How to Market Your Popup Shop
by Startacus Admin
Over the past few weeks we have taken on the splendid challenge of compiling a series of posts detailing some of the key things that you will need to consider before you open the doors of your temporary venture.
So far on our popup progress we have delved into; how to select and secure a location for your popup shop, the legalities of running a popup shop and how to source products for your popup shop. Now that you are suitably informed on that lot, it’s time to consider some of the ways that you can market your popup shop.
By its very nature the popup shop offers some truly unique opportunities for creative and unusual marketing techniques and whilst it is true that the type of marketing you use will largely depend on what you sell in your popup shop, there are a number of things we think you would be very savvy to consider.
If you have never run a business before (or perhaps even if you have) you may not be entirely sure what one is, what its purpose is or why you should 
have one. In a nutshell, a press release (or media release) is a piece of written communication that a business can produce and distribute to the media in order to spread the word about interesting or newsworthy developments within their business.
You need only search the words `popup shop` online to see that the media goes absolutely bonkers over the whole popup phenomenon - partly because of their resilience and enormous growth through the recession but more so because they are often innovative, interesting and have a great story behind their creation. When considering a press release you should start thinking about some of the following:
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Is your popup or the story of its creation interesting enough to warrant a press release? It is important to remember that whilst the media loves to feature popup shops they will only do so if they think that the story on offer is engaging enough... the word `popup` doesn't guarantee that people will be interested.
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Will a press release be of benefit to your popup shop? Is the exposure that you will receive worth the effort it will take to create and distribute?
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Have a clear and genuine headline which summarises succinctly the overall message of the press release.
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In the main body of the release make sure that you include all the information that you would like to see appear in a news story about your popup - most journalists are very busy and will not be willing to undertake lengthy research in order to find out what they need to know. We know its a cliché but you should always keep in mind Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?
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Don`t forget to include details of any launch events or special promotions that you will be organising
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Ensure that the information you provide is interesting, relevant and grabs the attention of the reader.
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Make sure that you send it to the relevant person and that you tailor it to each different publication if necessary and ensure that you distribute them in a timely manner particularly if your popup will last for a very short time.
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Remember that there are online communities which are specifically involved in the discussion and promotion of all things popup, so get yourself online and contact some of them to see if they would be interested in doing a feature on you.
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