Got Press?

The good news, according to Julie Miller, a PR expert at Morehouse Communications (Cleveland, Ohio), is that you no longer have to be in New York or Los Angeles to catch the ear of the national press, as long as you have a story to tell and a plan for telling it. So that you know what sorts of stories are most likely to grab an editor’s attention, Miller reveals the five types of information that consumer editors ask her for most often.

1. Celebrity tips. If you do manicures or pedicures for any celebrities, then tell the press —just make sure you have the celebrity’s permission to do it. One way to snag a high-profile client is to find out which celebrities, sports figures, and politicians are coming to your town. Call the host and offer to do the star’s nails, hair; or makeup for free for the appearance. Even if you have no celebrity clients, you can still comment on their appearance Stay current on the hottest looks, and put together a press release describing the details that create the look.

2. Home recipes. The magazines love home recipes for softening hands, fixing polish mistakes, creating a body scrub, etc.

3. Insider’s secrets and tips. Editors love information such as what makes a product or ingredient work, what really makes polish chip off, and how it can be prevented. They also want to know about most-requested services, client favourites and professional how-to tips.

4. News. Comment on new trends — both national and regional. For example, if bright polish is big in SoHo, how does that look trickle down in Chicago or Denver?

5. Solutions to common problems. These include how to tell if you have a fungal infection, how to stop lifting, how to strengthen brittle nails, etc.