4 Quick Tips to Securing FREE Publicity

Times are tough, advertising budgets are low, yet your small business needs some exposure to stay alive.  So what’s a penny-pitching small business owner to do?

GET FREE PUBLICITY.

That’s right.  I said free.  Now mind you, scoring free publicity for your small business will require a little bit of time and effort, but the rewards are unspeakable.

First of all, your company’s mention in a magazine or other media outlet is important because it boosts your “expert” status.   It also puts your products and services in front of a larger audience without spending a dime.  Finally, it builds on the credibility factor, as consumers are more likely to check out a product mentioned in an article as opposed to a blatant advertisement on the side of the page.

So for those that could use a little free publicity, here are a few quick ways to secure a mention in a newspaper, magazine or TV segment:

1. Sign up for HARO:  HARO stands for Help-A-Reporter Out.  For you, the small business owner, HARO is the sacred cow.  Basically, HARO is an email that gets sent out 3 times a day full of queries from journalists, editors and producers that need sources for their respective media outlets (and let me tell you, these sources are HUGE).   If your specialty, company or service fits what the query is calling for, you simply email the contact and pitch yourself.  No PR representative required.  And did I mention it’s FREE?

2. Create and Distribute Your Own Press Release:  Now, this suggestion isn’t as passive as HARO, and will require a bit of work and creativity on your part to be effective.  But if you can write a “newsworthy” press release and submit it to a few key journalists or editors that write on that particular topic, you have a decent shot of getting your work covered by the publication.

Just a few off-the-cuff tips though.   Make sure the blog, writer or producer that you are sending your press release to actually covers stories along that line or it will get tossed right in the trash.  Also, be sure to address your target by name when pitching instead of “Dear Webmaster”.  Finally, put yourself in their shoes before you send off something irrelevant.  Think “how would this information help them or their audience”.  That thought alone should help you craft a more relevant release.

And if you still feel overwhelmed with the concept of a press release and want some further instruction from a pro, download this disgustingly cheap e-course on SparkplugU by Susan Payton, the Marketing Eggspert.

3. Utilize Social Media: As I explained here, Twitter is EXTREMELY valuable in promoting your small business.  When done right, your message, products or services can get in front of thousands of people without costing a dime!  And if you’re a professional blogger and rely on traffic to generate advertising dollars, Twitter is a great way to get people coming back to your site.  In fact, Twitter is one of our largest referrers of traffic here on Sparkplugging.  But beware—if you decide to promote your business in the realm of social media, BE SOCIAL.  Shameless self promotion 24/7 will not be tolerated

4. Write “How To” and Other Informational Articles- Writing articles is another free and easy way to make yourself an expert and get in front of a larger audience on zero budget.  Sit down and think about things you know or specialize in that would be helpful to other people.  Then start writing.

Here’s a personal example of what I’m talking about.  I used to handle SEO/marketing for a personal injury law firm.   I wrote a really good article about elder abuse and things a caretaker should look for when checking a loved one into a nursing home (i.e. patient to staff ratio, waivers in the contract).  We then sent the article to a few publications and it was picked up by our local newspaper.  And one week later, that simple little article brought in a huge personal injury case to the firm and a dozen more phone calls to boot.

So take that example and apply it to your business.  Do you sell health products?  Write an article offering 5 tips for increased energy.  Do you design Wordpress blogs?  Write an article on how having customized site is essential to branding.  You get my point.  Then once it’s done, submit it to local publications, offer it as a guest post on a relevant blog or pitch it to the big guys if it’s really good.

As a final note, (and this applies to all the tips above)—the worst a person can do with your pitch is say no.  (OK, I lied—if it’s really bad, you may end up on the Bad Pitch Blog—which is not good.)  And best of all, these suggestions are free and won’t set you back anything if they don’t work.

But I encourage you to stay patient and keep trying with the free publicity outlets listed above– as it only takes *one* big break or mention to sky rocket your business to levels you’ve never dreamed of before.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons Artist Kevincole

About Amber Watson-Tardiff

Amber Watson-Tardiff is a freelance writer, virtual assisant and solopreneur.  When shes not writing or teaching people how to start their own home business, Amber can be found starting trouble here on Twitter or hanging out on her own blog, jerseymomma.com. To contact amber, email ambertardiff at gmail dot com.