Get Ink DIY Blog

When I ask interior designers what they struggle with the most when it comes to doing their own PR, the common thread in a lot of the answers is along the lines of:  Everything, I don’t even know where to start.

So, I thought I’d give you some pointers. Here are five basic steps you can take to get you started:

1. Go to the closest bookstore and buy a handful of magazines that you’d like to be covered in. Read them, and imagine where you would fit in.
2. Organize your projects, including photos, and think about which one would make a good feature in one of the magazines you researched.
3. Track down a contact at the magazine you identified.
4. Write a short email with highlights about the project you chose, an image link, and why you think the readers of the magazine would like it.
5. Send the e-mail.

This is what we call a pitch, in a nutshell. Pretty straight forward, right?

You're ready? Go for it! If you are not ready to give it a try, tell me what is holding you back....

While the world around us is swiftly moving from one crisis to the next, I have chosen to focus on what I can control.

Not to say that it's not unsettling. It is. And I have lots of opinions. But that's what they are, opinions.

I used to love arguing with people and trying to convince them that I was RIGHT and they were WRONG. Then I realized that everyone has their own truth, which is simply an opinion - and I learned to respect that. (For the most part...)

It might seem trivial and superficial but launching my new Design PR Insider Membership during this flat-out crazy time has helped keep me grounded.

Working with my group of founding members already has given me real joy because I can tell that I can make a small difference in a tiny corner of this world, and people appreciate it. We're not tackling racial inequality or curing a disease, but the world can use every bit of positive energy we can create and spread.

So much for the world-changing power of DIY PR, one small happy...

The time we are going through has been called unprecedented, unusual, challenging, tough, devastating and so on. And it can be all of those things. Yet, change is the only constant in life. Life goes on, business goes on. (And as the wife of a restaurant owner I am not saying this lightly.) We will make it through this crisis.

Launching a new business during a global pandemic may seem counterintuitive, but in my line of work - public relations - the wheels don't stop turning. Magazines need to be produced, websites need to be filled with fresh content, and my job is to help the media do just that. So that's what I did. I finally launched my project to help interior designers do PR without spending a lot of time and money.

One positive of being locked down over months is that many people have taken the time to dig deep and think about what is valuable in their lives and careers and what is not. Plus, considering new strategies for business growth, like PR. As I know...

Lao Tzu said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” How many miles we'll go is yet to be determined but without taking the first step, we'll never know!

A couple of years ago, I had an idea - to create a program for interior designers that teaches them to do their own PR without spending bunches of time and money. And a way to help them enough to keep going and stay accountable. Everyone I talked with loved the idea and there definitely is a big need.

But then...

Life happened. I got really busy with client work while taking care of my three boys. And then, my husband opened a restaurant. He needed help because, yeah, restaurant!! 

My idea kept popping up and I kept color-coding my calendar to see where I could fit it in, but honestly, I had no energy left to start anything new.  As a multi-passionate person, I am always intrigued by a million different things, and as a recovering perfectionist, my goals can be a bit unrealistic.

(I can...