The trick to getting celebrities to promote your product without busting the bank is to get them liking it! They, like everyone else, wear clothing, dine out, shop at the store, etc. They end up promoting the products they buy, wear, and the diners they frequent just because they use them. A celebrity shows up wearing a particular outfit or carrying a specific handbag, and in the next few days, there are droves of people picking up those same products.
Here are some tips for getting celebrities to promote your business:
● Start by determining what celebrity makes a good fit for your product or service. While you are at it, determine how your product will fit with their interests. You will have more success if you have done your job in matching your product to a particular celebrity, rather than just going after any endorsement.
● Do some homework to find out the best place to write the particular celebrity. If you can get their home address, great. If you can’t, try to get the best one that will lead to your product landing in their hands. Then, write them a professional letter telling them why you think your product is perfect for them and how they will benefit from it.
● In all reality, it will probably be difficult to get close to the celebrity and build a relationship with them. Instead, focus on building a relationship with someone that knows or is associated with that celebrity. For example, if you can get the celebrity’s hair dresser or personal trainer to use your product, there is a good chance that the celebrity may come in contact with it. If not, it will still get good exposure because people pay attention to what those around celebrities do as well, and they often get media attention.
● Find out who the celebrities PR agent is and try to get your product in through that route. To do this, build a relationship with the agent. Start by writing a letter that explains how you think the celebrity is a perfect fit for your product or service and that you would appreciate them using it and any feedback they could offer. Sometimes just asking for an endorsement is all it takes, so don’t overlook simply asking for it.
● If you get lucky and find that a celebrity was spotted using your product or service, get a picture. Once you have that, be sure to use it by posting it to your website, social media, and letting people know.
Getting a celebrity to promote your business will likely spur some level of success. You may be thinking that it is impossible, or that they only promote businesses in exchange for paychecks. But this isn’t true. They have the products they endorse for money, and they also have those they endorse because they believe in it, like it, and simply want to get the word out about it to others.
Getting a celebrity to endorse your product or business will probably not happen overnight. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. You just need to evaluate, plan and give it your best shot. With some patience and being proactive, your business may just be the next one that gets a celebrity promotion!
By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
