The countdown is on! I am so excited to be putting the finishing touches on Something New for I Do’s Getting Published Guide. It will be launching the end of this month. And until then, I’ll be talking all things wedding PR (and other related topics like sales) in anticipation! My Getting Published Guide is perfect for wedding planners, photographers and vendors who are new to the industry. Do you need insight on how to plan and design styled shoots for publication? To build your portfolio to attract the right clients?
It’s also great for wedding industry veterans who are so busy that getting published often gets put on the back burner. It offers everything you need to know about getting your weddings and shoots picked up in your favorite magazines and blogs in an easy to digest format that will systemize the process and make it a breeze!
Our first topic to delve into this month is how wedding public relations relates to sales. I know what you’re thinking. Sales is the enemy for creatives, especially if your sales are down right now. But rest assured that even during slow sales seasons, submitting your weddings and shoots can help secure more bookings and attract your target bride. I hope you enjoy today’s content! Please let me know if you have any wedding PR questions or topics you’d like me to cover in future blog posts.
How Wedding PR Relates Directly To Sales
Let’s walk through a real scenario from my wedding planning friends (and wedding PR client) at Chancey Charm. Brittany Collier was new to Chancey Charm and heading up their Washington, DC location. In an effort to get some weddings on the books and to get some great content in the meantime, she planned a styled shoot. She scouted out a beautiful venue, hand-selected all the details and pulled in the perfect vendor team to execute her vision.
We brainstormed on where to submit the styled shoot photos and decided Washingtonian Bride & Groom would be a great fit to get Brittany in front of her target bride. A bride looking for inspiration happened to see and fall in love with that shoot. And while it wasn’t a real wedding, the bride loved the story it told and the design style of the planner. She reached out, told Brittany she saw her styled shoot in Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and the rest was history!
There are so many ways a bride can find you. But now more than ever, brides are turning to social media (often Pinterest and Instagram) and their favorite wedding blogs and magazines to find and book their vendors. Submitting styled shoots and weddings for publication is a no brainer when you consider the benefits:
- Increased SEO (when you get published online versus a print magazine)
- Boosted awareness on social media (when the outlet tags you when they share the feature on their social channels)
- Bragging rights for your press page (credibility is important to brides)
- Direct sales (when they fall in love with your real weddings/styled shoots)
