5 Ways to Get Publicity for Your Ecommerce Business and Drive Sales

By Andreea Ayers, entrepreneur and founder of www.LaunchGrowJoy.com.

Did you know that one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your ecommerce business is by getting your products and website featured in media?

When I ran my own ecommerce store selling t-shirts online, as soon as a media outlet mentioned my business or featured my products, I would see a steady stream of traffic and sales directly from that mention. For me, focusing my efforts on getting publicity and driving traffic to my online store was critical to my online business success.

Here are five simple ways to get more publicity for your online store:

1. Reach out to relevant influential bloggers and have them review your products

Many well-known bloggers have tens of thousands of readers, so getting your products reviewed in an influential blog can bring a lot of new traffic to your online store.

Identify 5-10 influential bloggers in your niche and connect with them on social media. Next, reach out to them individually via email. Keep your email short and to the point. Let them know how much you enjoy their content and ask if they are interested in doing a product review or giveaway.

2. Be a guest on a relevant podcast

Podcasts have soared in popularity over the last few years and podcast hosts are always looking for guests to interview. There’s a podcast in every imaginable category.

Search iTunes for specific podcasts related to your industry and also check out the “viewers also subscribed to” suggestions to find even more podcasters.

When pitching, let the host know what you love about their podcast, as well as a few topic ideas you’d like to talk about.

3. Get featured in a local magazine

Local publications LOVE to write about companies and brands in their city or town, so why not have them write about yours?

First, identify the local publications you’d like to be featured in. Next, check out their website or get a print/digital copy of the magazine to find out who is the right contact person. Ideally, this person should be an editor or reporter focused on the target market of your business. For instance, if you sell fragrances, you should reach out to the beauty editor.

When emailing them, mention that you are a local business owner. Keep your emails short and offer to send them samples of your products.

4. Get featured in a national magazine

National magazines work about 3-6 months in advance of the print issue publication date, so if you’d like to get your products featured in their December issue, for example, you should pitch in August and give yourself a few weeks to follow up on your pitch. If you are looking to be featured on the magazine’s online version, the deadlines tend to be much more flexible.

When pitching via email, make sure to include the issue you’d like to be featured in, the specific column and the specific product you are pitching.

5. Get featured in a trade magazine

If you sell your products to retailers, you should definitely pitch your brand to trade magazines.

Reaching out to trade publications is very similar to contacting other media outlets – send your pitch via email, keep it short and be specific about which section you’d like to be featured in.

If you plan ahead and make publicity a part of your ongoing to-do’s, you’ll start seeing lots of new traffic and sales directly from your media mentions. Keep in mind that publicity takes a bit of time, so if you aren’t getting a lot of YES’s right away, keep going until you start seeing results.

About Our Guest Author:

Andreea Ayers is an entrepreneur and the founder of www.LaunchGrowJoy.com and www.GetMediaHappy.com. She is THE go-to source for entrepreneurs with consumer products who want more press, more exposure, more success, and more sales. You can find her on Twitter at @andreeaayers.