Wisconsin Etsy Sellers - CITY GUIDES FOR CRAFTSTERS

As I'm building up the items for my own shop I'm thinking of ways to get the word out about Etsy since I think it is still fairly obscure - around here at least. At my 9-5 I write press releases and thought something about Etsy could likely be published.

I'm looking for local Etsy sellers (Milwaukee and Wisconsin in general) that want to be considered as "featured" sellers in print and online articles. Basically all you have to do is pm me with a link to your shop and any other info you think is important. I would include you in a list in a press release I send out. You should also tell me about any local publications or websites I may not know about.

It would be up to the particular publication to decide which sellers were featured.

I'll be creating a categorized list of Etsy sellers, if I get enough sellers to join in. I wouldn't take anyone off the list unless they had only 1 or 2 items (with the exception of fine art shops), closed up shop, or had mostly items that would be considered offensive by the publication (swearing, racial slurs, graphic nudity - that kind of stuff).

That last caveat really depends on the publication as some of the publications on my list would consider some of those things a bonus - so don't hold back if you have a racy shop. I'll either put in a disclaimer or put your shop in the edgy section. Edgy will go over very well with a lot of publications and will likely have top billing for a few press releases. Then again I know Reiman Publications could find a place somewhere for country, old fashioned, or garden/bird related crafts from Etsy.

Basically there is a place for everything and the only reason I would omit your shop from the list of sellers is if it was completely incompatable with the spirit of the place I was sending it to. I can't send "Buds and Blooms" a link to a shop full of embroidered thong underwear with racy sayings just as much as I can't send an edgy urban weekly links to shops with country crafts. Though I know of a few publications that would love to showcase that whole range of craft items.

(Sorry I rambled on there but I came down with a horrible cold today and the thought of making those last paragraphs more coherent frightens me at the moment. I'm half delerious on Nyquil and a potent cocktail of nemacing germs.)

If I find out in advance that you will be featured I will let you know. This rarely happens unless the writer has to verify something with me personally but it does happen. Usually I get a tenative publication date/range that I can inform you of if this happens.

I have a two week timeframe to gather names and look at your shops to categorize and edit/provide descriptions for them - so get back to me ASAP. If I get at least a few sellers to make this article worthwhile I can post here the publications I send to and if I know of any articles. Quite a few times I've written a press release for work and never knew it was published until someone else mentioned it a few weeks later, so keep your eyes peeled. Remember to suggest any publications you know of - especially outside the Metro Milwaukee area.

Hope to hear from fellow crafty wisconsinites!