Recently, I caught up with Cynthia Good, CEO, founding editor and co-owner of the award-winning PINK Magazine, www.PINKmagazine.com. PINK reaches more than two million professional women every year and has raised more than $60,000 for nonprofits benefiting women and girls.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Cynthia was a news anchor on television stations nationwide, created her own show, Good for Parents, and syndicated news stories related to women and families. She has written six books, including “Words Every Child Must Hear,” and was named “Author of the Year” by the Georgia Writers Association for her book “Vaccinating Your Child.” A self-described “famillionaire,” Cynthia lives in Atlanta with her husband, Joey Reiman, and their children, Alden and Julien.
As a successful business owner, mother and philanthropist, Cynthia has some great information to share with the StartupNation audience. Here’s what she had to say:
Tell us about PINK and why you started the publication.
There was no other national publication, or content, that focused exclusively on women and career-success. Nor was there content created by women for women. It was a wide-open niche, and there was a huge need.
When I launched Atlanta Woman – a professional women’s biz pub in this city – women clamored for it.. Needed it.. Enjoyed it. It was more successful than anticipated. We knew there was a market. We personally needed the information too.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in starting PINK, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge amazingly was convincing advertisers that the women’s demographic is important to them. Women spend 85% of all consumer dollars, and yet, many companies don’t realize that this is the audience they need to reach!
One way we over came this, along with tons of education and outreach, was to take a segment we did on CNBC in which Donny Deutsch explains that only someone totally ignorant would not see the value in this. Sometimes we’d play the segment even before the meeting began – then we had their attention!
What has been the biggest reward in creating PINK?
The biggest reward – of course – is when an article, an event or a connection we instigated results in a big benefit for a woman in our community. We’ve seen women get raises and promotions because of what they read in PINK – or get out of a job that doesn’t make them happy and into something that does.
That’s why everyone at PINK comes to work excited each and every day. We have the chance to make a real difference and feel strongly about our purpose to create a beautiful career and a beautiful life for career focused women!
What was your most successful marketing/promotion activity at PINK and why?
I think it’s really slow/steady wins the race… Not giving up or giving in. Certainly being on the “Today
Show” after getting city governments to do away with “men working” signs was fun and generated tons of interest on media outlets nationwide.
Thanks for the great information Cynthia! To read more of Cynthia’s tips and how you can pitch PINK with your story ideas, check back next week! In the meantime, feel free to add your comments and questions below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.
