Get Ink DIY Blog

Interior Designer PR Stories - Pamela Durkin

I've realized that one of the things designers are most interested in is to hear how their peers have managed to have media success and learn how it has impacted their interior design businesses. To paint that picture I decided to start a series of interviews with designers that have experience with PR and are open to share their successes, failures and lessons in using it. The goal is to provide inspiration, insights and learnings that can help you determine if and how PR may work for your business.


My first guest is  Pamela Durkin, ASID, LEED AP ID+C, from Pamela Durkin Designs. I recently had a chat with her on Instagram about the power of PR and let me tell you, she's a pro. (And she has the best glasses!)

Please tell me the 3 most important things about yourself and your business.

Pam: I’m a 30-year design veteran. My clients are high net worth individuals who move to Naples, FL to enjoy their 2nd, 3rd or 4th home.

I am...

Continue Reading...

Why Interior Designers Don’t Get Business from Instagram

Are you constantly thinking about what to post on Instagram and panic if you don’t feel like you have enough - good - content? I know this is the case for a lot of interior designers. On the weekly calls I have with the members of my Design PR Insider Membership, Instagram comes up almost every week in some shape or form. How often should I post? Do I need to do videos and reels? Why don’t I get more engagement? Does it make sense to hire someone to help with my Instagram? And so on.

It’s a real issue for many interior designers. And since I am always keen on providing solutions for my clients on anything that relates to their marketing and PR struggles, I love to learn from other experts in the industry. There is so much out there, and podcast have become one of the main ways that make it easy to get really good information from top authorities in any industry. (Now, if only the days had more hours so you could listen to them all, right?!)

I am here to provide a...

Continue Reading...

Why PR Is Essential And Your Secret SEO Weapon

How important is PR in your marketing mix? I know this is a loaded question for many depending on which of these categories you fall under: 

  1. You don’t think PR is helpful for your business.
  2. You think getting press would be nice but you just can’t fit it in.
  3. You dabble in PR but don’t have a consistent and long-term plan.
  4. You prioritize PR, work it actively, and get regular media coverage.

If you are in category #1, you probably want to stop reading my posts.  It’s okay - I wish you good luck. Or better, keep reading and you may just change your mind!

If you fall under category #2,  I understand, but the good news is, it may not be as hard as you think. Most people start working with me during this “Novice” stage and move up quickly. Please read all the way to the end of this post.

For anyone in category #3, you are a “Doer” and oh-so-close to real media rock star success! You just need a little bit of...

Continue Reading...

The Top 3 Things Every Interior Designer Needs To Know About PR

One of the questions I get most often from interior designers who are interested in getting press is: 

Where do I even start?

Let me take you back to the very basics because, as you may know, I believe that the magic bullet for smashing PR success is going back to fundamentals, doing them well, and doing them consistently. Here are the three areas you want to focus on and some practical tips to get started.

  • Be ready.

    • Have a website that reflects your brand and has all the info a journalist would need: Who you are, what you do, where you are, projects, press, contact.
    • Have a social media presence that’s aligned with your website and brand. Be active, share about yourself & your work.
  • Be proactive.

    • Media coverage isn’t just going to happen. At least, it’s highly unlikely.
    • Connect on social media
      • Follow editors and freelancers on social, interact and engage with them. Respectfully!
      • Generally, pitch your stories/projects to them via email. Only...
Continue Reading...

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,...

Continue Reading...

Does An Interior Designer Need A Press Kit?

The terms press kit or media kit float around often when the topic of PR comes up. You may wonder what exactly they are, and if you need one. Let’s dig into this a bit.

Many people use press kit and media kit interchangeably, but no matter what you call them, there a couple of fundamentally different kinds.

MEDIA KIT

A media kit is a packet of information that magazines and a lot of bigger blogs use to sell advertising and sponsorships. It usually includes information about their audience and reach, the types of ads and promotions they are offering, and pricing. Sometimes it includes an editorial calendar, which is the only connection with PR, otherwise it is a sale tool.

PRESS KIT

A press kit is also a packet of information, but it’s designed to provide background and content information to the media. Journalists use it when they are looking for content to write stories and articles. 

Brands and companies use press kits to release comprehensive bundles of...

Continue Reading...

Plan For 2021 Like A Pro

As we are approaching the end of the year, I am sure you are starting to reflect back on this crazy challenging 2020. I don’t know about you but I am more than ready to move on to 2021!

I am a big fan of planning and goal setting - annually, monthly, weekly, even daily. In truth, I can go completely overboard with planning because the ideas keep coming, but I have to reign them in because it’s just me, myself and I running this show for now. And as Antoine de Saint-Exupery says:

A goal without a plan is just a wish. 

If you are anything like me, it helps to follow a system. It’s so tempting to just have dreams that live and flourish in your head, but since we are all running businesses, it’s imperative that we write down our plans and goals. It’s proven that just by doing so you increase your chances of actually following through. It’s something about the brain-to-hand connection that makes you more likely to stick to your commitment. But...

Continue Reading...

HARO How-To

After last week’s note about taking advantage of HARO queries, I’ve received a number of questions about HOW you go about submitting a good pitch. If you missed last week’s content, HARO connects journalists seeking expertise to include in their content with sources (YOU!) who have that expertise.

It can be intimidating to write a pitch, I know it. But it’s not that hard if you just follow a few guidelines.

Here are my golden HARO rules:

  • Submit EXACTLY what the query asks for, nothing more and nothing less.
  • Keep it SHORT. Don’t spend hours writing a novel. All they are looking for are a few sentences max.
  • Write like you SPEAK. This is especially true if you feel like you are not a great writer. It’s fine! They are looking for content, not poetry!
  • Don’t OVERTHINK it. Write it down, and hit the send button. Done is much better than perfect.
  • Never include ATTACHMENTS of any kind - they will NOT go through.  If they ask for images, put...
Continue Reading...

Low-Hanging Fruit

diypr public relations Nov 10, 2020

Today, I want to talk about a concrete way to get you some PR coverage. The dream scenario for every PR person or every person who does their own PR probably is that media are knocking at your door because they want to feature you, your brand and your product or service. It does happen, but it’s rare and usually the result of many years of doing proactive PR. 

That said, there is an easy way to get started! There are services out there that channel requests from journalists to potential sources. A little bit of the burden is still on you because you have to keep track of the queries to find the ones that are a fit, and of course, you have to submit your pitch.

The most popular of these types of services is called HARO, which stands for Help A Reporter Out. It was founded by a PR pro and now is owned by Cision, a PR software company. The good news is that it’s completely FREE, at least if you settle for the basic version, which sends you three emails a day with...

Continue Reading...

Decisions, decisions...

I have a few rules when it comes to how I show up on social media and in marketing my business, one of which is to stay away from religion and politics. That’s clearly not because I don’t have an opinion and beliefs. An old boss of mine once called me the most opinionated neutral person he’s ever met, ahem, and he may not be completely wrong.  (If you’re not following, it helps to know that I am from Switzerland.)

That said and knowing it’s Election Day today, making choices and decisions is something we do every day. Some are easy, some are hard. But all of them have consequences. 

Whether or not you do PR is obviously not a life-or-death decision and won’t decide the political direction of an entire country for four years but it does have an impact on your business trajectory. As Jim Rohn said, you cannot make progress without making decisions. 

In politics, this means you choose a candidate and cast a ballot. For your PR, it also...

Continue Reading...
1 2 3
Close

Do you want to get press?

Download my FREE in-depth guide that explains the 5 simple steps to get you quoted as a design expert in notable publication like Forbes, Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens and many more.