You're working in a company or organization trying to do some good.
Maybe you're Katie Meyler of More than Me, an organization driven to get little girls off the street and into school in Liberia. Or perhaps you're the founders of LiveProud, a company (yes, a for-profit company!) that turns trash -- plastic cell phone cases, keyboards, soda bottles, and more -- into performance clothing.
You're rocking it, but you want more. More eyeballs, more sales, more donations, more engagement, and most importantly -- more impact. And your PR/marketing budget? Ah, right around $0.
So how do you get some big-time attention? Short answer: Send simple, personable, and genuine emails to lots and lots of people who write blog posts and newspaper columns about your world.
Think to yourself: How does the story of my organization or company relate to their perspective? How does it blend with stories they've written in the past? How does it jive with them on a personal and emotional level?
I'm speaking from experience. We just launched a social enterprise (AKA, a good-for-the world company) this past February with $0 marketing dollars, yet we've been covered by three of the top ten blogs in the world, three of the top ten newspapers in the US, and have received hundreds of smaller mentions in blogs from Argentina to Australia. Luck? Nope. Because we're special? Nope. The love had much more to do with a replicable approach to reaching out and getting noticed.
Here's the email language and format that we used to get all the attention. I copy and pasted the message word for word from one of the hundreds of emails we sent out:
Hey Erick,
Big fan of your work since way back in the Business 2.0 days. Thanks for the great stuff throughout the years; your insights have become required reading for me.
We were hoping you'd take a look at a social investing platform we're about to launch for organizations with a social/environmental mission.
We act as a platform, like eBay, for the everyday person to invest, not donate, in social enterprises. For example, 20,000 people could invest $50 each in HalfUnited.com, one of the companies raising money with us. You can check out a post about the concept and the company, called 33needs, in a social innovation blog: http://bit.ly/fWGZF6
It'd be great if you'd consider chatting with me about what we're up to. Is there any chance we could talk for a few minutes?
I'd be grateful for your time. Again, thanks for all the great content over the years.
All the best,
Josh
Remember: Simple, personal, and genuine. And a little tenacity, especially in the world of impact and social good, goes a long, long way. Now, keep rocking it!