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How
to Get No Cost Publicity for Your Business
Copyright
2004 by DeAnna Spencer
Would
you like to expand the volume of your business? You can
let thousands know about your service, your store, or your
new product without spending a penny. Whether you
want to make more sales or get an offer on television, you
can broaden the scope of your clients by free publicity.
You don' t have to climb a flagpole or hire a dancing bear
to get attention. In fact, with just a telephone, flyers,
and some follow up letters, you can be making much more
money than you are now.
What product or what business are you involved with that
needs more customers?You might have a neighborhood store
or you may have invented something that is difficult to
market. Maybe you've launched a new web site.
How are you presently getting customers? Maybe you're
advertising in trade journals, magazines, or newspapers.
Perhaps you' re doing banner swaps or participating in co-op
programs with other ezine publishers.
Perhaps you're an author, trying to market his or her new
book. Or maybe you're a young comic or an actor trying to
establish his/her career.
Regardless of your business or enterprise, whether it is
an online or an offline business, free publicity is available
for you. Furthermore, you don't need any special training
to do it. Take a look at the variety of options available
to you.
What is Publicity?
Before
we get into the different types of publicity out there,
it would help if we knew what we were talking about. Publicity
is making something known to the public, spreading information
to the general, local, or national market. It is information
with a news value used to attract popular opinion or support.
Everybody uses publicity. Politicians, manufacturers, celebrities
all use publicity to gain attention and further their causes.
Publicity isn't limited to large organizations. Small committees
and enterprises use the local newspapers to publicize events
and endeavors.
Publicity differs from advertising because it is free. Although
some organizations trade tickets or services for mention
in a particular publication, generally publicity is newsworthy
information that a publication produces.Good publicity is
one of the best ways of letting people know you have a worthwhile
business.
Do your research. Before you begin a publicity campaign,
you should know the answer to the following questions:
- What
is the product or service I am promoting?
- What
is the radius of the market (local, city, state, country,
and world)?
- What
do the customers want?
- Where
do the customers go to buy my product?
- Are
my buyers mostly online or offline?
Where
to publicize
Depending
on your product or service, you have a full gamut of possibilities
for advertising without paying. Deciding on the type of
media is as important as knowing about your product and
your customers. If you want to publicize directly to the
general public national publications, metropolitan newspapers
and Sunday supplements are the way to tap into the market.
For a local enterprise - a profitable business, a charity,
or community service- the local paper is the best source
of free advertising. Don't go for the big fish first.
Start with the local press and then work your way up.
Make it newsworthy
In order
to qualify for publication, your story must be newsworthy.
Anything published in the newspapers, magazines, and trade
journals must be of importance to its readers. You
may have a new product or product line that can be featured
in the magazines. If not, you need to come up with a unique
angle. For example, you may have to come up with fresh
ideas for your service. Or maybe an unusual piece
of information in the inventor or business owner' s biography
might make an interesting twist.
Formatting tips
Keep
the press release to one page. It should be brief and informative.
Write the words For Release in full capital letters at the
right. Make sure you include your daytime phone number,
address, email address, and website address if you have
one. Write a personal letter to the editor.
Be cordial, but keep it short. If you have a product
that you can mail, send the editor a sample if he or she
agrees to that. Watch the publication and clip the
press release when it is published.
These are just a few ways of getting free publicity for
your business.
DeAnna
is the publisher of Prospecting and Presents.
Subscribers get a free ad each week. http://www.pnewsletter.com (outdated url).
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