Andy Starr’s Post

Need help to prep like a pro for your next pitch? 🎯 👨🍳 Step 1: Plan Your Pitch Make sure you know exactly what you’re going to say within your time slot. Precision is key! Need help with this? Download our FREE Pitch Plan and you’ll know what to say to get stocked! It's here: https://bit.ly/3FqmOn5 🗝️ Step 2: Keep It Relevant Focus on the most crucial points. Don’t overwhelm with too much information—just the essentials that will captivate your audience. 🔍 Step 3: Know Your Retailer Understand if they’re target gifting or personal consumption. Are they looking for 'value' or 'speciality' products? Know the brands they already stock and highlight what makes your brand unique and worth their attention. 📖 Step 4: Do Your Homework Research, gather insights, and ask your network about their experiences. The more you know, the better you’ll pitch! NEED MORE HELP?  Become a Festival Insider and we’ll help you feel more confident to land more accounts, get more product in more consumers’ hands and put more money in your pocket. Link to 'Become An Insider' is here: https://lnkd.in/dcbbHgcv

Q + A Day 5! Q: I'm totally overwhelmed thinking about all the work that'll come with a name change. How do I know whether it's worth it to take this step? A. A name change can feel overwhelming, for sure. We’ve helped many organizations through this process, and it’s not something we take lightly! The name change process starts with strategy first. Before you even decide if you want to change the name, we dig in and help you get really clear on who you are, why you exist, and what sets you apart from your competitors. Then, IF your current name does not align with your essential value, differentiator, and other brand attributes, or if the name does not inform a prospect what the organization stands for, we can see that the name is confusing or doesn’t resonate. It will actually detract your audience from engaging further, or they might even pass by the organization completely, if the name didn't spur curiosity or answer a question that was in the mind of that individual. So now, you’ve lost business, revenue and reputation. So maybe the real question is, can you afford NOT to change your name? ------ This was fun! Still have questions? Drop ‘em in the comments and I’ll give it a go! Maybe I’ll even do another round of Q + A again! Thanks for joining me!

𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘁-𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗽-𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 1. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗯-𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Grab Attention with something relatable/fun/valuable to your audience. This works for Oodie because it relates to their audience and it's fun! 2. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲-𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 Why should I stay? - What’s in it for me? - Discounts - Free stuff - Prizes 3. 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 CTA: Write the next step, keep it simple.

It’s a sunny Friday on the very cusp of summer, and in many ways, I shouldn’t have a care in the world. Though it’s only mid-year, much of the selling phase at WagsWorks is complete: we’re locked and loaded, and now we get to do the fun part and start attending shows and spending time with longtime partners and friends. This in many ways is the reward. Still a lot of work to do on Pickathon, CHOMP!, Cheese & Meat Festivals and a host of other entities we represent, and we need to be sure to seed things for 2025, but the heaviest lifting is for the most part behind us. That said, despite all of my constant crowing, in this economy and in an election year, it hasn’t been easy out here, and we’ve had more than our fair share of fool’s errands to keep us chasing our own tails. I’d imagine the same is true for many of you. Alas, here we are on the eve of the first Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn show (Daryl Hall and Elvis Costello!), I find myself wondering aloud about ghosting and why people do it. When it comes to a random inquiry from someone offering to sell me white-label SEO services, sure, I’m guilty – I don’t know you and I don’t need you. However, when I’ve had meetings and substantive dialogue with a prospective sponsor and they suddenly go dark, I do have to wonder why. In theory, we’re bringing an organization an opportunity. We do this in a professional way and are far from pushy (maybe a few of you disagree). If we do present a tad overzealous, it’s because we had good reason to believe the discussion had traction. One sure way to let us know it doesn’t? Tell us. We understand that organizations go through changes, budgets get slashed, and things just aren’t the right fit, after all, but where I come from, clarity is kindness. As a professional courtesy, it’s what I expect, and what I extend to others without fail. If you ghosted us, we forgive you, but you’re sure to get a lot less communication from us if you just let us down easy. We can take it, promise.

How can you maintain fan loyalty after a PR crisis as a musician? 📉 Here are a few key points 👇 👉 Show genuine remorse and accountability: Fans appreciate honesty and transparency: if you are at fault, a sincere apology and acknowledgment of any mistakes are crucial, as this shows maturity and a willingness to learn from the situation. 👉 Engage directly with fans: Use social media and newsletters - outlets you either own, or have control over - to communicate directly with the fans, share your side of the story, provide updates, and express gratitude for their continued support, as well as indicating change and learned lessons on your side. This direct engagement fosters a sense of connection and trust. 👉 Highlight positive actions and intentions: Shift the focus from the crisis to positive actions, such as community involvement, charitable initiatives, or collaborations that align with your values. This helps demonstrate growth and reinforces a positive image. 👉 Stay consistent and authentic: Consistency in actions and messaging is key to regaining trust, so ensure that all communications reflect your true personality and values. Authenticity helps rebuild credibility over time, and assures fans of your integrity, not only as an artist and a public person, but also as an individual.

Surprising & Delighting your clients when they are not expecting anything is a wonderful way to GIVE. Thoughtful, unique, useful, memorable, or meaningful gifts can be given throughout the year and for any occasion. Simple gestures can go a long way when building long-term relationships---- When you invest in your clients, you are reinvesting in your business.... Join me and @KimWhite, The Founder and Fierce Leader of the My Sexy Business Team, when we discuss everything you ever wanted to know about Surprise & Delight Marketing and how it can increase your business! LOOKING FORWARD to seeing you there-- PLEASE NOTE: We are all still "FINDING" our way and navigating LINKEDIN to find ways to make it easier for people to attend, listen in, and participate in a LinkedIn Audio event----If you have a challenge, just know you are not alone--, Here are a few tips to find our Tuesday room NOON NUGGETS at 12:05 PM 1- You can visit my profile on Linked In and check out my events 2- You can use the link in the comments below 3- You can message me, and I will be happy to send you the link--- It changes each week...:) #LinkedInAudioEVENT #SurpriseandDelightMarketing #MarketingStrategy #ShowAppreciation #ClientGifts Join @

As an extension of Hootville's 25th birthday celebration I'm giving myself away in the form of a FREE KEYNOTE PRESENTATION. Is it my low self-esteem? (Who knows? Who cares?) I have six or so keynotes in my quiver but the one I’m offering free is: How To Cult: Inspiring Irrational Devotion which I describe on the Talkville website thus:  Why do some brands, causes and people inspire obsessive devotion while their competitors fail to set pulses racing? Cult brands enjoy higher profits, influence, queues around the block and constant media attention. Brett looks at the key characteristics of cult brands and shows you how to create your own. (Use this for good, not evil.)  This rollicking keynote is filled with real world examples and stories from brands you know and many you don’t. Brett's scope is global, drawing from retail, hospitality, apparel, politics, nations, the arts and some very special individuals.  This is designed for leaders, marketers, salesfolk, fundraisers, business development professionals - people who are concerned with their brands and the impact they make. As always it is fun, energetic and challenging.  Here’s my demands: a good size audience of the right people in a suitable venue (not a lightless boardroom) for me to video the proceedings. (This will be organized by me.)  Oh – I need a willingness by you and your people to provide some on-camera testimonials. Interested? Get in touch: 0414 713 802. https://lnkd.in/gUWdrSS3

Story = Attention capture = Movie Industry = Status – and how it helps your business ---   The Americans spend about $10.45B a year at the theatre. How come? Not necessarily for entertainment or emotional experience… But like everybody else in the world, we love stories. Good guy vs bad guys. About going through challenges. A tragedy or a victory. The plot and the sub-plots … It’s been ingrained in the human mind since our existence from the dawn of the history of mankind. Hollywood (and Bollywood) knew about this so well. They deploy this to capture the heart, attention, and imagination of billions of people. That’s why people don’t turn their heads when their eyes get fixed on the screen. Even they didn’t realize it until after it was released. Awareness doesn’t exist at that moment. But stories itself is not enough. It must be narrated in such a way that entices our curiosity to capture our attention. So, the industry needs to keep people’s attention for an indefinite period of time with more impact. they brought it in real life! That’s when they founded the Oscars — to create focused attention in a grandeur style with a massive impact, with the help of media & journalists who are hungry for stories. In it, there’s always someone who makes a list – either it’s a man, a group, an organization, or even a company itself. So, imagine you’re that guy, the organizer. You analyze. You compare. You calculate. made all those lists – those whom you invite and who will sit on the front row. And then you sort of form rank them – the nominees. So that people like... “I wonder who’s the best?  Wow, this guy is in the nominees! Should I invite him or not? Is Cillian Murphy going to win this?" And it’s on the local, national TV or news, went viral. It’s out there for everybody to see. And all those celebs have to put up with. They’re doing their parts. They’ve got to be on the radar all along. With the ultimate goal: to create a climactic scene. ---   #directmarketing #directmarketing #emailmarketingfundamentals #storymarketing

Fill in the blank: What happens in ______ stays in _______. The answer is: Vegas. What does that phrase imply? Tom Foolery 🙂 Sin City. Be someone different. I have never been to Vegas. I gambled with my dad in Reno for about 20 minutes for 20 bucks with my dad. We decided that overpriced beer and chicken fingers were a better way to spend our money. Vegas has changed their slogan: What happens here, only happens here. Mhhh... I still think of the first one. #goodtry Repeated experience will always win over any change in messaging. Branding isn't who you say you are. It's who they say you are. Need help with your experience? Let's go 🙂 #BrandPerception #CustomerExperience #BrandingStrategy #MarketingInsights #ExperienceOverMessaging #BrandIdentity #PublicPerception #MessageConsistency #StrategicBranding #GoodTry

Journalists receive a gazillion invites. Want yours to stand out? Surprise and delight. Mail them a box of curated goodies. Or an invite to an extraordinary experience that triggers FOMO. Be different. Be bold. Get that 'Yes' to your invite. #PRStrategy #PublicRelations #MediaRelations #BrandAwareness #EngagementStrategy