Show Mummy the Media.

Don’t spend thousands on advertising to promote and market the worthiness of your business to your target market. You can increase sales, brand awareness and creditability through publicity. Publicity is an excellent cost-effective marketing tool which any business can employ to achieve national / local coverage in newspapers, magazines, on the radio or websites. Creating your own publicity simply costs a small amount of time, effort and diligence.

Step One - You need to thoroughly understand your business and be familiar with the products or services you are promoting.

What is your business about?, What are the features and benefits of your product or service? You need to articulate what is newsworthy about your business. For example; the story behind a business, which specializes in “organic food for babies”, would centre on the all-natural and wholesome nutrition provided in the products. This business would be able to sight the benefits, and increased well-being a baby would receive through the consumption of their product.

Step Two - Research!!!

Now that you understand the story behind your business, you now need to investigate where you could effectively plug your story. You need to comb through magazines, trade journal’s, T.V, newspapers, websites and any other relevant publications to spot possible opportunities where you could promote your story to the publication. When you find such articles, take note of the journalist and the publication. You will need this information to move to step three. Following on with my example, the organic baby food business would need to review publications such as; parenting magazines, woman’s magazines… since these magazines are read by the related target market. The relevant articles to look out for would focus on anything associated with baby health, well being and development, obesity, fuel for brains, opposition to genetically modified foods and so fourth.

Step Three - Make Contact

Armed with a greater understanding of your business and the contact details of the publications and or journalists and or editors you would like to approach you should now craft a “Press Release” to send to the selected target contacts. The media receive hundreds of releases on a daily basis, a well-worded press release will be the key to obtaining “publicity” for your business. Depending on the agenda of the journalist and or publication you intend to approach, you may need to craft a different press release each time. You want to make your story attractive and interesting so the journalist/ editor will readily agree to run your story. Your press release should be a summary, the journalist could possibly use as the actual story – you need to do the work for the journalist in turn making it easy for the journalist to run your story.

The following are some tips and tricks to writing a successful press release:

Have an angle that your target publication will be interested in.

Address the following: Who, Where, Why, What, When, How

Be short and to the point. The press release should convey all relevant facts and focus on the main points of your story.

Have an opening paragraph that grabs the readers attention, it should be a short punchy summary of the story.

Undertake research, you need to back your case with relevant information such as credible, quotes, statistics, facts and figures in your press release along with the source of such information. This will save the journalist time.

Include your contact information.

At the beginning of the press release state: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE".

The headline is next, normally in bold and centered on the page. Your headline should be catchy.

At the conclusion of the press release and before placing your contact details type: <<<The end >>>. This signifies the conclusion of the press release.

Address the press release to the intended editor or journalist. Personalizing the press release will help your release to stand out.

Most press releases are between 500-650 words, preferably no more than a page.

Before issuing your press release thoroughly check for errors and accuracy, a miss spelt website, could be disastrous.

Once you have sent your press release be sure to follow up it!

Quick PR Tips !

Nominate your business for PR, there are newspapers and other media outlets who invite business owners to nominate their business to be a feature story. I know of 2 newspapers: The Age in Victoria and the Sydney Morning Hearld in Sydney who run case studies on various topics according to the selected business. You can nominate your business as a case study, by simply completing the on line form - ask the experts. www.businessnetwork.theage.com.au or www.businessnetwork.smh.com.au. Radio 4 Small Business also provides opportunities for PR, they ask viewers to submit their story click here to submit yours.

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