Behind every celebrity, every musician, every product, every everything, is a public relations firm / publicist helping to make sure everything ‘image wise’ is spot on. When it comes to yoga, the same guidelines apply.
Whether you are selling a new yoga product, opening up a new studio, or trying to brand yourself as a yoga instructor/teacher/expert, the way to quickly get your name/company out there is to hire a publicity firm.
Zack Teperman is such a man that various yogipreneurs go to for advice and help when looking to launch and get the word out. Zack is the President of ZTPR (ztpr.net), based out in Beverly Hills, California, but represents people and companies across the United States and even into Canada, London, Australia, Hong Kong and elsewhere globally. Not only is Zack one of the go-to individuals for yoga and lifestyle publicity, but he is a yoga enthusiast as well; We guess when you live in California year-round in the sunshine, its hard to not take on some sort of yoga.
A couple years ago Zack helped former NFL player Keith Mitchell and Playboy Playmate Amy Lynn Grover start-up their Los Angeles-based yoga company entitled KulaDevi. In just a few months after their launch, KulaDevi was planning yoga retreats nationwide and partnering with celebrities and companies such as Vita Coco Water, while doing charity events locally in Los Angeles. One such charity event idea was having the yoga company go into various homeless shelters in California and teach the kids in these shelters some basic yoga stretches and techniques.
It’s these ideas that were formed by the publicity company and helped to make one such yoga start-up a success.
Asana Journal spoke with Zack Teperman and asked him his advice for other yoga companies or experts and what they can do to ‘stand out’ in the busy yoga community:
“If you are starting a yoga studio, the best thing first to have is a following somewhat. Whether it be people who you used to teach at another studio, or friends who support. Word of mouth at the beginning is key to any start-up, and your own personal network helps a great deal. After you have established a small following to start, then you need to find a way to stand out. What are you teaching or doing or giving people that they can’t get anywhere else? Once you have that answer, the goal is to then brand it and get that messaging out there. Events, sponsorships, social media influencers, charity, etc., all are quick ideas to start gaining community recognition. Additionally, people want to learn about who YOU are – whether you are just a teacher, have a health product, or are opening a studio. People want to learn more about you and your interests. When people can connect with you on some level, they will follow you and support you.”
Yoga has grown into a $6 billion a year business and continues to trend upwards. With more “yogipreneurs” coming out every week and month, its important to find ways to stay ahead of the trends and finding the right PR firm (if its in your budget) will help you be truly successful. Yoga helps you feel and look better… and image in this business world is everything!
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