Fitness Public Relations

Fitness and health is booming in popularity, and has a surplus of talent. It’s hard to stand out in the crowd. Differentiating yourself is a crucial first step, but it’s only the beginning of the long road towards success and prosperity.

Whether you are in the fitness profession, or operate in another field such as healthcare, engineering, financial services or beyond, everything you do on a daily basis has a proper form and method to it. Just as building and expanding a brand has its own proper form.

Likely, it starts with hiring a public relations and branding firm. Although it is an important first step towards taking your brand to the next level, it is also important to know what to expect in terms of results, in order to set yourself up for success.

Nicole Dunn, founder and owner at Dunn Pellier Media ( has been running her health and wellness public relations and branding firm for over 6 years. She was TV producer for 12 years preceding the launch of DPM, working with networks like HBO, NBC, ESPN, USA, and many others. She now works with shows such as Dr. Oz and Good Day New York, and magazines such as SHAPE, SELF, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, and Prevention.

With such a wide array of experience under her belt, and after starting her clientele base with the one and only Tony Horton of P90X, she has fielded questions from hundreds of fitness-star hopefuls for years. Although her passion lay in fitness and health – her tips are applicable to all areas that need assistance in branding and finding PR for their businesses.

In an attempt to save time and to help people make the most out of their time and their business (in any field), Nicole has put together a list of the top 10 things she’s learned about running a health and wellness PR firm. They include:

1. Don’t expect instant results – Good results come with time, as relationships take time to build.
2. Traditional PR is no more – You have to think outside of the box to get attention for your brand or expertise. The competition is fierce and the marketplace is vast.
3. Get Online – If you aren’t on social media – your competitor is and may be taking your business!
4. Don’t expect to go on Dr. Oz tomorrow – People use to say that the #1 show they wanted to be on was Oprah – Dr. Oz is the new Oprah. The right pitch and the right relationships get you in front of the right people to make that happen. You know you have something special when you get to do a segment on Dr. Oz.
5. Your pitches must stand out from the rest – With an overflow of information, pitching the same stuff time after time will get you nowhere – you have to create game-changing ideas. Have a creative sellable angle for your product.
6. Relationships are Key – Build your media contact list and stay in touch.
7. Best and Worst Things to Say to a Producer, Editor, Writer – Best thing when talking to anyone over the phone is to ask if they are on deadline and they have a few minutes to talk. The worst scenario is to get a producer or editor on the line and they are under a deadline and on top of that, if you haven’t done your research and don’t know everything about the outlet you’re reaching out to – you’ll be in trouble!
8. There is a PR Formula – We have a method to our madness. We know our topic matter inside and out and always tie into something topical and constantly tweak our pitches to get coverage for our clients.
9. Be Unique – have a great logline/hook for yourself or your product.
10. Do Your Own Basic PR Before You Hire Someone Else – having done basic PR for yourself always helps. It shows that you can create relationships and people are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. Now your PR expert can take it to the next level and get the coverage you need!

Nicole Dunn started DPM in 2008, when TV Producer jobs dried up and left her feeling unsatisfied. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Dunn Pellier Media, Inc. produces powerful campaigns for consumer brands, influencers and products in the health and wellness industry.