Would you like tried and tested publicity tips that have worked for other pet business owners?

For them to explain how you can go about getting yourself in the spotlight?

To celebrate the Publicity for Pet Businesses podcast being a year old, I’ve invited a group of petpreneurs who have landed fantastic press coverage to share their advice.

In this special episode you’ll learn how to ramp up your visibility from people who’ve already discovered what journalists want.

You can listen in on the player link below or carry on reading as a blog post.

Here are the key takeaways from each pet professional.

Becky Baker from K9Nation

“My number one tip is don’t be afraid to just ask. If you don’t ask you don’t get. I reached out to the BBC One show via email back in 2019 to share my story. 

“Two weeks later, my dog Buddy and myself were filming live in the London studio, talking about my. #PawsOnTour campaign.”

Listen to Becky share how her puppy mum struggles inspired the K9Nation app

Claire Lawrence from High Peak Dog Services

Claire Lawrence: “Keep going and don’t be disheartened. I’ve featured in a lot of publications but I also got people saying ‘No’ to my ideas too.

“I learned for every ‘no’ you get, there will be a ‘yes’ coming, so don’t give up.”

Listen to Claire share how writing a book can raise the profile of your pet business (Claire was my first ever interview!)

Dominic Hodgson from Pack Leader Dog Adventures and Grow Your Pet Business Fast

“Read the papers. If you keep abreast of national, international and local doggy stories, then you can insert your own opinion. 

“Position yourself as an expert, and often get additional media coverage by simply borrowing the news. 

“So buy a paper, read a paper, find a doggy article and share your opinion and you’ll find you’ll get media coverage, no problem at all.”

Helen Motteram from Social Paws and Pet Professional Network

“I built up a big following on Twitter and worked with a lot of local businesses and the local media, sharing my experiences and my fun videos with my own pets. 

“This caught the hearts of the media and their attention and I found myself on the This Morning sofa. So put yourself out there!”

Listen to Helen’s interview on How to make your pet business stand out on social media

Julie Maxted from Dog-G8

“My tip to share for publicity would be to ensure that if you’re approaching a magazine, you always have the name of somebody to approach.

“That could be a reporter, the editor or news editor, and send that email personally and not to a generic e mail, and don’t be afraid to follow up.”

Listen to Julie’s interview here on her publicity tips as a former PR

Karen Boyce from Beastly Thoughts

“My top tip is to check the news every day. There is fairly often a story you can build on.

“Last week. I pitched an idea about the White House German Shepherds and how they were having to move and I’ve pitched about Dilyn, the No 10 dog too.”

Listen to Karen’s interview on how she landed over 30 pieces of coverage in a year (and many more since!)

Karen Maher from Maher and Hound

“Make sure you really target regional newspapers, your local newspapers and offer to write tips on your specialist area. 

“Often, the newspaper can then approach local vets and pet shops in the area to advertise alongside your article. So it’s a win win for you and the newspaper.”

Listen to Karen’s interview here on how she went from Fashion PR to dog trainer

Kerry Jordan from Fur and Fables

“My top tip for getting publicity for your pet business is to build a relationship with journalists who cover pet businesses, so like, comment and share on their posts, 

“Build a genuine relationship with them, and also be helpful in any way that you can. And then if you have a story and approach them, they’re more likely to remember you.”

Listen to Kerry’s interview here for National Dog Photography Day and here for photography tips

Kim O’Donnell from Leo, Charley and Me

“My tip is to be persistent and if you don’t succeed with the first pitch, don’t let rejection put you off.

“Send another and another and another and keep going until somebody says yes. Keep a list of publications with the people to contact so that you can go to that every time you’ve got an idea.”

Listen to Kim’s interview here about how she went from being invisible to being a global pet brand

Suzanne Gould from Edinburgh Holistic Dogs

“Be comfortable talking about yourself and your business and what it is that you do then the easier it is to sell yourself to a virtual stranger. 

“And also, don’t be frightened of sounding like you! You don’t need to be perfect. Speak from your heart. Trust yourself, because you don’t get anywhere by not taking a chance.”

Listen to Suzanne’s interview here about her journey from shy dog walker to trainer to the stars

With the exception of Karen Maher, who is a former PR and worked with Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, I’ve worked with each of the contributors to help them secure coverage.

If you’d like to chat about working together so you can do the same, click here to send me a message

Links mentioned in this episode:

For all the episodes from the guests in this session visit www.rachelspencer.co.uk

Find out about my Pets Get Visible membership where you can learn how to win media coverage like the people interviewed in this episode.