3 Publicity Strategies for Small Businesses

May 4, 2010 - Carol McBee

Be the news maker

While a story can be run just about any time, real ‘news’ is time sensitive. If you’re playing the news angle, your news must:

• Be new, unusual, sensational.
• Affect many people and be of public interest.
• Make for interesting reading, viewing and/or listening.
• Be innovative, creative, beneficial, funny or extraordinary.

Position Yourself as the Expert

The media loves interviewing experts. Whether you are the focus of a story or a resource that helps put a story in context, being an expert the media turns to for answers will help you get regular coverage. To position yourself as an expert:

• Write newspaper articles.
• Do presentations at events.
• Blog regularly.
• Contribute to online forums and groups.
• Participate at conferences.
• Volunteer.
• Write a book.

Tell Your Story

If the ‘expert’ route isn’t for you, develop interesting and informative stories that the media want to cover.

Your story could be educational. It might be a cautionary tale. Whichever, your story needs a bit of drama.

Learn to make your business story interesting when you answer such questions as:

• How did you start your business?
• Why did you start your business?
• What makes it special and unique?
• How did you come up with your product?

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