The quest for publicity

Businesses all over the world are in search of innovative ways to gain more publicity. Publicity is one of the best ways to market your business because you have instant access to millions of customers. How do you get the attention of news media members so you can get the publicity you are in search of? Here are some simple tips to help you on your quest for publicity:

Tip # 1 - Press releases
Everyone knows that press releases are the standard method to gain the attention of news media members. A press release doesn't need to be very long, just long enough to provide the journalist with enough factual information they need to run a story. Press releases can be send via fax or email, but if you really want to grab the attention of a journalist, mail it. Direct mail press releases are a great way to get the attention you need to have a journalist look at your press release. Don't just purchase a small envelope, but a large one and use dark magic marker to write their name and your return address information. The piece you send must stand out from everything on their desk.

A press release sent via direct mail may not always work. If you have a poorly written press release, this will cause news media members to overlook the next ones you send them. If you can't write an effective press release, hire someone to do it for you. A press release must have a catchy title and be written from the perspective of a journalist. Most journalists will spend about 35 seconds on your press release, so you need to make sure you have enough compelling information in the first 2 paragraphs to prompt them to read on.

Always include your contact information on the press release so they know who to contact. You should also include a separate section on your web site for news media members so they can go and print off a question and answer sheet and gain extra information they need to run a compelling story.

Tip # 2 - The internet
Let's say that press releases just aren't getting the publicity you need, what else can you do? Try using the internet. You can easily gain a good following of people by becoming a member of Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Join some discussion groups and respond to some of the things people are saying about your company or about your particular field. The internet is one of your best tools to gain publicity. There are been several people that have made millions of dollars just from their blogging site or from establishing their reputation on social networking sites. Your customers have the ability to put a face with a name when you join the discussion groups. This provides your customers with a human touch for your products and services and it is one of the best ways to gain new customers and boost your customer retention.

Tip # 3 - Mailers
One of the final ways to gain some publicity is to start doing some mailers. Send out mailers to your existing customers when you have new product launches. What about hosting a big company event? This is a great way to attract some publicity. Mailers can provide the media with all the information they need about the event and they can choose to attend and run a story while they are there or report about the story later. If you can donate a portion or your proceeds to a local charity, this will really help your chances of getting some news media members to attend your event.