Episode 47: How to Land Top-tier Media Interviews and TEDx Talks as a Young Immigrant Content Creator with Sandy Lin
What destroys most PR dreams and plans before they even take off?
The quick answer is self-limiting beliefs.
Often, these limiting beliefs come in mental whispers like, "I don't have a college degree," "I'm too young to charge that rate," or "Nobody will listen to my message because I'm a woman!"
These self-doubts come so frequently and powerfully that they cripple you and make you think, 'I don't know when my time will come' or 'I can't do this at all.' No sooner than that, you find yourself that you are already out of time, energy, and resources.
Do you often feel the same with your PR journey and efforts?
The good news is that you are not alone; the even better news is that you can change your PR narrative.
This is why in this special episode, I would like to show you how you can overcome what you think is impossible in your PR journey. Not even age, ethnicity, academic background, or inexperience can hold you back from being the best version of yourself.
By embracing all these elements, particularly your self-doubts, you may be on your way to landing top-tier media interviews and PR exposure for your business.
Now, you may be asking, how is that even possible?
Well, the stories you tell are the same stories you sell. So, why not make your story so good that journalists and TED Talks would put you in the spotlight?
That's what our guest, Sandy Lin, who started a business at the age of 19 and social media content creator, hopes to inspire you with her stories and insights.
"If you wait, you're just going to spend all your life waiting. And there's never really that perfect moment. And that should give you the confidence. There are so many people out there that are doing it. They're probably not better than you. If anything, they're literally exactly the same. And all you got to do is really understand that if not now, then when?"
-Sandy Lin
Sandy Lin is the founder of Small Business Tips, a community-centered collective empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs. At 19 years old, Sandy founded her first company, WROOF. Presently, she is a social media content creator, an angel investor, a business advisor, a TEDx speaker, and a multiple-time founder.
If self-limiting beliefs continue to hold you back or if you’re still waiting for the ‘right time’ to do PR, this episode will inspire you to dive deeper into your story because that’s where your PR journey begins after all. You can’t miss this opportunity to help yourself land top-tier media interviews and exposure.
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
Ways to overcome impostor syndrome and self-doubts in doing PR
How creating your story helps you build your brand
Crafting messages (DMs and emails) that journalists can't resist opening
Why practicing your pitch is better than waiting for the right timing
The benefits of always pitching before media to clarify your narrative
Utilizing your story to create more business opportunities
If you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought-after industry expert. Register now at www.gloriachou.com/masterclass.
Resources Mentioned:
Gloria Chou's Masterclass: PR Masterclass
Connect with Sandy Lin on LinkedIn: Sandy Lin
Follow Sandy Lin on TikTok: Sandy Lin’s TikTok
Follow Sandy Lin on Instagram: Sandy Lin's IG
Additional Resources:
Join the Small Biz PR Pros FB group
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Here’s a glance at this episode…
[02:49] I don't think that you truly are able to shake off that impostor syndrome, but you're able to understand - how do you successfully, really overcome, when that surge of feeling comes up.
[06:17] You have to be a great storyteller to sell your stories, and no one knows better than yourself. And how I was able to do that is really crafting together your story in the right sense, what makes you special, and every single one of us is very special.
[09:17] Don't just be like 'hey, Sandy!' or like 'pet brands' and then 'PR something' like that. Look, they probably receive tons of that. Capture their attention. So, you have a unique selling point, and talk about that in a short way on your top title.
[14:24] Follow up. Don't be afraid to follow up. It's because these people are so busy. It makes sense that they fall off, and it'll make no sense if they don't fall off, to be honest. Because they didn't come to you. So, follow up all the time.
[19:42] I write down the things I think I can do better, shorter, sweeter, but more impactful. And that is so helpful because anyone that you meet, it's a new opportunity. If you're able to pitch to that person, get to know that person for you, for them to want to know you better in that short 30 seconds or 15 seconds, it can be really tough.
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Sandy Lin 0:00
In Asian culture, it seems to be weird to talk about yourself all the time. And I normally just don't do that. It makes me cringe all the time to talk about myself all the time. And I think you can see that in my past interview, I'm much more self conscious, but I try to act a certain way. But now, it's so natural because I’ve worked on it so hard. And I'm able to, every time I pitch, I write down things I want to tweak and write down the things I think I can do better, shorter, sweeter, but more impactful. And that is so helpful, because anyone that you meet, it's a new opportunity. And if you're able to pitch that person, to get to know that person for you, for them to want to know you better, within that short 32 second or 15 seconds, it can be really impactful.
Gloria Chou 0:53
Hey, friends, I'm Gloria Chou, small business PR expert, award winning pitch writer and your unofficial hype woman. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people get the recognition they deserve. And that starts with feeling more confident to go bigger with your message. So on this podcast, I will share with you the untraditional, yet proven strategies for PR marketing and creating more opportunity in your business. If you are ready to take control of your narrative and be your most unapologetic and confident self, you're in the right place. This is the Small Business PR podcast.
Gloria Chou 1:24
Alright everyone, I'm so excited to welcome the one and only Sandy Lin, you might have seen her on Instagram on Tik Tok on all the platforms. But most importantly, she is a friend and valued member of our community. So Sandy is a content creator, she is an angel investor, a TEDx speaker, multiple time founder, she actually founded her first company at the very young age of just 19 years old. And she's also an incredible member of our PR startup community. We're going to talk about all the things related to impostor syndrome, pitching yourself, when maybe you're the minority in the room, and what it truly takes to show up as your best self. So welcome to the show, Sandy, thank you so much for having me, I have such a fun time just chatting with you in general. So I'm very excited for this. I think what's most inspiring about your story is, you know, out of all of the amazing things that you've done, you were kind of an you're an immigrant, like newly immigrated from Taiwan to the US. So you've always occupied rooms where you were the minority, whether it's non native English speaker or the youngest person in the room. So my first question is, how did you overcome that imposter syndrome and fear of, you know, not feeling ready to do something?
Sandy Lin 2:37
Yeah, um, I feel like I'm still having that impostor syndrome. Even being in the industry for a bit now. And being talking to so many amazing, really cool people, I don't think that you truly are able to shake off that impostor syndrome, but you're able to kind of understand of how to you successfully really overcome and when that surge of feeling comes up.
Sandy Lin 3:01
And when I was 19, one of the biggest impostor syndrome is that I'm only 19. Right? I'm so young. And I have no one that I know in this industry, and how can I navigate this water? And for me is that if you wait, you're just gonna spend all your life waiting. And there's never really that perfect moment where everyone's like, Oh, you can just have to wait to graduate have some experience, then you start a company, what I love about nowadays, like social media, and there's so much more information now to tell you that, hey, you don't necessarily have to wait. And that should give you the confidence, right? So there's so many people out there that are doing it, they're probably not better than you. If anything, they're literally literally exactly the same. And all you got to do is really understand that if not now, then when, and you never know what you're gonna run into. You can predict the future, no one predicted COVID, nothing like that. So just start doing it. And when you find a problem, just fix it. There's nothing else to it.
Gloria Chou 4:07
I love that so much. I think so many of us go through our lives thinking that we have infinite amounts of time. And there's only a scarcity of money when it's really the opposite, right? You always have a way to make money. But time is something that is so precious. I love that even at 19 You rolled up your sleeves, and you started gaining the experience as an entrepreneur that I only gained in my mid 30s. So when I first met you years ago, I was like, Man, I wish I did what you did at age 19 Instead of following the traditional path because I could have learned so much right? I'm learning that now in my 30s. So I'm so proud of you, honestly. And also we're recording this. It's AAPI month. So all the things I love it. So another thing is I want to know what kind of media features you've landed. This is the Small Business PR podcast. Can you just name some of the media outlets and organic PR wins that you've achieved?
Sandy Lin 5:00
Yeah, so Well, I, I honestly don't keep track that much. Because mostly people do come to, like, Come to me either podcasts and things like that more notable one, I was in TEDx and I was able to be very fortunate talk to a bunch of really young people and try to inspire them influenced, influenced to don't even know the name anymore. And now a couple of ones i, and then belief, Fox News I was on also on there, I was on the new segment alongside other Tik Tok co creator, but yeah.
Gloria Chou 5:38
That's awesome. So I know that now you're a content creator, you have a huge following on social media, but you also pitched some of those, right? Whether it's using the CPR method or just using your own methods. So can you talk a little bit about the lessons you've learned about doing your own PR, because I think a lot of people think you either need to hire an agency to do it for you, or you need to be a multimillion dollar VC backed company in order to secure those opportunities.
Sandy Lin 6:02
Yeah, I think that building up relationship and having the right initial opening line of pitch, it's really, really important. Initially, like think of, like, reported only one really great story, right? You have to be a great storyteller to sell your stories, and no one no better than yourself. And how I was able to do that is really crafting together your story in the right sense, how what makes you special in every single one of us are very, very special. And the things that we're do doing are different than anyone else out there. You just got to pinpoint that. Okay, what is the the selling point of your entire story or entire life, right, and really opening up with that, and be personable? I know, it's kind of annoying to kind of personalize things. But I found that really, really helpful. And when I do my research on to the reporter, I'm trying to land, I do their research, I go onto their Twitter, I think Twitter and LinkedIn are the best best place for any type of connection for for reporter, anyone in the industry. They don't go on to Instagram, they don't go on to tick tock. They live in LinkedIn and Twitter, and being able to utilize that space and understanding. Okay, what do they actually talk about read their article as well. So you can mention that then inside of your email or your pitch on your LinkedIn or DMs or anywhere like that.
Gloria Chou 7:32
So you've also pitched so you said DMs? Obviously I teach this in my starter pack? What do you say? What is the cadence? Like? Do you send an email on let's say, a Monday? And then you follow up on LinkedIn and Twitter the same week? Or how does that follow up work?
Sandy Lin 7:47
Yeah. So I, I do like to actually open up on social media. I think my mind might methods a little different, because I do have a following on social media. So that does help me get get more credential in that sense. So I found that for me, it's easier. But from my perspective, well, from what I've heard from other founder friends, it seems to be like, Okay, you send the email and the follow up on DMs. But I think everyone has quite a different kind of approach. And my approach is really sending that DMS and initial credential. And also simultaneously I'll shoot them an email as well.
Gloria Chou 8:31
Yeah, I think the I think now when everyone is staying at home, you're shot at just getting into someone's inbox is just as good as the next person because no one's really doing these networking events. So I love that you use the power of social media. That's obviously how you created your brand as well. I love what you said about using LinkedIn and Twitter. And I another thing is, from the times that you've pitched, obviously, you've gotten so much better because you've, you know, every time you pitch you you're improving. What have you learned about the DM or the email? Whether it's subject line, or whether it's formatting or spacing or timing? Can you give us some hacks or tips that's really worked for you?
Sandy Lin 9:10
Yeah, I think the subject line especially if you're on emails, it's super important. Being able to capture that attention. Don't just be like, hey, Sandy, or like pet brands, and then PRs, something like that, look, they probably receive tons of that, capture their attention, right. So like, you have a unique selling point and talk about that in a short way on your top title. And my opening line would always be located kind of give myself a credential. And also I immediately jump to how I get to know their project. Just because like I think that people want to feel like okay, how are you going to benefit me as a reporter so I immediately give them that and I also showcase that I understand what the work that they doing. And then later on I go into what I do and kind of make it easy for them to see how can they formulate a story based off of like the topic that already talked about. So that's kind of my my strategies and also keeping it short and sweet is like my method, no one really read like super, super long email up anymore. Obviously, I think the second email can be a little longer if you guys are trying to get deeper into like detailing, but I generally keep is pretty short and sweet. And in terms of DM, I kind of follow the same format, I just make it shorter and sweeter. And that's it.
Gloria Chou 10:32
I love that I always say and I know you know, this, because we've been on many different talks, is it takes a lot more skill and effort to say something in a shorter amount of sentences, because it means that you've actually hone your pitch, you've actually worked on it. A lot of times when I'm working with founders that are first stab at the draft is really long. But trust me, and I know, you know, this is knowing your elevator pitch, right? That is probably the 20% of activities, that's going to cause 80% of your growth, right? If you know how to pitch, you know how to get someone's attention immediately. I don't care if it's for a podcast or media opportunity. But even for partnerships, it's so important. So for anyone that's listening, you know, don't think that this is something that you can just put off to the side, like you need to practice your pitch today. And you were able to practice it even before you fully launch right. So can you talk to me about timing, because I think a lot of founders think, well, I'm still not sure about my product, or I'm in stealth mode. I am not ready to pitch my website. So all of these like what ifs? How did you decide when it was the right time to pitch?
Sandy Lin 11:39
I thought it was can pitch earlier than expected. So you can can can get that practice. I have a strategy where I list out a list of like people that I do want to pitch. And whether that be investor, whether that be reporter anyone that I'm trying to get on to this, the first few, maybe a month before or two months before I will push through the ones that can doesn't really matter if I get onto their radar or not to practice my pitch and see how much I get, then I get better throughout the times. And throughout the times the pitch get more important, because those people are the more important people that I I hate that were more important, but like more relevant to my market people that I want to pitch in. And so that's kind of my the way like kind of strategize, strategize, strategize everything. But wait, I forgot your additional questions. I got I went on a tangent.
Gloria Chou 12:36
Well, I just love talking to you. So I could talk about any of this all day. But let's let's pivot a little bit more, because I know you talked about Instagram, and video content, right? What if someone makes like a body butter or a skincare cream? Can you just forward like a reel or something like that to the journalist in the DM, so they can visually see the product that you're making? Or you, you don't do that?
Sandy Lin 13:01
I would give them a... I don't do that. I don't do that. i Oh, give them an opening my initial pitch and then get the conversation starting? And then I'll do that because they will for sure go onto your page and check. It's a habit, right. So like when when they do open your inbox in like intent, like innately like people will check who you are onto your profile, and they will see what you're doing on your reels. But obviously, if you are pitching on a email, and you're linking something, I think will be really beneficial to link a popular reels or popular photos that you have created on social media to kind of establish that credential.
Gloria Chou 13:47
Yeah, I agree. I always believe in hyperlinks, because when you put attachments that can trigger their spam filter. And I do agree that it's about using the platform that they're on. So a lot of this hard news, you know, the hard news journalists they do use LinkedIn Twitter, but for a lot of them lifestyle and beauty journalists, Instagram actually is kind of where they are obviously you want to do your research, like you said.
Gloria Chou 14:10
Another thing is, let's say you pitch to somebody right? And they said okay, they're interested, but then it kind of goes nowhere. How do you kind of keep fostering that so that you actually get the interview so that it can get published?
Sandy Lin 14:24
Follow up, don't be afraid to follow up, because these people are so busy like it makes sense that they fall off and it'll make no sense if they don't fell off, to be honest. Because they didn't come to you right so don't follow up all the time. And I actually use this really really cool tool called superhuman that I recently just discovered it's an email tool that helped you kind of site you reminder on to okay when to follow up into this email. And you can even implement a template and that you can literally just automate that or and it kind of how I don't know how they do it, but they kind of help your email not getting to the spam folder. So it really helped my email get into people's inbox right away. So setting up those type of automations helped me a lot on reminding how to follow up as well. And getting people on the radar, we're just updating them as well. Sometimes I'll if people are not interested, I'll put them onto a list that I call just like monthly or bi weekly bi monthly update lists. And now kind of update them on what I do in general. And sometimes that's how I get more investor and how I get more reporter to one talk to me.
Gloria Chou 15:39
Yeah, I love it. I think having a system is so important. And we're actually migrating the PRC pack database into like a searchable SAS software. So you'll be able to export like your custom. I know, when you join, it was like, you know, still excel spreadsheets. But yeah, it's definitely having a follow up. And it's not rocket science, you literally can schedule send, let's say on a Sunday, batch them, and then send them on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, around eight or nine. So that way, you're at the top of their inbox. So that's just a little hack and make sure that you always, and Sandy you know, always track your open rates. So that you know if they're reading it or not, right, a lot of people are like, well, they're not responding. They don't like my pitch. And it's like, well, they haven't even opened it yet. So that's what that's where I think the DM is really powerful. I know, I know, you've done a TED talk as well, you do a lot of speaking, have you found that the same method for pitching media also works for those opportunities.
Sandy Lin 16:38
Um, I think it's about the same. But in terms of speakings. It's really about building that relationship up. And if you were able to get someone in your network that under like can get to this person, I think a warm intro and like speaking gigs is even more helpful. But if you are not able to sleep by the same method, but talk more about your story and selling point, I think that's even more helpful. Yeah.
Gloria Chou 17:08
Yeah, I love that. So now you have all of these media opportunities. How do you keep them still working for you? Even after it's published? Like do you showcase them somewhere? Do you bring them up? In an investor meeting? How do you keep making that media? Keep having the ROI for you?
Sandy Lin 17:24
Oh, yeah, definitely like you put them on your website, put them on LinkedIn, put them anywhere you want to put them to showcase your credential. Like if you are a business owner, and you have a landing page, put that on your landing page to show that hey, like this is not just like a random product, we have a stamp, which is a PR stamp
Sandy Lin 17:44
And if you got onto a TV segment or something like that, embed that send out email blasts about that to notify your followers or we post that clips onto your IG reels onto your TikTok somewhere to recycle it. And if you're raising money, that's even better. You're able to put that into your pitch deck and just showcase that hey, like we have credential. And we're just we are featured somewhere, you know?
Gloria Chou 18:14
Yeah. And do you feel like because you now you're raising, and you've been a startup founder? Do you find that media opportunities, they do help with investor attention?
Sandy Lin 18:22
I think that does with the right publications. They are more, they're more selective. And honestly, yeah, yes or no? Like sometimes they do care. And sometimes it doesn't care if you are able to get onto like Forbes or business Insider's TEDx or something like that, that can really help you showcase your credential, the high profile like top tier media, then that really help.
Gloria Chou 18:52
How has how has pitching the media and getting interviewed help you clarify your own narrative and your own message?
Sandy Lin 19:00
Oh my god, it helped me so much. It helped, it actually took me a while to hone in my own pitch, my own elevator pitch and my own pitch deck like how to formulate that entirely. Because I think I come from a background of like immigrants and in Asian culture, it seems to be weird to talk about yourself all the time. And I normally just don't do that. It makes me cringe all the time to talk about myself all the time. And I think you can see that in my past interview, I'm much more self conscious, but I try to act a certain way. But now, it's so natural because I’ve worked on it so hard. And I'm able to, every time I pitch, I write down things I want to tweak and write down the things I think I can do better, shorter, sweeter, but more impactful. And that is so helpful, because anyone that you meet, it's a new opportunity. And if you're able to pitch that person, to get to know that person for you, for them to want to know you better, within that short 32 second or 15 seconds, it can be really impactful.
Gloria Chou 20:10
I love that so much. So tell me a little bit now the sand, you know, obviously we met a few years ago. Now you found a different company? Where are you now in terms of like, the, like the stories that you want to tell about yourself? Right, like, so what? What kind of opportunities are you pitching? And what do you want to highlight?
Sandy Lin 20:27
Yeah, um, in general, I want to highlight that this is, if I'm not pitching my company, I'm just pitching myself, this will be something that I want to highlight. If there's no way that you, so everyone can do anything they want. I think that's so tacky, and it's so overdone, and over said, but I really do feel that in the way that I've seen so many people in different stages in their career. And even the software engineer in Google there have so much in like experience that you wouldn't even believe they're doubting themselves. And they think that they are able becoming a thorough founders, and being able to see that, like, Wow, that's crazy, because you have so much experience, but you don't understand it. And I want to position myself and helping people to discover that potential, and also overcoming the fear of potentially impossible syndromes and being an impostor, because that's something that I feel really, really deeply in, but yeah.
Gloria Chou 21:31
I love that so much that you're such a ray of light, making other people's light shine brighter. So thank you for thank you for being here. We're wrapping up now, do you want, is there any last thought you want to leave our audience with.
Sandy Lin 21:44
Um, I would say neuralize your story, everyone has a story. And you if you don't think you have one, find the story because every single one has that unique. wow factor. If you're able to pure down the layer and get authentic and be vulnerable on the internet, everyone are able to tell a really great story and capture people's attention.
Gloria Chou 22:08
I love that we're gonna have to do another episode about how to really build an audience online. It's something that I struggle with too, because I realized that creating content on social media is very, it's a little bit different than pitching to media. So that's where you are the expert. So we're gonna have to have you come back and speak with us. How can people find you and support you and get into your world?
Sandy Lin 22:29
Yeah, I'm on Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter. LinkedIn everywhere. It's by Sandy Lin. So it's super easy. I used to have so many different handles and now I just made easy yes.
Gloria Chou 22:40
I cannot wait for people to reach out to you and see the amazing content that you create.
Gloria Chou 22:46
Yes, I cannot wait for people to reach out to you and see the amazing content that you create. Thank you for being here, Sandy. Hey, small business hero. Did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes, The New York Times, Marie Claire Pop Sugar and so many more, even if you're not yet launched? Or if you don't have any connection? That's right. That's why I invite you to watch my PR Secrets masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses used to have their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought after industry expert. Now if you want to land your first press feature, get on a podcast, secure a VIP speaking gig or just reach out to that very intimidating editor. This class we'll show you exactly how to do it. Register now at Gloria Chou pr.com/masterclass. That's Gloria Chou c-h-o-u pr.com/masterclass. So you can get featured in 30 days without spending a penny on ads or agencies. Best of all, this is completely free. So get in there and let's get you featured.