Using Press Releases in Your Small Business Marketing Plan

The press release has been around for most of modern history in one form or another. When you have some small business news you want to share, using a press release is often the best route to take. However, there are some things you need to know about promoting your business with a press release.

Keep these four tips in mind before setting up your press release.

Target Newspapers First

Radio stations and TV channels often dump hundreds of press releases every day without even giving them a second glance. They simply do not need the same steady flow of newsworthy stories that a newspaper would need. After all with the exception of paid advertisements and maybe a few pages of comics all the newspaper is – is news. So when you are ready to send out a press release, the newspaper is the place to start.

A Press Release is NOT an Ad

If you contact the newspaper or news organization just wanting them to promote your business, you are going to have a hard time. Media organizations have advertising departments that will gladly talk about your company for a fee; this is not the same thing as a press release. With a press release you are sending out notice of something newsworthy that is going on with your company or within your industry. You may have to get very creative in order to make what is going on at your small business newsworthy, but it is almost always possible to come up with some type of "news angle". Once you come up with a legitimate news story that just happens to promote your business you will have a much easier time finding someone to pick it up.

Next Try Talk Radio

Getting a press release on a standard music station can be rather difficult but getting some time on talk radio is much easier. When sending out your press release information contact local talk radio stations to see if any of them are interested in your services. You can usually find at least one station that could use you as a story. For this type of press release you will be talking about your business, what you do, or some topic related to your business. This can open the door for a lot of possibilities and inadvertently you are promoting your business to potential clients and customers via the radio.

Getting on Television

There is always a possibility of getting your press release out to the masses through the wonderful world of TV. This is probably one of the more difficult tasks but it can be accomplished by most small businesses with a little work a little experience and a whole lot of creativity. (And having the producer's brother-in-law as your weekly golf partner doesn't hurt either!)

One thing that you should realize is that you aren’t going to get your first press release on a major network, unless you are doing something truly amazing. Chances are you don’t have the desire to get on a major network anyway; you are a small business that is mostly interested in targeting local clientele or a limited target audience. In this case you should contact all local news stations to see if you can drum up any interest in your press release.

A good way to ensure that a station will pick up your press release is by creating a gimmick or novelty to go with it. But remember, this isn’t the same thing as an ad, you still need something newsworthy. Television tends to go for the dramatic, the novel and silly.

Adding press releases to your small business marketing plan is a great way to garner some publicity for your business. The most important tip to keep in mind is to ensure that your news is actually newsworthy.