Becoming an active member of your local Chambers of Commerce or any other business groups that will increase your prominence. Go for committee positions, offer to speak at events, look after stalls at conferences. Maximise your chances of meeting your local media and being approached for a quote. Many business people are wary of journalists. But if you avoid them, you’ll miss out on the chance to get some valuable PR coverage in the press. For a small business with a limited marketing budget, PR is one of the best ways to publicise your company – not least because you can get results without spending much money.

Build relationships with individual journalists.

  • Find out the names of the journalists and make personal contact.
  • Invite them to your events, or to lunch to meet interesting people.
  • Do them favours.
  • Tip them off on breaking industry news; become a useful source of comment on prevailing issues.

 

Get to know editors and journalists

If you want to get publicity for your company in your local area, you need to build relationships with the media. Get to know the reporters on your local paper, the editor at the local TV news desk and the DJs at your local radio station.

If your business operates in a specialist sector, it is vital that you build a good working relationship with the writers and editors on the trade magazine titles that serve your industry.

 

There are some key things to remember when dealing with journalists.

First of all, timing is everything. Find out when the deadlines are. Make sure you provide information or pictures well in advance. Don’t ring a journalist for a chat when their publication is about to go to press.

Secondly, find out what their requirements are. Most journalists are incredibly busy. Ask them when would be a good time to call back, offer to take them for a quick drink or arrange to meet them at an event they are attending.

Keep in touch with phone calls or emails but don’t pester them and don’t bombard them with press releases. If you keep sending irrelevant releases, then your big announcements won’t make any impact.