When I went prom dress shopping in high school, I was immediately taken aback when I was told by the shop owner that my chosen dress (formerly known as “the one”) would be logged into a database to ensure that no one else from my school would walk in wearing the same thing. Now it may have something to do with the fact that there were only two dress shops in town, but they had my business as soon as they uttered the words exclusivity.
Wedding PR is no different. The fact is that wedding blogs and magazines aim to inspire brides with fresh content. That means- weddings that they can’t find on their competitors blog or in the wedding magazine sitting next to them at Barnes and Noble.
People ask me all the time about the number of magazines and blogs I am willing to submit to at one time when a really fabulous wedding comes their way. My answer? One. Our policy* is that whether you are small regional outfit or along the likes of Martha Stewart Weddings, you want to be the first out of the starting gate with those swoon worthy details.
Sure it means longer waiting periods but far better to face those circumstances than to build a reputation as someone who is known for only submitting “been there, done that” content.
So the next time you gear up for a Real Wedding Submission, be sure you are offering up something new and inspiring. Just remember- no one likes to be the one in the room with the repeat dress.
Meghan Ely is the owner of wedding marketing and wedding pr firm OFD Consulting. She is the exclusive wedding pr columnist to wedding marketing journal WedLock magazine and is a highly sought after speaker in the wedding industry. She loves ruffle table runners and Royal Wedding Tchotchkes. To learn how OFD Consulting can assist you with your wedding marketing and wedding pr, please contact us today.
*I would be remiss if I didn’t know that there are circumstances when duel submissions may be okay but this, like the odds of me hand washing a dish that actually ends up clean, is a rarity.
