Keira O’Mara is the winner of the 2009 PR competition run by Mumsclub in co-operation with ACPR. Keira impressed the judges both with the volume and quantity of coverage that she generated in the first year of her business. She made a great start with some national television and followed that up in every sort of media, from national newspapers and magazines to international blogs. In this short article she shares her tips and experiences which will help if you decide to enter your business in this year’s competition.

Name of Business: Mamascarf

Your Name and Age: Keira O’Mara 32

How long has your business been running? Almost a year

What is unique and special about your business?  Mamascarf is a unique product and I created it following my own experiences of breastfeeding in public and when I realized that there was a gap in the market for a breastfeeding scarf that offered support and discretion.

What helps you get coverage in your local media? Persistence and finding an angle that will be of interest.

How have you promoted your business online?  I use Twitter, Facebook, write a blog and ensure that I am regularly featured on other websites and blogs.

What about national coverage?  I got my national TV coverage by responding to a media request, national press was because I contacted press agencies with my story, this was then picked up by ITV which got me further TV coverage, national magazines were by sending in press releases and again responding to media requests.

Have you had any PR blunders or failures which you don’t mind sharing with us? And the lessons you learnt of course!  The local TV station wanted to take Mamascarf to a  breastfeeding mum and test it without me being there.  I was concerned that they might not use it properly and that it could be damaging if they used it wrongly, so said I would rather not do the piece.

How much did you spend on business promotion in the last year?  I spend relatively little on advertising, the most is on Google Adwords which I spend between £30-£40 a month.  PR has been far more cost effective than expensive adverts!

What advice would you give to other business owners who do their own PR?  It is possible to do it all yourself but you have to make sure that you have an interesting story or angle, otherwise why will anyone be interested.  Also you have to be really persistent and follow up every email with a phone call.  It is something you need to keep at regularly for it to pay off.

Website link.  www.mamascarf.co.uk