Kendra Scott’s name is suddenly everywhere, isn’t it? The Austin based designer’s been around for a while – it’s been more than a decade since her large, affordable gemstone earrings and made-in-minutes jewelry has started appearing in boutiques nationwide. But now she’s decided to ramp things up by opening her own stores – and she’s doing a great job of leveraging traditional and social media to make sure everyone knows.

[Tweet “Significant media coverage creates a strong positive impression in the customer’s mind.”]

Launching a brick and mortar store is a big deal. Launching a handful of them is even more so. But these aren’t the only occasions which jewelry designers can use to ‘level up’ in the public’s eyes. Significant media coverage creates a strong positive impression in the customer’s mind: people want to be seen wearing the brand everyone’s talking about. Make sure you’re making an effort to secure coverage any time any of the following events occur:

• You debut a new jewelry collection
• You win an award
• You are involved in a community or charitable event
• Celebrities or cultural icons choose to wear your jewelry to a high profile event
• You take on a spokesperson
• You’re hosting a special event, such as a trunk show, celebrity appearance, or book signing

For best results, publicizing your news will require a combination of your own efforts as well as appeals to the trade and consumer media. This means posting to social media, making sure the information appears prominently on your website, and making a concerted effort to reach out to reporters who may be interested in telling your story. Despite popular rumor, reporters don’t ‘just know’ you’ve got something newsworthy going on. You don’t always need a formal press release when you have a good working relationship with a reporter: just drop them a quick email with all the relevant details and suggest some good times to discuss the news further. It’s a surprisingly successful strategy to help develop the impression that your brand is big, bold and worth paying attention to.