More ways to market online 🧐

Beyond just Tik Tok and Instagram

GETTING LOCAL PRESS

Whether you live in a small town or big city, getting some local press can help increase awareness of your business and bring new customers your way. Local news stations (especially in smaller towns) often look for human interest stories for small televised segments or their online publications. Here’s some tips for that process:

Start by looking up your local news station or publication and find their contact info for story submissions. If you don’t have any luck there, look into their staff and find the journalists responsible for local human interest stories.
Ask friends or loyal customers to send the story recommendation on your behalf. Something that comes from the community might be more compelling!
Send an email with a little about yourself and ask to be featured. Here’s a template you can start with but the more personal you make the subject line and the message content, the more likely the journalist will be interested:

Subject: Story Idea: Spotlight on [Business Name] - A Local Favorite

Dear [Journalist's Name],

I hope this message finds you well! My name is [Your Full Name], and I own [Business Name], a [type of business, e.g., family-owned, artisanal] bakery/pop up food business located in [Town/City Name]. We’ve been serving the community with [mention specialty items or unique offerings] and would love the opportunity to share our story with your audience.

We believe a feature on [Business Name] would resonate with your viewers by highlighting the charm of local businesses and how we strive to bring a taste of [mention something unique, e.g., tradition, creativity, community spirit] to every bite.

I'd be thrilled to chat more if you’re interested. We could showcase [mention anything interesting, e.g., a popular item, baking process, upcoming event, or community involvement]. Please let me know if you’d like to schedule a time to visit or chat further!

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to the possibility of working together.

Warm regards,

[Your Full Name]

Owner, [Business Name]

[Contact Information: Phone, Email, Website, Social Media Links]

[Attach photos of your food, you in the kitchen, a review from a customer. Use enticing photos they’d want to feature in an article]

NEXTDOOR

Nextdoor is one of those channels that’s really effective for some chefs and not for others. Because it’s members are people your actual neighborhood, Nextdoor is really community focused and built on real life relationships. Before you do any sort of promotion for your business on Nextdoor, you’ll first want to join your local Nextdoor neighborhood and start getting active in there. Comment on people’s posts, answer questions or offer help. This not only helps gain the trust of other members in the group, but can often earn you badges within the app that will later be seen on what you post.

After you’ve spent a little time in the community, you should introduce yourself and your business. Be sure to talk about yourself and your story and end with clear instructions around how someone can buy your goods or support you. Here’s an example from Coastal Rise Sourdough and a template to get you started with your own!

🍰 Hello Neighbors! Meet [Business Name]! 🍰

Hi everyone!

I’m [Your Name], and I’ve always had a passion for baking. It all started when [share a brief personal story e.g., "I used to bake with my grandmother every weekend, and those cozy moments in the kitchen sparked my love for creating delicious treats."]. After years of perfecting recipes and dreaming of sharing my creations, I decided to start [Pop-Up Business Name]!

I specialize in [mention specialties, e.g., fresh pastries, unique desserts, or seasonal goodies], all made with love right here in [Town/Neighborhood Name]. I pop up at different locations around town, and the best way to stay in the loop or order from me is by subscribing to my Hotplate SMS list! You’ll get notified whenever I have goodies available for sale.

👉 Subscribe here: [Hotplate SMS Link]

Thank you so much for supporting local businesses and being part of this journey with me. I can’t wait to meet you all and share a taste of what I’ve been baking up!

Stay sweet,

[Your Name]

[Pop-Up Business Name]

[Contact Info or Social Media Links]

FACEBOOK GROUPS

Many chefs, especially bakers, are able to reach new customers by posting about their business in relevant Facebook groups. The key is to find the local groups where your ideal customer might spend their time. For example:

If you sell vegan food, maybe you post in yoga or wellness related groups
If you sell sourdough, maybe you post in your city’s mother & me group
If you sell pizza, maybe you post in groups for local foodies or sports leagues

Much like with Nextdoor, you want to join and be active in these Facebook groups before you post anything about your business. Regularly comment, like, and answer questions from other people’s posts so you can gain some trust and credibility. After a week or two, you can introduce yourself and your business. Here’s a template you can start with:

🍰 Hey Friends! I’m [Your Name] from [Pop-Up Business Name]!

I’ve always loved baking, and now I get to share that passion through my pop-up food business right here in [Town/Neighborhood Name]! I serve up [mention specialties, e.g., homemade pastries and sweet treats] at pop ups and through pre-orders every week. I’d love for you to give them a try!!

👉 Stay in the loop to get the goods!

I use a system called Hotplate for ordering and you can add your phone number to get a text every time I open up orders or plan to pop up! Add your number here 👇

[Hotplate SMS Link]

Thanks for supporting local! Can’t wait to meet you and share some tasty treats!

Stay sweet,

[Your Name]

[Social Media Links]

[Be sure to also include some beautiful eye catching photos of your food!]