Make a Friend

Do you want a surefire way to get some free publicity? Make a friend with a journalist! Create a Top Ten List of media contacts. The list should include those journalists who are most likely to tell your story. Know their beats and be sure to craft a clever pitch. Remember to include television, radio and print media contacts.
Once you have that Top Ten List, concentrate on getting to know those journalists. We are not talking about 'sucking up' here. Journalists are very perceptive people! They can smell a 'brown noser' a mile away! Simply learn to build a rapport with your contacts. Get to know them as genuine, regular people...like you would a new friend. See if you share common interests and/or hobbies. Remember, journalists are just like you and me.
Free publicity doesn't always happen overnight. But if you are smart, you'll have a consistent stream of newsworthy publicity for your business and you may just make a couple of good friends in the process!

It's not all about you!

One of the biggest problems business owners make when it comes to seeking publicity is making themselves the subject of the story.  In an effort to drum up some interest around their product, service or idea, a lot of business owners take the focus off the business and put it on themselves.  BIG MISTAKE!  Unless you are an expert on something useful, offering a solution to a common problem, or you are about to make a trip to the moon (or some other major accomplishment) you as a business owner should remove yourself from the story. It's not all about you!  A good storyteller knows when to step out of the way and let the story speak for itself.  In your case as a business owner, your product, service or idea should be so fantastic, that it should stand on its own.  Otherwise, why would I as a consumer give you my business?  

Publicity should be earned and not given to any and everyone with a business.  Consumers are smart and they can smell a rat and meaningless publicity a mile away.  Be creative, unique and most of all, newsworthy and your business will stand out from all the rest. 

News Clues

Want to breathe some new life into your marketing or publicity plan?  Turn on the news or open your local newspaper and your problems will be solved. In just a few quick seconds, you will be bombarded with one idea after another.  Here's a few to get you started:

1.  The Stimulus Bill

2.  Recession Blues

3.  The G20 Summit

4.  Stock Market Roller coaster

If you put your mind to it, you can come up with creative ways to weave these headlines into your business, product or service.  Do you have a sale going on or can you provide a service that can offer a cure to your customer's recession blues? (Even if it's only temporary.)  Are you a financial consultant who can help your customers brace the roller coaster ride of the stock market these days?  Remember, the key is to give a solution to a common problem. Put your thinking caps on and think of  something you can do better than anyone else in the marketplace. Your customers will thank you for it and they will be coming back for more.