When you have a business of any kind, it is very important to gain publicity. Since your business is new, with limited funds, there is probably not much money available for advertising, so what do you do? Make some noise!
Generate some interest by word of mouth. The name for this kind of publicity is “viral marketing.” You talk your business up, someone tries it, likes it, tells someone else, you get the picture. Word spreads like a virus.
Next look for local advertising if you have that type of business or product. It is important to understand that the publications your potential customers read, whether glossy magazines or daily newspapers, need to fill their pages every day or week or month with interesting information. You can be that interesting information!
First write down what you would like the public to know about your product or service, anything you would like to publicize. For local newspapers, this should be just an outline with an intriguing headline, one that will make an editor want to learn more about your service or product or event.
Try to write a simple paragraph with very few words. This will become your “press release” so to speak. Look at samples of a typical press release on the Internet, searching under “press releases.” Almost all major companies have samples of them on Web sites. These will give you an idea of what points are important to highlight about your business or product in order to attract attention.
Your press release does not need to be very detailed and try not to use technical descriptions; instead use words that simply tell the facts about your product or service.
The press release should contain enough information to get the attention of an editor, usually the business editor.
Make sure that along with the information about your business or product you include your contact information.
Local newspapers generally are the easiest to contact. Send your press release giving the details of what you want to make known.
Most likely the editor will send a reporter to interview you, send a photographer to the event you want covered; or at the very least, have someone call you.
The papers do need sufficient notice, though, so if you have something important coming up, an event or a seasonal product, make sure you give enough notice.
It’s a little tougher to get noticed by a major magazine; but I have done it many times. Sometimes a local story will be noticed by a larger publication and they will contact you. Since so many newspaper articles are now on the Internet, it will help you get expanded coverage.
Look for magazines and local papers in your field. Send a short press release, following the directions given either in the magazine itself or on their Website. It may take some time, but reporters will contact you if you have a unique product or service that fits into the kind of material they publish.
Article © Copyright 2001 Stanley I. Mason. Syndicated by Paradigm News, Inc.
