How to Get Free Publicity for Your Handmade Jewelry Business. An Excellent Marketing Tool!

There's no doubt about it! The cheapest and most effective form of advertising is free publicity. The problem is that it's not always easy to get. BUT, when it does happen, the results can be explosive.

Sometimes you're lucky enough to have free publicity seek you out. This is usually when you have a new product or concept that's newsworthy. When we opened the first bead store in our area several years ago, we received several news stories including one in our local newspaper. This brought in a ton of traffic and sales. Had we not brought a new concept to our area, the opportunity for easy, free publicity probably would not have been available to us.

So, just what options are available to get free publicity for your handmade jewelry?

1. Consider designing a piece of handmade jewelry relating to the unique aspects of your hometown or area. For example, could you design a bracelet with charms depicting different landmarks in your area? Add a heart charm with your hometown name engraved on it. You could then send out a press release describing your new creation and its availability. We'll discuss how to do a press release in future posts.

2. Do something charitable. Donate your handmade jewelry to an organization that helps homeless women find jobs. They can wear your jewelry when they go on job interviews. The press would love to do a story on the local jeweler designer who is giving back to the community. Plus your donated jewelry will get lots of exposure as the women go on their job interviews wearing your handmade creation.

3. If you have an interesting story to tell on how you became a jewelry designer, write it down and submit it to various local publications. Did you go through any unusual hardships to achieve your goal of designing handmade jewelry? People love a rags to riches story! If this applies to you, let it be known.

4. Tie your business in with a holiday. For example, you could write an article about how your handmade jewelry makes a perfect Valentine's gift. In the article, talk about how to choose the perfect piece of handmade jewelry for that special person. This makes an excellent article for the style section of your local newspaper.

5. Expand your list of important media contacts and have their numbers available when you think of a newsworthy story that relates to your business.

6. Check with your local newspaper to see if you can write a weekly, column on fashion and jewelry trends. This would be of great interest to people and would establish you as somewhat of an expert.

7. Read, read, read. Keep learning new ways to get your handmade jewelry business into the limelight. Here's an excellent reference:http://tinyurl.com/yn662u You'll discover TONS of different ways to generate publicity that will really put your handmade jewelry business on the map. Always be on the alert for new ways to market your business.

That's all for today, folks! Stay tuned because we're going to try to make 2007 the best year yet for your handmade jewelry business. There are lots more marketing tips to come!

Kristie