Compared with advertising, getting media coverage has practically no impact on your bottom line.  The only costs associated with press releases are printing and mailing.  And if you’re using electronic distribution like email, you can take mailing costs out of the equation. 

However, unlike advertising, you can’t buy publicity, you have to earn it. You may think money talks, but a sure way to get your press release rejected is if you mention to an editor how much ad money you have spent with the paper or offer to commit ad money if the editor will run your story.  Editors are not ad sales people.  They’re journalists and they take pride in delivering unbiased coverage independent of outside influences.

That said, many “hometown” papers will accept a “trade” for an advertising commitment. Take advantage of this practice as much as you can, just be careful not to approach the legitimate press with any type of bartering proposal. It may destroy your chances of getting your releases accepted now and in the future.

Give The Editors What They Want

The media makes a living by providing valuable news and information to its audience. Newspaper editors and TV’s managing editors are bombarded every day with news releases from all over the world that they have to read, review, and consider for inclusion…consider for their readership.

Some small business owners have a strange sense of entitlement. They believe that if they write a press release that is newsworthy that there is an obligation on the part of the newspaper to publish it. Not only is this not true, but this kind of attitude can be detrimental to obtaining the coverage that you want. The media is fully autonomous in determining who and what will be covered, except in countries with state-controlled media outlets.

The media is not an extension of your marketing department, but if you are savvy, you can still attract their attention and get them to “do your bidding” while they serve their own needs. The key is to provide a compelling answer to the all-important question, “Why would our readers or listeners be interested in you NOW?”

The most basic public relations/marketing tool for every successful business owner, whether he runs a kitchen table enterprise or a company on the FTSE 100, is the news release or press release. The trick is not to make your article a commercial or advertisement. If you weave your business into a human-interest story people will read the article and remember your business.

What’s hot and what’s not when it comes to releases? Media outlets are looking for stories that are newsworthy. That’s their job. To be newsworthy your topic either has to be controversial, strange or out of the ordinary, a human interest story, or tied to current events.

In general, information outlets are looking for :

• Topical news releases relating to timely issues. The media is particularly interested in certain trends and your products and services, no matter what they are, can tie into one of those trends
• Community involvement releases sponsoring events or get-togethers

• Industry-specific projections and surveys that predict where a niche market is headed
• Executive-appointment releases announcing the appointment of someone to a new position

Generating news and information that people and the press will be interested in is not as difficult as it may sound. All you have to do is ask the question, “What does my target audience care about?” Asking this question will help to focus your thoughts and ideas. Conducting some research on a specific topic or question will help you get the answer.

All that stands between you and free publicity is your creativity.