"Best record shops in Birmingham" round-ups already exist, already rank well, and already send a steady trickle of ready-to-buy customers to whichever shops they mention. Getting into them isn't luck — it's a handful of specific, repeatable moves. Here are eight that work.
1. Find every existing "best of" guide first
Before reaching out to anyone, search "best record shops Birmingham," "vinyl shops Birmingham guide," and "independent record stores Birmingham" and note down every article that appears. Check whether you're already mentioned, whether the listing is accurate, and whether the piece looks actively maintained (recent dates, working links) or abandoned.
This list becomes your outreach target list — and it tells you what a "yes" from this kind of content actually looks like before you ask for one.
2. Make your shop easy to write about
Guide writers reuse whatever's easiest to find and verify. If your Google Business Profile, website, and social bios are inconsistent, outdated, or thin, you're harder to feature accurately — and busy writers often skip the shop that takes longer to confirm details for.
Before any outreach, make sure a stranger could write two accurate sentences about your shop using only your Google listing and website: what you specialise in, where you are, and what makes you worth the trip.
3. Pitch local bloggers and lifestyle sites directly
Most Birmingham "best of" content comes from local lifestyle blogs, community sites, and independent city guides — not national publications. These sites are usually run by people who genuinely want to feature good local businesses, and a short, specific, personal email works far better than a generic press release.
A pitch email that actually gets read
Keep it to four short parts: who you are, what makes your shop specifically interesting (not just "we sell vinyl"), one concrete detail a reader would care about (rare stock, a specialism, your shop's history), and a clear, low-effort ask — "would you consider including us in your Birmingham vinyl guide?"
Attach one or two high-quality photos. Writers are far more likely to include a shop they can illustrate without chasing you for images later.
4. Give guide writers a genuine reason to include you
"We exist" isn't a strong enough hook on its own — Birmingham has several good record shops already covered. Give writers something specific: a genre specialism nobody else covers, a notable history (decades trading, a well-known former customer, a rare find that made local news), or a regular event that's worth mentioning in its own right.
5. Host something worth writing about
In-store listening sessions, small gig nights, Record Store Day events, or collaborations with local labels all give local media a timely reason to cover you — event coverage is one of the easiest "yes" decisions for a local blog to make, because it has a natural news hook and a date attached.
6. Get listed in structural directories, not just editorial guides
Alongside editorial "best of" pieces, make sure you're in the structural local directories that often rank alongside them: Chamber of Commerce listings, local council business directories, and community sites like neighbourhood forums or "what's on" pages. These carry less individual weight than a strong editorial mention but add up, and several are simple, free submissions.
7. Reciprocate and build real local relationships
If a blog features you, share it, tag them, and thank them publicly — this is a small thing that guide writers remember and that makes a second feature (a new list, an updated round-up) far more likely. The strongest ongoing source of "best of" mentions tends to be a small number of local writers who already like your shop, not a one-off cold email campaign.
8. Ask happy customers who happen to be writers or creators
Regulars who blog, run local social accounts, or contribute to community sites are often glad to mention a shop they genuinely like — they just don't always think to unless asked. A simple, low-pressure "if you're ever writing about local shops, we'd love a mention" goes further than most owners expect.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get featured after reaching out?
It varies widely — some local blogs respond within days, others update their guides only once or twice a year. A polite follow-up after two to three weeks is reasonable if you haven't heard back.
Does it matter if the link from a "best of" guide is nofollow?
It's still worth having. Even a nofollow link drives genuine referral traffic and builds the kind of citation consistency search engines use as a trust signal, and many guide sites don't apply nofollow to editorial mentions at all.
Key takeaways
- Map every existing Birmingham record shop guide before you start outreach — it's your target list and your benchmark.
- Make your shop easy to describe accurately in two sentences before pitching anyone.
- Specific hooks (specialism, history, events) beat generic "please feature us" requests.
- Relationships with a handful of local writers outperform one-off cold outreach over time.
None of this requires a PR budget — just a clear pitch, a shop that's easy to write about accurately, and enough follow-through to build a few real local relationships.