Top Takeaways from the Sit With Us Event
Seattle business owners Michelle Wight and Elizabeth Zuluaga recently hosted a special “Sit With Us” community event for female founders at DeLille EnVille. Designed as an immersive evening of insight and inspiration, the event focused on building in-real-life connections and sharing tangible tips for holiday success.
As a veteran publicist focused on beauty, fashion, and lifestyle brands, the duo asked me to speak to the group about the “Art of Being Noticed”. The conversation covered how to build a business you love, the importance of “community over competition”, and my top tips on how to get noticed by the press.
Top 3 Takeaways
We are all guilty of being constantly distracted by social media, the news, and the chaos of life. As a business owner, it’s important to get laser-focused on the task at hand, especially as you ramp up for the holiday season. There are only 3 months left of the year; let’s lock in and make the most of it. Stop being distracted and start getting strategic.
Before you seek media coverage, it’s important to be REALLY good at what you do. Take time to focus on your craft to stand out in a saturated market. Consumers have options and if you’re not spending time on streamlining operations and making the customer experience seamless, you’re already behind. The pre-work is necessary for success.
Community over competition isn’t something you preach- it’s something you practice. Take action. Make the intro. Put someone’s name in the hat for an opportunity. Show up and cultivate the relationships you crave.
How to show up for fellow women in business:
Answer the phone when they call.
Set up a monthly or quarterly coffee date.
Say YES when they ask you to collaborate.
Bring them a coffee or a bottle of wine when they’ve had a hard week or a busy season.
Show up when you’re needed and do what you can.
Celebrate their wins.
Be honest about the ways you can help.
Send the email introduction you talked about.
Start the text thread you’ve been putting off.
Put their name in the hat when opportunities come up, even if you don't know where it will lead.
Share their business with 3 people who might find it useful.
Be generous with your time and attention.
Have hard conversations if there is a misunderstanding. Sometimes it’s a simple oversight that just needs to be addressed, and when you talk about it, your working relationship becomes even stronger.
When you show up for other people, they show up for you. It’s reciprocal in the most beautiful way. The truth is that “being seen” is an organic and inevitable side effect of consistently showing up for yourself and others.
Top 3 PR TIPS for women in business
#1 - Have a media kit for your business that is ready to send out when opportunities arise. Your kit should include an overview of your company, information about you, highlights of your products + services, and anything else you want editors to know. If you don’t have a media kit, put together a quick company fact sheet.
#2 - Have a content calendar to keep your social media presence on track. Pick a platform and commit to posting 3 times a week. Pick 3 categories that you want to post about. These can be themes/topics that you want to post about on a regular and recurring basis. For example:: Business/Behind the Brand, Product/Services, Community/Events. Then sprinkle in stories, reels, or collaborative posts that show up on your feed to supplement your static posts. Once you get into the groove, the content calendar will populate itself.
#3 - Pitch yourself and your business. Find places to add value and target media outlets that your customers are already reading. Be creative about your approach and be intentional about your messaging. Journalists are always looking for good stories to tell.
Gossip & Glamour is celebrating 16 years in business this year and there’s no way that milestone would have been possible without the love and support of fellow women in business in the Seattle community including Darcy Camden of Styled Seattle, Jennifer Shea of Trophy Cupcakes, Ali Barrett of University Village, Dominique Bermudez of Bloomie’s, and so many more.
Thank you to DeLille En Ville for hosting the event and providing refreshments and light bites. We also want to thank event photographer Chelsea Abril for capturing the evening so beautifully.
About
Sydney Mintle is the founder of Gossip & Glamour, Seattle’s leading fashion PR agency dedicated to working with industry clients on strategic communication, business development, marketing, community partnerships, and special events. Since 2010, her company has worked with hundreds of brands to successfully execute marketing and PR initiatives. Learn more at gossip-glamour.com.
Photo credit: Chelsea Abril
