Gabrielle Yetter of Marblehead, MA, writes:
“I recently launched my new company and produce The Screaming Pillow which is a pillow you scream into when you need to let off steam.
“It came about after my sister and her baby were killed in a car crash many years ago and my mother was counseled by a bereavement therapist to scream into a pillow.
“The product is more of a novelty item and I’m selling it through my website because it isn’t cost-effective to sell retail. I have been doing a huge amount of online promotion and recently had a nice article written about me in our local paper which resulted in a decent number of sales.
“But I’m looking for creative ways to get the message out to broader audiences. I’ve made contact with a few therapists who love it and I have lots of ideas, but am somewhat limited since I am a company of one.
“I’d love some ideas from your Hounds about how I might be able to reach more targeted audiences and ways in which I may be able to get press other than just in our local paper.”
A sampling of comments will be included in the “Help This Hound” section of next week’s issue of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week, my free ezine. If you’d like help with your own publicity or marketing, email me your “Help This Hound” question and include your name and town. I’ll consider featuring it here.
Have a “Scream in Your Pillow Contest” similar to the “Stella Shouting Contest” that is held during the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival in recognition of “Streetcar Named Desire”. There is a great video on YouTube – another great way to promote your pillows after the contest.
Your target market is anyone who has ever felt like screaming into a pillow, or roughly 100% of the entire population. Pitch this to Ellen, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
I love this idea!
So often, we fail to see the humorous possibilities.
How about an accompanying booklet on the care of the pillow a la Pet Rock. Tongue-in-cheek tips.
I mean, look at it from the pillow’s point of view. It probably needs therapy after a week or two if it’s always being screamed at, not to mention the tears and saliva. Rough on the self esteem if you ask me.
Not exactly a PR tip, but it could help in the marketing of it.
You haven’t told us why YOUR pillow is better than just an average everyday pillow. Once you’ve established that fact, how about a list of tips on how to use it? These could be a combination of serious and funny tips. Also, you have a realy background story here. How about writing an e-book that you could sell, that would include a screaming pillow for anyone who buys the book. The book could tell your story and the therapeutic information behind the pillow. Might also include other stories. Since you already have a web site (and use facebook) you’re ready to go.
Here are my three ideas:
–The pillows would make fabulous gifts. The Gift List is a subscription service that provides contact info for a few hundreds media outlets that are planning special “gift” coverage or gift sections–for Christmas, Mother’s and Father’s Day, graduation day, etc. Your pillow would be a perfect Mother’s Day gift, particularly for moms with toddlers. There are numerous other possibilities. Go to http://www.giftlistmedia.com/?link=ph (I get a commission on sales)and take a free test drive.
–Choose two or three niche magazines (parenting, psychology and therapy publications, etc.) and send a photo and press release to their “new products” section. Be sure to research the publications first so you know exactly which ones feature these sections.
–Pitch bloggers who write about parenting and grief topics.
Thanks for all the great comments so far. I like the sound of pitching bloggers who write about grief as I had not thought of that. It has been featured on several mommy blogs and I’ve done giveaways, as well as on a couple of gift sites so far.
I like the idea of the contest, Rekaya, and Nancy, I love the idea of pitching to Ellen, Jon Stewart and Colbert — hadn’t really thought of the latter two…anyone have contacts with these shows?
Don’t forget your local morning shows on television. They are always looking for stories to fill their space. You can use these appearances and your newspaper articles in your pitches to others. Another place where you might want to consider a few strategic donations is local hospice organizations.
You could promote them at/tie-in with gift shops too. People could send flowers and a screaming pillow to someone who’s had a terrible day. The flowers could put a smile on a person’s face and the pillow could take the edge off a frustrating day.
You could offer them free to people in Iran to encourage to a Silent Scream protest for Democracy.
The idea people go to the streets with these pillows they scream into their pillows protest slogans and other sentiments against the government so they let off steam.
Probably a unique alternative to a common non-violent protest.
Perhaps they get away with it because it might to actually know what they are saying or see them say it but the implied implication would be clear.
Lots of publicity would to go to the creater of the scream pillow.