159163 Resource 149176 155860 149257 1171906522072 1171908762578 Controlled Small Business Public Relations, Part One

Develop good relationships with local media

As you take a look at the public relations goals of your small business, one of the things you most likely have on your to-do list is to get exposure in newspapers, business listings or magazines. However, you might feel overwhelmed or intimidated at the thought of contacting your local media. According to public relations experts, you should never let yourself feel unsure about dealing with reporters. The reason is this: they need you. You may not know this, but most of the local business information and news updates you read every day did not come from a reporter working the beat. The information came directly from press releases or simple phone calls made by people just like you. In this series we’re going to take a look at important things to know when it comes to promoting your business through the media: Identify important contacts. Take a good look at the publications in which you would like to appear. Identify the key reporters or editors that tend to cover the kind of news items related to your product, service or industry. Then create a media list, which includes these names, titles, publications and other crucial contact information that will be readily available. Develop relationships with the local media. When it comes to local and regional media outlets, reporters are always on the lookout for a story, and if you can provide a fresh angle or different approach, then they will be interested in what you have to say. Introduce yourself to your local reporters and news outlets by letting them know who you are, your areas of expertise, and the types of events or programs you may be sponsoring. They might not immediately take notice, but over time they will know who you are and can recognize your potential contributions. Take the lead. It’s sometimes hard to know when you should contact the media. If your business gets a significant new customer, moves from your home to an office, receives an honor or recognition, or comes up with a solution to a community problem, don't hesitate to call an appropriate reporter. Again, you may not always get coverage, but you have nothing to lose by cultivating these relationships. In the next part of this series we will take a look at how you can bring focus to your public relations efforts. 10 application/xml false develop relationships local media small business small business public relations Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 cmalmstrom false true false false true 189572 false false true false false false true 149176 blog blogsite/FreedomVoice/web