Small Business Expert
Your resource for informative videos, articles, and tools to save you time running a successful small business.
Small Business Documents & Forms
Starting or already running a small business? We have fully customizable business forms and legal documents that will help keep you organized and well-documented. Available for immediate download after purchase.
Visit The Form Center
PR experts explain how to leverage the media to grow your business
Every business has a story to tell. By using the media as a communications tool, small businesses can tap new customers and revenue, as well as potential business partners. According to Marika Flatt of PR by the Book LLC, in Austin, Texas, "A descriptive print or online feature, a visual television segment, or even a short radio interview can spur sales and interest in a small business in a very short amount of time."
Yet getting publicity is more than "free advertising" for your product or service. "[Business owners] need to position themselves as a subject matter expert or a viable editorial resource, versus just another vendor pounding its chest in an attempt to self-promote," says Jeanne Achille, president and CEO of the DEVON group, in Shrewsbury, N.J.
This is how Mark Amtower, a business consultant for 23 years, gained visibility for his Maryland-based firm. He has been interviewed more than 200 times in print media.
"Nothing gives you credibility like media interviews and exposure," says Amtower. "But you first need to become a recognized expert in your niche. Establish credentials by writing, speaking, and developing a robust Web site full of information about your niche. Monitor the top news and info sites for your niche, and have a list of key media people to contact as soon as news breaks."
Amtower suggests identifying the reporters who write about your industry and familiarizing yourself with their work. Doyle Albee of Metzger Associates in Boulder, Colo., agrees. He says an email blast to the entire newsroom will get you nowhere. "A pitch that says, 'I saw your article on problem dogs and wanted to let you know about a new collar' will have greater success than sending a dog collar pitch to a sports reporter," Albee says.
Albee also suggests examining your business for activity that reflects - or even contradicts - nationally reported trends. For instance, if the national news runs a story about Corporate America "going green," a neighborhood retailer that faithfully recycles could pitch a story about what businesses are doing locally.
"Your job is to share and inform," says Leonard Cercone of the CerconeBrownCurtis public relations firm in Boston. "News is what's interesting to a viewer or reader, not what is interesting for your company. A new client or big contract is great, but unless you can answer, 'so what?' within the parameters of the target publication, forget it."
Once you've identified the media outlets and writers you want to pitch, here are some tips to courting the media:
- Whether TV, radio or print, know the newsroom deadlines. Check the outlet's Web site or call the station or publication directly. Always pitch stories and make follow-up calls when reporters are off deadline.
- Find out how the staffers prefer to receive story pitches. Many reporters favor email, because it's easy to organize and can be accessed at their convenience.
- If your story makes a strong visual, pitch to broadcast media. Think like a producer and provide a bullet list of segment ideas, says Flatt.
- When sending a pitch via email, use the subject line to communicate the "headline" of your story.
- Include everything the reporter needs to know within the body of the email. Ask permission before sending attachments.
- When appropriate, tie your story to a recent study, national news, or an upcoming event to accentuate its relevancy.
- If you send press releases frequently, you might consider joining PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) or a similar service. For as little as $180, small business members can deliver their news releases to local media, trade publications, and more than 3,800 Web sites and news databases.
