PLUS SIZE CLOTHING FOR WOMEN – HOW ABOUT A STORY?
(Subject line in an email that showed up in my in-box)
HOW ABOUT YOU STOP YELLING AT ME? And, please stop sending me cold PR emails about “women’s issues!” (I’ve repeatedly asked 5W PR to take me off their email blasts lists, to no avail, so I’m using them as an example of how NOT to do PR for the “women’s market.”)
5W PR obviously does no qualification before blasting out emails. (They’ve also sent me hot news about everything from sexual aids to attracting a mate. All with cheesy, blaring come-ons.)
So, moving onto the actual message. Even I were interested in writing about plus-size clothing, the message needs work. Here’s how they tried to engage me:
“Try to shop at a major store? They have all the size 4 and size 8 you want, but don’t hold your breath to find a 12 or 14.”
Uh – has the person who wrote this shopped lately? Speaking as a size 8 (sometimes a 6) – I can find lots of 10s, 12s, 14s…but have to almost be there right when they unpack the boxes if I want an 8. (And, who are we kidding? Today’s 6s and 8s are cut very generously; I can’t fit my left leg into a size 12 from the 1950s).
Then there are the photos they sent (example to the left). This is a plus size??! This is what I’d aspire to after I lose 15 pounds.
5W PR – if you’re going to play in “marketing to women” – here are 5 fundamental rules (which are applicable to any target):
1. Qualify your targets.
2. Don’t send out junk in cold email blasts.
3. Don’t insult your audience’s intelligence.
4. Make sure your message is relevant.
5. If you use images, make sure they fit the message.
So – 5W PR – that’s your story.
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