Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

 

 Because I did not know any better, I contacted editors in magazines that write for the industry my patented product`s are in.    It worked!!    Editors and news rooms are looking for stories. You do NOT need to be a Professional PR Firm.

  I have gotten many national magazines to write about my sunless technology & major TV news stations. (there is a story in every person, location ?, its unique?, the reason you started your business?, The building? )   Have fun!

 

 

-------------------------

Ginny Medeiros

Hi Ginny,

Great advice...when you say you contacted the press, did you phone, write, e-mail?  Did you put a media list together first? 

It`s always the last thing on my plate that I want to think about, but some order and focus couldn`t hurt...lol

Much success!



-------------------------

Kim
the-petset.com
blogfabulous.com

Every where I went I looked at magazines in waiting rooms @ the grocery store and I wrote down contact names, numbers, emails. I contacted local news. The Internet is full of media leads. When I got my first story I used it to open the door for other free press.

  I entered my idea in a contest and won. I used that as an opening line to get a written article.

   You could donate your service or product,and get a story about how it helped?????

 

         It will energize you to keep on going when you get your first story.

-------------------------

Ginny Medeiros

I have been a newspaper reporter/editor for more than 25 years and I must agree with Ginny that we are always looking for stories. Sometimes timing is everything. A few hints ... 1 - Only send a news release when there is "news." It`s annoying to get mail from a company every month (or every week) when it`s obvious they`re only looking for free publicity. 2 - Email is preferable to snail mail these days. The news release doesn`t need to be retyped, which saves a lot of time. 3- Learn to use the inverted pyramid style of writing. Put the most important idea in the frist paragraph. The second most important idea in the second paragraph, etc. I`ve received news releases where I had to read to the bottom of the page to find out why the company was sending it. 4- The less editing a news release needs, the more likely it will be used. Make it short and to the point. If the editor wants more information, he or she will ask. 5 - Make sure your contact info is on the news release. You`d be surprised how often I`ve received items that contain no phone number. Enough for now. If anybody has any specific questions, feel free to ask.

-------------------------

VickiJ
www.freshairjournal.com

PR Leap - Free Press Release Distribution to Major Search Engines - Beta  there are web site`s with step by step How To write your own Press Release. 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------

Ginny Medeiros

We have received some great press in the past that has been a result of contacts made on our own. Wanting to increase our exposure, we solicited the services of a professional PR firm. I can tell you that I`ve squandered nearly $100,000 with very little return. It has been a hard lesson to learn, but I think that in the future we`ll be doing our own PR. The tips here are very helpful, but I do have one question.

What ideas do you have on how to get in touch with someone in person. Sometimes I feel that I only need to get someone on the phone to deliver my "elevator pitch" but it is so hard to get past email and voicemail.

-------------------------

Nick Runyon
Director of Marketing
PrintingForLess.com

Hi Nick. If you`re calling a small newspaper, simply ask for the person in charge of business stories. A phone call about a newsworthy event would be welcome. If it`s a larger newspaper, check its website in the area where it lists the staff members. If you can find the name of a business editor ask for him/her by name. If none of the titles seem to fit, just choose a features editor. He or she will likely point you in the right direction. In either case, don`t be a pest. And only call if you have a newsworthy item, such as a new business or a major anniversary; you`re hosting a speaker that might be of interest to a large segment of the public; you received a major award; etc. 

-------------------------

VickiJ
www.freshairjournal.com

That`s great advice. I`ve always wondered about the fine line between persistence and peskiness.

We`re about to move into a new building and will have our US Senators and Govenor at the Grand Opening. I believe that a story like this is newsworthy, but I`m wondering if it is the type of thing that I should offer an exclusive on as we get closer to the move. Is this a good way to get a cover story, or should I just leave that in the hands of my contact?

-------------------------

Nick Runyon
Director of Marketing
PrintingForLess.com

-------------------------

Ginny Medeiros

Nick, that sounds like a great story! Let all the area newspapers, radio stations and TV stations know about it. Tell them about a month in advance and again about two weeks in advance. Although the local newspaper would probably love to have the exclusive, from your perspective you want as much publicity as you can get. Be prepared with a media kit that includes the history of the company. Why are you moving into a new building? Did you get too big for the old one? Are you getting state-of-the-art equipment? How many employees do you have now compared to when you started? How many customers? It sounds like your customers find you online. If so, from what parts of the U.S. (world?) are they from? You are obviously an important company if the governor agreed to attend. Play it up!

-------------------------

VickiJ
www.freshairjournal.com