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Free Publicity is Good Publicity - Part 3

Volunteering information to the local media is a great way to get the word out about your business. You won't likely succeed with every story you submit, but using the right targeting methods can get you going.

Businesses should always be looking for effective promotional tactics –and the cheaper the tactic, the better. For instance, do you realize that the media exists in a symbiotic relationship with all sorts of businesses and organizations? Newspapers, magazines, radio and TV are hungry for content to fill space or time. If you send them interesting stories even tangentially related to your business, you might get a mention in a widely-read features article.
If your business participates in any newsworthy event, alert your local media. Likewise, any time a story with particular relevance to your industry breaks in the national media, you can market yourself as the local expert by contacting your local media outlets and offering comment.

You're unlikely to succeed with every story you send in, so keep trying. It can be a numbers game: the more stories you send, the more likely you are to get your material accepted eventually. Increase your chances by:

Starting with the smaller local papers in your area (whether this is a suburb of a city or a rural area). They are less demanding in terms of content. Most areas have a free local paper.
Targeting a specific section of a publication (for example, the Sports or Business section).
Producing timely articles. Keep aware of local and international events that might make your material more relevant or topical.
Always writing about the human impact of your stories.

One of the major benefits of gaining free publicity (apart from the fact it's free!) is this: what others say about your business carries far more weight than anything you say. Surprising as it may seem, the media can be your greatest ally in generating valuable buzz around your business and its exciting products or services.

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