Dear Marketing and PR professional,

From the number of e-mails, phone calls and snail mail envelopes I receive, I know you’re really trying to market your green product(s) or project(s). And a few of you are doing a great job! But many of you aren’t getting the attention you may deserve– your mass e-mail messages are getting lost in a sea of others, hard-copy press kits are getting recycled, and phone calls aren’t getting returned.

I’ve put together a few of my thoughts for marketing/PR professionals and communications people looking to get materials in print or online (many magazines are putting more content online and printing smaller magazines – this is a good thing for you and the environment! – I’ll expand on this in future Blogs).

First and foremost, exclusivity is key. If you send a mass e-mail to me – and CC (or BCC) 20 others -- you’re not as likely to get my undivided attention. It’s not that your story idea isn’t appealing, but I don’t want to run the same news or profile as everyone else. Many readers read more than one publication. So expand your horizons, at least with different story ideas at different times. Get to know the editorial staff and the editorial calendar/media kit (available on our homepage). Or simply find online or request a copy of the editorial guidelines available for ED+C (and any other publication for that matter).

Green Building Projects

ED+C magazine proudly publishes case studies and features on outstanding green buildings. Maybe you (or your client) have completed a new building; it’s green in your opinion and you’d like to get it published. Maybe it has even received LEED certification. That’s great. But since there are more than 35,000 projects currently participating in the LEED rating system, your building’s certification isn’t exactly headline news. You need more – you need an angle. Tell me what makes it truly unique. Why would it stand out in the pages of ED+C more than any other? Did you overcome an interesting challenge? Did you save money? Did you hit some other milestone worth sharing with ED+C readers? Drop me an e-mail with the details and we can discuss it further.

People

ED+C does not generally cover people and personnel announcements. If you’ve promoted, hired or fired someone, you can let us know, but unless we deal with that person, it’s not necessary. Also note, there are more than 100,000 LEED accredited professionals. If you become one, congratulations! But again, this isn’t news. Now, if your entire staff of 1,000 becomes certified, or if your company has a creative incentive program, send me a note.

Products

To get your product in ED+C (online or in print), send managing editor Derrick Teal (teald@bnpmedia) an e-mail with the basics (what the product is, what is does) and why it is green (it has to be sustainable, environmental, efficient or have some eco-attribute to be considered). Send along a picture if you’d like.

And that’s about it. You don’t need to follow-up with a phone call; Or an e-mail. There are literally millions of building products out there. We try our best to choose the best.

Last but not least

Please follow basic etiquette: get my name right and the name of my publication. And know the audience you are targeting: for example, ED+C readers are architects, designers, specifiers. Use e-mail (no paper please): we’re a digitally-based society now. Anything that you’re sending by snail mail could be sent via e-mail in a more timely, organized fashion. Plus, I wouldn’t have to re-type your document, scan your photo and recycle your papers. So save the postage stamp. (However, we do accept digital materials at trade shows or large files via mail on a USB flash drive.)

I’m guessing most of my suggestions above would apply to other publications as well, so I hope this is helpful to your marketing strategy. I will continue to add ideas as I think of them in future Blogs. If YOU have ideas, please send them to me so I can share them with others. Good luck at getting published, and I look forward to working with you!


Michelle’s Blog, Off the Wall, covers topics that might be of interest to you if you’re a green building professional, though it’s a little off-base from the topics covered in ED+C. In addition to this Blog, Michelle is attempting to try out other social media venues. You can find Michelle on Twitter www.twitter.com/hucalm and LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/hucalm. She also maintains a personal page on Facebook. E-mail her your GOOD green stories at hucalm@bnpmedia.