This week, we are joined by a special guest, Alice Draper, a podcast publicist who is on a mission to make publicity easy and accessible for under recognized women entrepreneurs.
Alice shares her journey from freelance journalism to copywriting and eventually pivoting her business to focus on publicity. She dives into the importance of having clear values in business to handle rejections, and she also shares her unique approach to gamifying rejection goals.
About Alice Draper
Alice is a podcast publicist who is on a mission to make publicity easy and accessible for underrecognized women entrepreneurs at all stages of their businesses. She has been running Hustling Writers for over two years and in this time, she has secured her clients in over 500 podcasts including countless top 1% and top 0.5% podcasts. You can download her free podcast template here: https://hustlingwriters.com/podcast-pitch-template
Follow Alice:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-m-draper/
https://www.instagram.com/alicedraper/
Highlights from this episode
1. Alice Draper’s journey to becoming a podcast publicist
Started out in freelance journalism and experienced the unpredictability of the industry.
Took on copywriting work to create stability and realized the value of being published in reputable publications.
Transitioned to pitching PR for clients and eventually focused her business on publicity.
2. The importance of having clear values in business
Rejections can feel discouraging, but having strong values can help us stay grounded.
When we are clear on our values, rejections become obstacles to overcome rather than personal reflections of worth.
Getting clear on business values helps navigate the world of rejections that come with putting ourselves out there.
3. Setting healthy boundaries and depersonalizing rejection
Recognize that our business is an entity separate from ourselves and establish healthy boundaries.
Use systems like spreadsheets to track outreach and follow-ups, and maintain a professional approach.
Personalize outreach but avoid making it overly personal, as business involves more no’s than yes’s.
4. Gamifying rejection and setting rejection goals
Embrace rejection as a natural part of the process and aim for a certain number of rejections.
Viewing rejection as a goal makes it less daunting and helps build resilience.
Gamifying rejection can be motivating and reframes it as a necessary step toward success.
Timestamps
[00:02:03] Transitioned from copywriting to PR focus.
[00:04:39] Identity crisis due to validation from others.
[00:08:30] Rejection goals help depersonalize and gamify process.
[00:10:31] Repurpose rejected content, strategize using accepted stories.
[00:16:24] Follow-ups are important, but give space.
[00:22:47] Rejection pushes growth, follow similar path.
[00:25:28] Take risks, consider the worst outcome.
[00:27:44] Pitch yourself on high impact podcast.
Turning Rejections into Opportunities: Alice Draper’s Story of Personal Growth and Business Success