What I Learned from Adult Diapers

No, not what I learned from wearing them, at least not yet. My latest professional project was a product launch for a new brand of adult diapers. It wasn’t exactly a sexy product launch like, say, a new iPhone, but in a one-man communications firm we (I) welcome any and all opportunities.

The company, Parentgiving, an online retailer of caregiving products for the aging, was preparing to announce its first branded product, Dry Direct Ultimate Underwear. After reading my post about business storytelling, Parentgiving’s CEO reached out to me about writing three press releases related to the introduction of their new product and its distribution, and marketing the announcements on social media.

Despite the fact that this project involved a bit of a niche product, the lessons I learned in the course of the work are applicable to any small business or organization that is trying to launch a new product or introduce a new initiative.

Tell Your Good Story

One of the things that impressed me about Parentgiving’s new product was the story behind it. Parentgiving’s founders started the company because they struggled to find help and answers while caring for their own aging parents. Every one of their employees – from its founders down to the interns – had been a caregiver for someone. They truly cared about the new product because they had loved ones who at one time would have benefitted from it. I tapped into this passion to go beyond the standard “who, what, why, when, where, and how” of a successful press release. When you believe in your product (or cause) and there is passion and caring behind it, there is always a good story to tell, one that is relatable to your target audience. The trick is to find that unique angle and bring it to light in the course of your campaign.

Use Your Resources

Help is out there. I had never written a press release, but I knew how to tell a good story. So, faced with accomplishing this task for my client, I did what most people do nowadays – I Googled it. There were plenty of good press release templates and resources to use as a jumping-off point. If your organization is faced with an unfamiliar challenge, an internet search is the easiest and most obvious place to start, although it may not provide you with all the information and nuance that you need.

Colleagues and friends are another important resource to keep in mind when tackling a new opportunity. In my case, my good friend Neil, who has worked in public relations for 20 years, kindly walked me through press release basics and provided very helpful hints for selecting the proper platform to use. He also taught me how to measure the release’s success metrics in terms of media pickups, by searching Google News and Twitter. Tap into colleagues and friends who might have expertise in the unfamiliar task you are faced with.

Reach Out to the Influencers

The two points above will help you to get your initiative off to a good start. However, what will set your work apart will be your ability to go beyond the basics and think in creative ways. For our product launch, we used a first-rate platform, PRNewswire, to launch the releases. Each release hit all the major media outlets and was also picked up by several gerontology-related organizations. By all measures, the releases were successful. But I knew more could be done – we needed to get personal.

When you believe in your product (or cause) and there is passion and caring behind it, there is always a good story to tell.

So, I tweeted at and emailed the editors of key industry trade associations to ensure they were aware of the launch. Some responded with gratitude – after all, I was helping them add relevant content to their sites – and others just simply retweeted or published the release. In any new business endeavor, set yourself apart by making the extra effort to reach out to influencers in the field. This will increase brand awareness while simultaneously building good will with key members of the business community.

The lessons learned here are simple, but powerful. Tap into the passion behind the project and the good story will come. Use your resources – both personal and technological – when the task is new and seems overwhelming. And, finally, go the extra mile and reach the influencers that will help make your project a success.