I’m gobsmacked, tickled, stunned by the Where Women Create feature article on my business. It’s in the Spring 2023 edition now available online and at bookstores nationwide.

I shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, I sent in an application, submitted writing and photographs, proofed and edited the copy they sent me. I knew it was in the works.

That’s the meat of this newsletter.

But to see my creations reflected on 14 shiny pages of a gorgeous, high-quality, national magazine and to hold it in my hands. It took my breath away.

I say 14 pages, but here’s the kicker. When I opened the front cover, I gasped. The frontispiece, you know – the design element fancy books print to delight you before you reach the title page – was a 2-page close-up spread of my pillows.

Getting your name in print isn’t magic. Yes, talent is required, but there are lots of gifted people. There is a secret to getting great press, and I’m going to share it with you here.

Shhhhh. Here it is: Research.

Painstaking research. Unlike Lana Turner who owed her early stardom to being spotted at a soda shop in Hollywood, waiting to be discovered is not a strategy. Rather, it’s hard work, labor intensive and decidedly unglamorous. But, it works.

As I’ve said repeatedly, Although I’m a sole proprietor, I don’t work alone. For this kind of exposure, I credit my firm footing on the shoulders of many remarkable women who hoisted me up. I meet them in many places throughout my travels.

Here are the three major steps that led me to the relationships that gained me this press:

1. I heard about Business of Home (BOH)* from Jana Platina Phipps, aka The Trim Queen, who I consulted for Instagram ‘agility’ early in my new endeavor. She advised me to stay abreast of all things interior by subscribing.

BOH provides educational workshops for its members. One of several I enrolled in was The Power of Your Founding Story given by a 2-woman company called the All You Need Method (AYN).

2. AYN offered a follow-up course which I took. That provided me with an overall structure, but I wanted more individual attention, so I hired them to work with me 1:1. With their instruction and guidance, I crafted my own Founding Story and got clarity on how to present myself at this stage of my 50 years in business. The operative word we kept using was ‘uplevel’ referring to my clientele and where to reach them. My new logo, which they helped to direct, is reflective of that pursuit.

 

3.  Meanwhile, I attended the High Point Market in April 2022 where I heard Amy Flurry, the author of Recipe for Press, talk about earning media attention. Last fall I ordered Amy’s online press list to the interior design trade—1500 direct contacts with industry leaders. I spent hours combing through those names, websites and web presence.

When I came across the Where Women Create entry, I thought, “Hmmmm. That has a familiar ring to it.”

You know how you hear something, and you tuck it away in your memory bank? Ruth, a cherished friend, and member of my writers’ group, had mentioned it when I first began creating my pillows. “You should be in this, Jane,” she said. Our friends see us greater than we allow ourselves to imagine. The seed got planted.

At least a decade or two prior to this, a member of my beloved Artsy Girls, Susan Borgen, displayed her spread in a similar publication called In Her Studio. At the time, I had left my art career behind and was focused on coaching women entrepreneurs. I eyed it with envy but disqualified myself and continued to move in a different direction.

While going through the purchased media roster I noticed a listing for Where Women Create. The convenience of this online service is that the publication itself was only a click away. “That’s the one!” My heart leapt as I recalled Ruth’s words.

Because I had taken the AYN course, I had my materials neatly arranged in Internal and External files for marketing myself. I quickly filled in the application form and heard back two hours later. They wanted to feature me. I was elated!

I received a pdf of the layout a month ago and have been excitedly waiting for the “go live” date to hit my calendar. Keeping quiet about this has been a challenge. I didn’t share the pre-publication link they’d sent, even with my closest friends. But it’s out now, and I hope you’ll pick up a copy and let me know what you think. You can also click the image below to hear my interview with Editor-in-Chief, Jennifer Blot, on The World of Women Create Podcast, where I discuss why it’s never too late to do what you love NOW!