How to Pitch Daily Candy - The Possible Dream

Are you really ready for Daily Candy?  What does it take?  In the past month Collective-E member Amy Demas of Bestow Boutique was featured in Daily Candy, and tomorrow yet another member will find herself in this coveted position (stay tuned)! 

Rarely a day goes by that a designer or entrepreneur fails to ask me how to get on Daily Candy, and I have decided that in the interest of everyone, it's time to get down & dirty with Daily Candy, and talk about how to get in, who they are looking for, and how it will affect your brand.  The latter is extremely important because as much as we fantasize about getting that hit, if you aren't prepared it could break your brand.  

First let's talk about what Daily Candy looks for:  they are looking for cool, unique, and more or less undiscovered and new products, websites, locations, and at times events.  If you're product has been featured all over tv, the web, or in several major magazines, the likelihood of you getting into Daily Candy is slim to none.  Another key?  Your website.  If your website doesn't convey your brands appeal the moment an editor visits it, or doesn't deliver the message you're trying to get across you may lose your chance for a feature.  Be sure your products are easy to find and your site is as cool and unique as your product.  This is your calling card!  (Needless to say sites without shopping carts should wait until they are more prepared before pitching).  It's also important to be very honest with yourself about whether or not your product is something that is in the style of Daily Candy's past picks.  I have seen brands that have made it to O Magazine, Lucky Magazine, and more that were turned down by DC.  We all often think our product is the best, sassiest, most unique brand out there, but times like these require some honest reflection.  If you have been reading your daily emails from the Daily Candy crew, and honestly see your product as one that fits in with what they promote, if the season and timing is good for your brand, and you haven't been plastered all over the press already, then give your pitch a shot.

So how do you pitch Daily Candy?  For starters never call the editors even if you somehow find a phone number.  Similar to most bloggers ( and most editors) they do not want to be called by you.  Am email pitch will suffice.  Do not pitch every editor in every city with your product.  Only email the Daily Candy everywhere editor if your pitch is a nationally applicable brand, and if it's a more localized story such as  a local boutique or service, or if you are a local brand connected to the area from which you work, pitch the local editor.  Work with kids products or services?  Reach out to Daily Candy Kids.  Again do NOT reach out to multiple editors with the same pitch.  Several of them work in the NYC offices and you will quickly develop a relationship as a spammer.  Once you pitch lay low.  Do not reach out again in a week or even two weeks.  Trust that they have received your information and that they are considering if it's a good fit.   If you want to check in wait a month, and then ping them not with a "did you get my information" email, but instead with some updated and interesting information about your brand or product.  Keep these emails short and sweet.  You are allowed 2 follow ups over the course of two months and then you must let it go!  Feel free to keep the editors on your media list for future emails but know that they should be general, do not stalk them monthly.  Remember, just like dating a guy, you know when they are interested.  Repeated emails wondering if old emails were lost does not help your cause!  For instance, Bestow Boutique was pitched once to Daily Candy's editor who covered them.  Once is often all it takes if you are the right fit.  Remember, if they don't love you for Daily Candy, there are plenty of other media fish in the sea!

What to send in that email?  Send a brief description of your product, and introduce yourself.  Do not send a pitch over a paragraph long, and don't creat a cute, Daily Candy-esque write up - that is there job! Instead use your pitch to illustrate your uniqueness, how new you are, and do so thinking about what attracts people to reading DC - they want to find the hottest, newest, cutest stuff.  So paint that picture in your pitch.  Be sure you link to your website or product images to make it easy for them to see what makes your product pop!  Don't send a media kit with lists of press you've received, remember less is more in this case!

So what happens if they pick me?  In the words of Whitney Houston, "How will I know?"  If you are picked up by Daily Candy it can change your brand for good or for bad, so be prepared.  You will receive an email from their editorial staff letting you know that you have been selected and when your story will "go live", as well as which newsletter you will be featured in.

(Remember: Daily Candy promotes brands by city (check their site for all listings) as well as promotes Daily Candy Everywhere, in which they promote websites or products that have a more universal appeal.  Daily Candy Everywhere products are also featured on the landing page of the website which gives even more reach, and is sent out to all subscribers.  Location-based Daily Candy entries are only sent to those who subscribe to that location's email list.)

Knowing you will be featured is not enough however.  When Bestow Boutique received the email so many young lifestyle brands want to get, that they would be featured on Daily Candy, they didn't simply high five each other and wait with bated breath until their Monday feature.  They made the following necessary moves:

• Made sure their website and shopping cart could support even higher amounts of traffic and purchases.
• Checked with Daily Candy as to which products they'd be featuring or using images of in the newsletter and on the website in order to determine which ones to have extra stock of just in case.
• Figured out that they were in Daily Candy Everywhere and not just Daily Candy New York City - more traffic means more preparation!
• Prepared to blog about this, Twitter, use Facebook to promote the placement.
• Prepared to leverage the press:  Daily Candy can open doors to buyers, and press from other outlets ranging from Blogs to magazines.  The moment Daily Candy dropped Bestow could send this story to the other magazines they wanted to reach out to as they were instantly validated.
• Watch your Google Alerts - Daily Candy often leads to smaller blog hits that are great to track for your press book.

Godspeed Collective E gals!  Go home and assess your product and whether you think the effort will be worth your time, create a fantastic pitch, and deliver it to the correct editor. 

The good news is, Daily Candy is DAILY so your chances of getting covered if you are a great fit aren't impossible.  The other good news?  Deciding if you are a fit or not, making that pitch or two, and moving forward can also be great for your brand, as if this door doesn't open, it leaves you more time to focus on the hundreds of other great media opportunities for your brand.