How to get zero cost publicity for your business: Part 1

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 & 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.