Finding ways to introduce our little shop
With no advertising budget, I asked AI to find relevant local channels, prepare introductions and help us keep track of the replies.
After Chloe’s Mama Kitchen opened, we wanted more people nearby to know about Cindy’s food. At that stage, we had no advertising budget. I asked my AI agent to research free ways to introduce the shop to the community.
The search covered local publications, community organisations and food creators. The useful question was whether their audience might actually come to our shop. The agent also checked whether a channel accepted story ideas, offered a free listing or mainly sold advertising.
Once we had a shortlist, the agent prepared approaches for the different channels. A local publication might be interested in how Cindy went from cooking at home to opening a shop. A food creator needed enough information to decide whether our food interested them. We also checked who we had already contacted, so we would not send the same introduction twice.
After I approved the outreach, we attempted contact with 18 channels on 6 September, using email and website forms. There were practical problems along the way. One old email address bounced, and the agent found an official editorial contact and resent the message. Another failed address remained unresolved.
The replies were mixed. Some channels offered paid options or had no free editorial space available. One food creator replied to ask what kind of collaboration we expected, and whether they could taste the food and decide for themselves whether to post. That opened a conversation; it was not a confirmed visit or published recommendation.
The agent kept a record of what had been sent, which replies had arrived and what still needed attention. That made it easier to see which opportunities were worth following up and which did not fit our zero-budget approach. It also helped avoid repeating a message after someone had already replied.
The outreach records checked through 18 September do not give me a basis to claim that this work brought more customers into the shop. What I can describe is the work it helped us do: find relevant channels, prepare introductions, handle replies and keep track of the next step. For a small business, that is a useful part of making ourselves known, even while many conversations remain unanswered.
