How To Get Press Now As Interior Design Expert

When interior designers think of getting press, it usually revolves around placing a project in a feature article in a design magazine. While that is a noble goal and absolutely doable, it’s a lengthy and involved process that can easily take close to a year, or even longer.

But, wait! There is an easier and more immediate way to get published.

Have you ever read a magazine or online article and wondered how the designers quoted in the article did it? There are a few ways it can happen but let me share the path of least resistance with you to get quoted as an expert by the media. If you take my advice and act on it, I will pretty much guarantee you that you will see your first expert mention in an article within the first month or two.  

And I am not just saying this without proof. I have seen it happen over and over again in my Design PR Insider Membership. My rockstar members have been featured in outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Apartment Therapy, Bustle, Family Handyman, realtor.com, All Recipes, and many more. Occasionally, even Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and queries from international media like Homes & Gardens pop up!

Now, where does this all happen you ask? It’s a service called Help A Reporter Out (HARO). 

What HARO Is

• It’s a service that connects journalists who are looking for sources and content with experts. Experts like you!
• It is FREE.
• You need to sign up, and then you receive 3 emails a day, filled with media opportunities.
• On average, there are over 30 queries specifically looking for input from designers each month.
• Deadlines are short. Sometimes same-day, often 1-3 days.
• Articles are published sometimes immediately, sometimes with a lag time.

Why You Should Use HARO

• Publicity - hello!
• It gives you the chance to position yourself as an expert.
• Get quick PR success - reward your efforts.
• Collecting different placements to give you credibility with other (bigger) media.
• There are fantastic opportunities!
• It’s a small time investment with potentially big ROI.
• Landing online media mentions has big SEO perks.
• You are guaranteed to succeed. The success rate can vary but is about 10-20% from my experience, meaning you will have to submit answers to 10 queries to get 1-2 placements.

How To Use HARO

• Read HARO emails ASAP.
• Respond ASAP. (Journalists may stop reading queries after they have what they need.)
• Watch the deadline - queries will be shut off once it expires!
• Submit exactly what the journalist asks for and offer more info, but don’t send images unless requested, and don’t pitch anything else in the same email.
• Don’t send attachments, they will not go through. Include a Dropbox link to requested resources instead.
• Do not follow up.
• Once the journalist engages with you, you can be fairly certain that you will be included.
• Monitor your results, track your coverage because journalists often don’t tell you when a piece goes live.

Are you ready to become an expert and get press? Here are your next steps:

• Go to Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and sign up.
• Download my super simple HARO Pitch Template.
• Read the HARO emails and pick a relevant query.
• Write your email following my template.
• Hit send.
• Rinse and repeat.

Happy HARO pitching! 

If it seems like a lot of effort to constantly check your email and sift through hundreds of queries, I get it. In my Membership, I vet all the HARO queries and share only the ones that are relevant for interior designers.

This is a summary of last Friday’s Clubhouse chat in the Designer Discussions Club, which focuses on high-quality, hands-on marketing/PR/business content. To learn about upcoming topics of our weekly 12:30 pm Friday Rooms and get highlight summaries of the topics, you can join our free Facebook Group or follow our Instagram.