You should have seen me last Thursday, racing around the Expo building at the Wisconsin State Fair, darting from display case to display case, searching for the two pieces of needlepoint I entered.
I finally found them with — ta da! — a second-place ribbon on one and a third-place ribbon on the other. My heart started racing, and I vowed to seriously consider rejoining the American Needlepoint Guild, which I abandoned 10 years ago when I started my business.
But before I pick up a needle again, there are more important things to do. Here’s how I can squeeze every ounce of publicity from this baby:
–Write press releases about the awards for my two local weekly newspapers and submit photos of the prize-winning entries. (Sign up for my free course “89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.”)
–Pitch a story to Wisconsin Woman magazine about how women business owners find time, or don’t find time, for hobbies.
–Write a post for my blog.
–Submit an article for the American Needlepoint Guild’s magazine about how the Wisconsin State Fair finally removed the silly rule saying all needlepoint entered had to be taken out of the frame so judges could inspect the back of the canvas. Then ask members, does the rule make sense, or not?
I’m sure there are many more possibilities. The point is, if you win an award, start working every angle. I’m amazed at the number of people who let local newspapers and trade journals know about awards they have won for new products, sales records, projects they’ve completed for clients, etc., without ever stating what they did to win the award. Or without ever submitting a photo of themselves or the item that won.
If you’re named “Sales Person of the Year,” submit a tip sheet with your top 10 tips on how you close a sale or face rejection. (See “Special Report #16: How to Write Tip Sheets That Catch the Media’s Attention”) at How to If your company wins the “Product Innovation of the Year” award, pitch a story on all the problems that occurred while the product was being designed, how you overcame them, and how you kept your creative team motivated. If you win a local triathlon, offer tips on how you train for the competition.