too. And also ads are not feasible for a lot of people, right? Tracking is going away, as are being more and more

expensive. So how do you check check all the boxes of SEO, visibility, searchability and traffic that is PR. So that's just quickly, like, really quickly? What I think PR is why it's so different, and why it's different than other forms of marketing. Right?

York Times, that'd be great. But even if I were in a reputable local magazine, that might even be more applicable, because it really drives attention in business locally, which is where I'm trying to fish, you know, fish for clients, obviously, something like New York Times, the higher the status. And if you can put that on your website, like the New York Times, that kind of cred certainly is huge, but but even something on a more local scale can be really, really helpful,

would you? Yeah. Do you ever, when you're teaching about PR, do you take into account the people that people are absolutely are actually trying to book with in terms of the location? Does it make a difference.

a podcast. Now in terms of local, right, so you have local newspapers, TV magazines, for your audience, and might be kind of an online magazine, because it's searchable, you can click back to the website. So let's start there. That is super good. And a lot of times it's kind of lower hanging fruit, right? It's a smaller audience, it's less

competitive. And what I would do there is instead of talking about your business, and when you found it, and why you moved here, what you want to do is turn your sales and marketing like About Me section into something that ties in with a seasonal relevance. For example, if you have a fun idea for a creative shoot in autumn, or if you have a new spin on a like a mother's photoshoot, maybe it's something for Rainbow baby, maybe it's something wellness related. So think about not your

business. But what are the adjacent topics. So if you shoot newborns, it could be about wellness, it could be about self love, it could be about motherhood, feminism, whatever it is, right? Who do more like professional photography, it might be about different types of talent. So it might be like your spin on what a professional

looks like. Now I'm making that more inclusive, or maybe very anti establishment style of photography, where it's not the corporate LinkedIn photo, but be like, hey, I can be my authentic self and be, you know, professional. So whatever your ethos is, I want to you to lead with that point of view and not so much with your business. Yeah.

relevant this season? Because obviously, especially when you're pitching there is this. How can I make somebody think, oh, I should run this story as soon as possible. But what are some of the other factors that go into a pitch that comes across as worthy to the people who are who are trying to figure that out?

table. So I'm on a mission to change that. And what I realized from literally cold calling because I've never worked at a PR agency, is that PR just is two things. It's what to write and who to send it to. It literally starts with a cold pitch. And yes, it works, because I've done it for 1000s of people, and who to send it

to. So those are the two things, I prefer to start with what to write, instead of going to Why should outreach because writing a good pitch and knowing how to position yourself, that is a skill that's going to take you really far in life, right? It's what I call a $10,000 an hour skill, it can get you on to podcasts, it can get you paid speaking sponsorships. So let's start with the pitch, right? I have a pitching framework that I developed from cold, literally cold calling and cold pitching.

And it's called the CPR method, which I talked about on your previous podcast. And the structure of the pitch needs to have three things. First thing C stands for credibility or confidence. So it's just one sentence on like, hey, like I'm in a local area. And I've, you know, I've been shooting for X, Y, and Z years. And it doesn't have to be a long time, it could be like I've seen firsthand this

trend take place, right? So that's, and then P stands for point of view, this is this could be three bullet points in your short email, it could be like, as you know, XY and Z is emerging, right from COVID, or from whatever I am seeing these trends pop up, what like a couple of trends, like one of them is like the body love

movement, right? So like foot, like I had someone in my program, who photographs plus size, people with different abilities, right, different physical, different face, physical abilities, different shapes, and she's a boudoir photographer. So her whole thing was about self love. And she actually got onto well and good by pitching a story about here are three ways that you can love yourself and treat yourself as Valentine's Day. So think

outside the box, right? How can somebody use your services, not just like for what you intended to be, but what does it say about society. And then so that's P point of view. And then R stands for relevance in the CPR method, that's the most important thing actually like to start out my email with one or two sentences of relevance. So for example, for the for the boudoir photographer, the whole thing was about how we're emerging from a place of like zoom calls and how we kind of

lost ourselves. And a lot of women want to get back to themselves and feel sexy again and wearing lingerie, and thongs, even though they might have gained some weight, right. And so that was really the relevance. And so she put that in the first few sentences. I was like, This is what we're doing. Again, we're getting back to ourselves and embracing all different types of body shapes, sizes, even people who are in their 70s doing a sexy photoshoot. So that's the

relevance. So think about how you can apply that for your own pitch. I like seasonal relevance. But there's also what's happening on social media, you might look at tick tock or Instagram, maybe there's a trend, maybe there's something right. But there's a lot of different movements and trends happening. How can you ride on the wave? Have a bigger discussion, you always want to leave with that, and not your business? And what who you serve? And how many photos that

you provide? Right? It's never about selling your business. Why? Because if you did, then the magazine would be like, Oh, let me give you the number to my ads department, you can buy an ad. And in order to bypass that you have to do the work of transforming your message.

grail, right? You're convincing an outlet that you can speak on a certain topic so that you don't have to be contributing sure you can write contribute articles, but what I teach in my PR program is all about taking really small businesses and positioning themselves in a way where they are being quoted or written about without having to do any kind of writing. So that's really what I'm talking

about earned media. And so in order to do that, you use a CPR method you lead with the relevance or the insight, or maybe it's a data point, maybe you just if you have Instagram or whatever, like turn on the poll function, and ask people what they think, right? Something it could be something very controversial, like, Should women over 70 Do like sexy photo shoots, like whatever that is, right? That's going to spark a conversation that can be really interesting for a local outlet.

Another thing that's great for local is anything to do with like Local Schools, Local communities, anything that you give back, maybe it's something about creative collaboration, where you can join forces with other people in your neighborhood. That's always going to be a feel good story.

personally, I am always open to photographers reaching out and being like, hey, I have something that I think your audience would be interested in. And obviously, not every single one of those is a fit, but plenty of them are. And so, you know, I, many times I have reached out to people, because they posted something in my Facebook group that I found interesting, or I, you know,

whatever. And when I reach out to them, they're like, oh, my gosh, I can't even imagine like being on a podcast, it seems so intimidating, or I don't know, I mean, like, I get a lot of that kind of response. And so I love that you're breaking it down in a way that's like, right, we all have, you know, you show up at a cocktail party, and like, you've got things to say about your business and the people that you work with, and the trends in our industry and all that sort of

thing. Why not amplify your voice and earn that credibility and SEO and something to talk about on your social media and like all of those things all rolled into one. I mean, I think that that's sort of beneficial.

just normal people. The news cycle runs 24/7. And here's another thing. Right now, fake news is the number one thing that is like hurting journalism integrity. And so how do journalists get their credibility back by interviewing everyday people, if they were just the spokespeople for famous entrepreneurs and well established people, they would not last very long. So the time

is now to pitch. And I highly recommend you also to watch my PR masterclass, because so many people watch it, and they go, you know, I never knew that I had anything to say. And after watching it, I know that I have something to say. So I think there's a lot there just from society conditioning, it's from a systemic oppression, and whatever that is, whether it's

patriarchy or capitalism. So it's our job and our lifetime to get rid of all those shackles and really show up and it doesn't mean that you have to say something completely groundbreaking. It could just be a tiny little bit love, tiny little puzzle that you're adding to your industry puzzle piece. But remember, without your little puzzle piece, the landscape will not be complete. So it is your sacred work to really pitch that and put that forward.

our business process. And it's such a great opportunity. Because if you're, you know, if you're being featured, that's free advertising for your business, it's free credit, it's free, whatever. I mean, it does require legwork, obviously, but the dividends that that pays are, you know, I mean, there are plenty of photographers who have coughed up money, sometimes for zero return on things like Facebook ads, and things like that, just because it is hard to stand out, we're in a very

competitive kind of a field. So this is one of those opportunities that I see as like, everybody's going left you go right. And I feel like getting earned media and I love that differentiation is, you know, that's something that very few photographers are probably

doing in your local area. And so, you know, I brought you back here, Gloria, because I feel really passionately about helping photographers, you know, it's like, sometimes you hear one podcast episode, and you're like, Okay, I'm totally going to put that on my to do list and then you know, three months, six months, nine months go by, and you still haven't done anything. And it's like, I'm here to, to remind people like this is a good idea, go do it. Well, that's a

energy. So you are worthy. You do have a business, and it's just time for you to tell your story and there are so they're like millions of podcasts like I was doing a search the other day. There's like some really nice ones about like unicorns, and like veterinary stuff. Often planets and photography, like there's so many. And I think if we just shift our perspective and look for places where we can belong, then we see an ocean of

opportunity. But if we keep remaining where we are and say, Well, I'm not there yet, or if PR is not for me or I don't, then then you're never going to take that shot. And you're always going to be wondering, how can I get out there and your, your job is really not to just sell your business is to really connect with people so they can see something about themselves through you. Right, which is what I'm doing now. So I really see this work as

sacred. And another thing I will say is, like the landscape of entrepreneurship, and what is a business is changing. And if we as artists and photographers don't pitch ourselves, then that landscape will never be like, redefined. So that like the next generation, when they think of what business is, they're gonna just still think of white men in suits. And that's just simply not true anymore.

than like a LifeTouch. Or one of the big you know, behemoths pitching that as a story that is profiling a school that already did that and already worked with you? Or, you know, I mean, and because what are the benefits to the school? What are the benefits to the community, those things that are taking the spotlight off of your business and sort of putting it on, like, there's this new trend, there's a spin for all of this stuff that can then like lead back to

you in an organic way. And, and I want all of you to dedicate some time, if not today, then this week to, to making that part of your part of your marketing thought process

other people. Another thing about feeling like you have nothing unique to say, there is no legal like standard for what unique means there's no standard that of what expert means, right. So I had someone who was a Pilates teacher literally get featured in 2023, and an article called what is Pilates in 2023. So just when you think everything has already been said, right, that is just

another limiting belief. And the more you get good at crushing those limiting beliefs and breaking those ceilings, the more opportunities that you will open yourself up to

not me. And I feel like that really applies to PR and, and news outlets and those kinds of things as well. So it's awesome. Well, Gloria, it's always such a pleasure to chat with you. Thank you so much for joining me and and we'll link all your stuff in the show notes. And I'm sure we'll have you back on again soon.