Not so long ago, small businesses and non-profit organizations across the board were faced with a tough question: do we need a Web site? We know the answer to that as the majority of small businesses and non-profits offer effective sites that not only provide information but can sell products, accept online donations, and raise awareness.

The new question facing them now is: Do we need to hire a PR agency?

Unfortunately, though many small businesses and organizations would like to retain a PR firm, the cost just doesn’t fit into the budget. Well, that doesn’t have to be the case. Small businesses and non-profits can manage their own media relations with the help of a few tools of the trade.

Online Press Kits: Everything a business or organization’s press kit contains can be published and distributed on the Internet with online press kits. Now, an online press kit is not a Web site. Don’t be confused by the term “online.” Though an online press kit can be displayed online and present information like a Web site, it is really a virtual folder or briefcase that allows an organization to upload and store press materials on the Internet.

Once in an online press kit folder, these documents and images can be distributed as links – not attachments to e-mails. Most e-mails with attachments never reach their designated recipient in the media due to firewalls and anti-virus protection services. With an online press kit, documents are added as links within the message.

An online press kit can be linked directly to a Web site so that when the media visits in search of news and background information, they’ll know exactly where to go. Changes and edits can be made instantly, preventing outdated or incorrect information from being distributed. Plus, some online press kit services are so simple to use and manage; an organization won’t need to hire an “IT guy,” another budget-friendly feature.

Online press kit services vary greatly in terms of price and features. Take some time to research your options and identify your needs before committing to one service over another. Some services include features you probably will never use (but pay for), while others may not provide enough services, such as training or support.

Web-based Media Lead Services – One of the greatest benefits of the Internet is the ability to rapidly obtain information. What used to require a hard copy media guide or CD is now available from a number of providers online. An organization can reach virtually hundreds of thousands of media contacts with one click by listing spokespeople as experts, offering timely quotes on current events, or responding to the hundreds of media leads that come in daily from journalists on deadline. There are many providers out there that vary in cost and quality. It is worth the time and effort to do some research on which service is best for your budget and your needs. Some services are even free. Services that are used by the most media professionals will likely cost more than ones with lower membership.

Web-based Media Databases – Your business or organization has hot news and you want to let every daily newspaper in the country know about it. First, you must visit each paper’s Web site individually, record their contact information, compile a list and then blast that news out there. However, by the time you did that, your news would be at least a month old. Ouch.

Media databases to the rescue. There are many services available online that provide up-to-date media lists from every medium and market you can imagine. Most require a membership or subscription fee, but it is well worth the money if the alternative is to compile a list manually. Services of this type include BurrellesLuce Media Contacts program (www.BurrellesLuce.com), Bacon’s (www.Bacons.com), and Contacts on Tap (www.ContactsOnTap.Com).

Press Release Distribution Services – Got a press release that the world needs to see? You could compile the list as we mentioned above (the hard way), or use a media database – but you could also leave it to the experts and submit your release to a distribution service, or “wire.” There are many services available at various costs. One service is PR Web (www.PRWeb.com) which not only can run your release for free (limited distribution), but allows you to specify Internet search terms, making the release easily accessible to Web users.

The media savvy and expertise of media relations professionals is worth the money, but when the money just isn’t there, small businesses and non-profit organizations can tap the talent they have within and combine it with technology designed to make communication easier.

If you need some help developing your press documents, take a look at the press kits of other businesses or organizations in your area. There are also many Internet resources available that can provide tips to writing your own press releases and news announcements.

Managing media relations in-house is not impossible and can be a fantastic way to reach the media as a small business or organization grows.

Drew Gerber is Co-creator of Press Kit 24/7 (http://www.PressKit247.com), an online press kit technology. In addition to helping non-profits and small businesses manage their own media relations through technology, Gerber is Co-Owner of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a PR firm representing causes, nonprofits, and businesses that make a difference. An expert in the art of listening and in building relationships, Gerber can be reached at Drew@publicityresults.com.

Small businesses have always known the importance of word of mouth. Many successful businesses have been built on word of mouth referrals, and many have been killed by bad word of mouth.

But now the landscape is changing, making word of mouth more important than ever - only now, that word of mouth is being communicated on the Internet.

People - your customers - are turning to the Internet as their primary source of information on products and services. Instead of opening the yellow pages of their phone book, they turn to Yahoo or Google. And in addition to websites and listings for local businesses, they are finding ratings and reviews!

Sites like Amazon.com and ePinions pioneered product rating systems. In some categories, these ratings have become essential to a product’s success: more than 60% of consumer electronics purchasers report that they consult online ratings before making a purchase decision!

Ratings have also become common is a few other business categories, such as restaurants and hotels.

But the online ratings explosion is just starting; Internet entrepreneurs are demonstrating that virtually anything can be rated online.

RateMyProfessors.com, launched in 1999, allows college students to rate - well, professors. The site has accumulated over 3 million ratings, and has spun off another site, RateMyTeachers.com, aimed at high school and elementary students.

ApartmentRatings.com has the most comprehensive database of apartment ratings, with almost 250,000 reviews. RateMDs.com was formed to allow patients to rate their doctors. A new site, ClubRatingz.com, allows patrons to rate nightclubs and bars (perhaps while recovering from hangovers?)

Rating sites are even risking the wrath of the legal profession: LawyerRatingz.com provides attorney ratings and reviews.

All of these sites feature a fair share of rants and raves. Many of the comments are semi-coherent ramblings, often typed with Caps Lock down. But surprisingly, over time and with enough ratings, a fairly accurate picture emerges. Some reviewers provide well-thought reviews and useful information. And the sites are being visited and read!

The ratings phenomena may not have reached your industry or your community, but it probably will. So what can you do about it?

First, be aware of ratings sites. Use a search engine to look for rating sites in your area and business. (Search for things like landscaper ratings in Pittsburgh or hair salon reviews in Sacramento.) You may find that your business is already listed on a rating site. If it is, make sure that the basic listing information (business name, location, website) is correct, and if not, contact the site operator. If your business is not listed, see if there is a way to add your listing. Do not pay for this service! Legitimate rating sites are not supported by the businesses being rated! (However, a few sites offer enhanced "listings" for a small fee. Consider paying for this is the site seems to be well run and have a lot of traffic.)

Check the rating sites regularly. You might actually get some good information on how customers see your business, and where you need to make improvements.

Encourage your patrons to rate your business. Satisfied customers will give you good ratings. (Don’t try to "flood" a rating site with bogus reviews; many of these sites use algorithms to detect the source of ratings, and may even remove businesses that try to cheat.)

If you get a bad review, there’s probably not much you can do about it. The rating and review sites are on pretty solid legal ground, and most will not remove bad reviews. However, some sites have a mechanism for responding to a review, so be sure to ask about this. If nothing else, you can submit your own review and calmly refute the complaints of other reviewers. Be careful to stay calm and professional, and not get into online debates that can damage your credibility.

In the end, business success is still based on word of mouth - but now more people are listening.

Bob Nicholson / WYGK Consulting provides business, technology and strategic consulting for small businesses, internet start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Visit http://www.wygk.com

So you have a cell phone, a Palm Pilot, an automated office complete with teleconferencing, remote-access, Web site and e-mail addresses. So what? Just because you’re always available to the media doesn’t mean the media has easy access to your clients. What will your high-tech office be able to do when a reporter wants a press kit at 7 p.m. on a Friday evening? Nothing – except hastily prepare the hard copy kit for a costly overnight shipment.

There is a simple way to eliminate the need for keeping a large inventory of hard copy press kits and reduce your dependency on the shipping company guy: publish your clients’ press kits online.

Making the move from hard copies to press kits published online that are always-accessible is essential in today’s age of e-mail. The corporate world lives by e-mail; reporters and other media professionals are no different. These people are busy and time is always of the essence when they’ve got deadlines breathing down their necks. The decision to use your client in a story instead of someone else is contingent on whose information is easiest to get. If it takes all night for your client’s press kit to reach their desk, you might get bumped.

I know what you’re saying right now. “But, Drew, I e-mail my clients’ press materials to the media.” Well, that’s great, but just because reporters use e-mail doesn’t mean they open every stranger’s message that arrives in their inbox and it especially doesn’t mean that they even bother opening your attachments. Why? Because it’s too risky.

First of all, everyone knows not to open an e-mail from someone you don’t know; especially if there’s an attachment. This is e-mail safety 101. Strange e-mails with attachments usually mean one thing: virus. At least, that’s the take of most business’s firewalls and anti-virus protection systems. You may think you’re making waves by mass e-mailing your media lists with attached press releases, but how many calls are you getting back? Not many, since your important e-mail has been tossed out with the “wasser” worm and those annoying “enlargement” e-mails.

So what’s the solution? Reject technology and start snail-mailing and faxing again? No. Embrace technology and publish your press kits online.

Now, an online press kit is not a Web site. Don’t be confused by the term “online.” Though an online press kit can be displayed online and present information like a Web site, it is really a virtual folder or briefcase that allows you to upload and store your press materials on the Internet. Once in your online press kit folder, these documents and images can be distributed as links – not attachments.

When you prepare your sharp, concise e-mail pitch to the media, you simply insert links to your clients’ press kits. When the reporter clicks the link, the document can be opened and saved on their computer. It opens like an attachment, but the documents themselves live online. Instead of piling them onto your e-mail, you’re simply providing directions (a link) to get to them. They become part of the e-mail message, so a media outlet’s virus protection system won’t automatically kick it out of the system.

Virtually anything can be uploaded to an online press kit: press releases, high-resolution images, video and audio clips, graphics and more. Plus, since you have control over your online press kits, you can always be sure they’re up to date.

Now you’re thinking “Wow, these things sound great, but I bet they are expensive.” Not necessarily. Though there are online press kit programs available that cost into the thousands, they usually include extra features you don’t really need and will probably never use. Think of the online press kit market as the binder or folder aisle at your favorite office supply store. Sure there are binders with all kinds of extras, but you pass those by for what you need and the price you can live with.

Face it – technology is only going to get better and faster. Don’t be left in its dust trying to wave down that brown truck with your emergency overnight press kit. By going online with your clients’ press kits, you’re not only making them easy to access, but easy to cover by the media. The media loves that – and so will your clients.

Drew Gerber is Co-creator of Press Kit 24/7(http://www.PressKit247.com), an online press kit technology. In addition to helping non-profits and small businesses manage their own media relations through technology, Gerber is Co-Owner of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a PR firm representing causes, nonprofits, and businesses that make a difference. An expert in the art of listening and in building relationships, Gerber can be reached at Drew@publicityresults.com.

Have you fantasized about spreading word of your business on a top-rated TV show like The Today Show or Oprah?

Eileen Roth, a professional organizer just a year into her business, was able to get on both shows using the time-honored technique of the news hook.

Understanding the News Nook

Do-it-yourself PR people often tell prospects that the print and broadcast media will interview you simply because you are an expert in your field. Actually, the cold truth is that you have to earn the media’s interest by providing them with the kind of news hook that shows:

* You understand what their audience values.

* You have tied what you want to promote into what’s going on in the world today.

* You have read, watched, or listened to that specific media outlet and know how you would fit in.

Before you approach a media outlet you must brainstorm why your news will be of high interest to their audience. This is your pitch, be it a verbal pitch or in the form of a news release.

Putting a Story Together for the Media

Your news must whet the appetite and imagination of the editor, reporter, or producer so he can visualize the compelling story at the nucleus of your pitch. He needs to see at a glance how your news will play out on paper, radio, or TV, and how your news will appeal to the needs and interests of his readers.

This means you must first find relevant, newsworthy story ideas and condense them into information packed, “user friendly” pitches and releases that will shout “great story” to the media professionals reading them.

Piggybacking on a Holiday

Most people only consider ‘traditional’ holidays like Christmas as a news peg, but you will find thousands of other holidays in Chase’s Directory of Events (McGraw-Hill). This is where professional organizer Eileen Roth found National Clean Off Your Desk Day and used it as a news peg to contact TV producers. Along with her news release, she included an information sheet listing her seven principles for a clean desk.

For the price of just a couple of first class stamps, Eileen Roth got invited to appear on the Today show (twice) and Oprah.

You can too!

If you want to promote your business on national television, take a “can do” hint from Roth. Check out Chase’s Directory of Events at your local library today.

Profit from free articles and how-to information at http://www.BuildingBuzz.com. Marisa D’Vari is author of the new Building Buzz: How to Reach and Impress Your Target Audience, is available on Amazon at bookstores everywhere.

In last week’s article, we talked about why your small business needs a press kit. Because they’re not just for the press, I prefer to call them small business information package. To recap, you need a small business information package to augment your business card, which has only limited information about you and your company.

Your small business information package is the printed materials to give or send to prospective clients to tell them who you are, where you are, how to contact you, what you do, how to buy, and why to buy from you instead of your competition.

This week, we’re going to discuss what you should put inside your information package. For all intents and purposes, anything that promotes your company can go inside it. Some of the more common things include:

• Business card
• Small business brochure
• Letter of introduction
• Product or service review
• Price list
• Press releases
• White papers
• Recent articles written by you or about your company
• Biography of key officers
• Flyers, coupons or direct mail pieces
• Information pamphlets

So, let’s talk a bit about each. And let’s start with the big one—your small business brochure. Your small business brochure can stand alone. If you decide not to have a complete small business information package, at the very least, create a tri-fold brochure so you have detailed printed information to give clients.

If your prospective client reads only one thing in your whole information package, it will most likely be your brochure. Why? Because it captures the reader’s attention better than any other item in your information package. Most of your other items will be letters, articles or reviews. They’ll look good, and they’ll all match because they’re on your letterhead, but they won’t jump out at your readers like your full color tri-fold brochure will.

So, you want to make sure it’s the first thing people see when they open the front cover of your information package. If you can capture their interest with your brochure, they’re more likely to read the rest.

The first page of your small business brochure should have your business name and logo, and possibly a photo or some graphics. Make it colorful. Make it interesting. Add a slogan or motto on the front that will make people curious as to what’s inside. You don’t want them to just look at the front cover and put it aside!

Inside, try to introduce yourself and review your product or service briefly. If you can, keep the introduction and review to the length of the first inside page or so. Adding a few graphics or photos throughout the whole brochure, together with informative text helps keep your readers’ interest. And, make good use of your headings, remembering that most readers will scan from left to right, stopping at graphics and headings, and sometimes reading the last paragraph.

Now, this part is important, and is possibly the biggest mistake most small businesses make with their brochure—at least some of the other two inside pages could be better used to show prospective buyers how your product or service can benefit them, rather than to describe your product or service features.

I cannot stress this enough. Too many times small business brochures are used simply to talk about you, your company or your product/service. Most of your readers simply won’t care who you are, what you do or how you do it. What they really care about is how you can benefit them. How you can save them time or resources. How you can make their lives just a little bit easier.

Often, the last outside page of your brochure summarizes the inside pages, or lists products or services in point form. You could even add a price list, if you have one.

The next several items in your small business information package are all written on your letterhead, and the sky’s the limit as to what you can use.

You could put the letter of introduction just behind your brochure, or you could include it outside the information package cover if you’re mailing it. Usually this is just a short, one-page letter introducing yourself and your company, and thanking the recipient for taking the time to look at your information package.

Your product or service review could be long or short, depending on what you’re offering. This is not the place to stress benefits, but simply to list and describe your services or products. You can combine a product or service review with your price list very effectively.

Include any press releases about your company, and articles written by you or about your company. If you don’t have any, don’t worry. You can write some specifically for your information kit. Include announcements of your grand opening, for example, or a new line of products, or your new location. Or write an article about one of your products or services.

White papers are becoming increasingly popular. Are you an expert in a particular area? If you are, you might want to write a white paper to include with your information package. A white paper discusses specific business issues, products, technology or other such topics. It usually summarizes information about the topic, and then suggests a proposal for action, referencing research data to justify the reasons for the action. It explains your topic in terms most people can understand, with the goal of educating consumers and marketing your product or service. White papers help establish the writer as an authority.

The biography of your key officers is basically a resume. Include short one-page biographies of key officers to highlight areas of expertise and level of experience in your industry.

Fliers, coupons and direct mail pieces can also be included in your small business information package. Fliers and coupons emphasize current specials or discounts. Here’s a few tips. When you’re thinking about specials or discounts, try to create a sense of urgency with them by making them time- or quantity-limited. And, consider the 10/10 rule, which theorizes that people are most likely to buy when they see discounts of 10% or $10. Or, better yet, offer something extra free.

Recent direct mail sales letters can also be included. There’s simply too much to say about them to really give justice in this short article, but some things to remember are: to stress benefits, create a sense of urgency, the 10/10 rule and a bolded P.S. including a call to action.

Keep direct mail sales letter simple and relevant. Be enthusiastic, know your product, use your imagination and understand your target audience. Establish trust and credibility. Include testimonials. Give free nuggets of information. And, just like in your brochure, write your direct mail sales letter for how people will read it, scanning left to right, and stopping at graphics and headlines, and the P.S.

Now that you’ve gotten all your information package items written and printed, it’s time to put them all together. You can buy covers in your company colors and have your logo and business name printed on them. Put your business card in the front slot and your information in the inside pockets, making sure your brochure is the first item they’ll see. Then send it out, and sit back and wait for responses you’re sure to get!

Eve Jackson owns Details Small Business Solutions, a company dedicated to helping small business do big business with communication and image consulting. We write business plans and design corporate identity packages, small business information packages and web sites. We’re also copywriters, writing copy for information packages, web sites and direct mail sales letters…

As small businesses we have an opportunity and an obligation to help keep our communities strong. As small business people we have an awesome distribution system, reaching hundreds of people every day who come into our stores. If we are a mobile service business we see hundreds per day on our route. If you volunteer to deliver flyers to all your customers for an upcoming club event, you can develop incredible rapport with these groups. The word of mouth referrals will be great. Consider the fact that these service clubs contain the grass roots movers and shakers of the town. You can put up flyers for events on your counters or post a flyer in the window, this does tremendous advertising for positive events.

Many times these clubs need volunteers. The bigger the club, the easier it is to do large projects. By volunteering, you help the club with strength and in achieving their goals. When working with clubs and community groups, you will notice that many people will volunteer and not follow through. This creates very negative feelings in the minds of other members, so remember to follow through.

Not everyone is able to remember names well, but it is imperative for you to learn everyone’s name that you meet in a service club. They will no doubt mention you or praise you in their conversations. People will approach you and say “Oh, you know Fred Wilson, don’t you?” “Ah, ah, ah, I don’t know” you say. Wrong answer. You should have remembered their name. You should keep a Data Bases Of Service Clubs and names in a Microsoft Excel file called Service Clubs Data Base. This database should contain a list of all the service clubs in your area and surrounding cities. Use this information to coordinate community projects and to help open communications with other groups.

This is yet another opportunity to spread your name through the network of community groups and the multitude of members involved. By being involved with these groups, you can be part of everything that makes your town what it is. You will be a positive element. You will be part of the solution not the problem. Think about it.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

While speaking at a recent legal seminar on internal investigations, an attorney asked me about responding to news media that finds out about an emerging corporate crisis or other potentially negative situation.

Isn’t it in the company’s best interests, he asked, to avoid the press until all the facts are known and there’s some “good news” to tell?

Nope. You can’t dissuade interested reporters from chasing down a legitimate business story any more than you can push water uphill with a fork. Not only do your pants get wet, but you look an idiot.

In other words, the news happens with you or without you. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have all the facts, or still have lose ends to tie up. Unlike the lawyerly concept of a definitive final resolution, news coverage is incremental. Hour by hour. Day by day. One headline follows another as new information is confirmed or disputed, as ramifications become evident and fall-out analyzed.

And in almost all cases, how your company responds to and deals with the press becomes part of – and at times the central focus of — the ongoing story.

To not participate in even “negative” news coverage is to risk death by a thousand paper cuts. You force the media to discover for themselves the facts that you don’t have — information, opinions and perspectives that will be rushed into coverage whether or not you agree with their accuracy or context. In the end, you likely prolong whatever bad publicity you’re trying to avoid.

Does that mean you have answers to every question? Of course not. But there’s a huge difference between hiding from the press and making a sincere effort to explain why you can’t answer a specific question, or why it isn’t appropriate for the CEO to be interviewed at this time. Engaging the media during an emerging crisis — even to respectfully decline comment — promotes a credible rapport that may create breathing room to produce facts as you confirm them, or have opportunity to respond to information and opinion before it is published or aired.

Whether you’re dealing with good news or bad news, the rule is the same. Say only what you know to be true. But say it. Your company will be better for it.

Originally published in Scatterbox by Steven Silvers at http://www.stevensilvers.com

Steven Silvers is an accomplished reputation management, corporate affairs and communications strategy consultant with 25 years experience helping organizations navigate through today’s increasingly complex nexus of business, government, news media and community.

For information on having Steve speak to your business or organization, please drop a note to scatterbox@stevensilvers.com.

You are in business for yourself, but how well do you know your customers and community? A good way to become better at understanding your community is to develop spread sheet databases of service clubs in your town with contact names, phone numbers, email addresses and brief descriptions. You should know all of the Volunteer Support / Service Clubs in your town. You will find sample letters in your Microsoft Word and Excel programs to make your job of creating these databases quite easy. You’ll also find a list of service clubs at your local chamber of commerce and you can build your database from there. You will also find information in the newspaper under; what is happening events with contact names and sources. The file you create should be labeled Service Clubs Data Base and contain contact information for clubs such as:

Kiwanis

Optimists

Soroptimists

Elks

Lions Club

Rotary

This database will prove to be quite useful to you. These clubs help the community, other clubs and groups in your area. You should also create standard letters in Microsoft Word that contain promotional silent auction coupons and gift certificate or fundraising idea proposals which involve your company. It is advisable to mail a proposal to all clubs in your area alerting them of your desire to work with them on gift certificates and events. Introduce yourself and attend meetings of service clubs. Go to two meetings. At the second, bring two additional potential members with you. All service clubs try to increase their membership. Since they are also social clubs, many times increasing membership is more important than helping. Even if you don’t join, you can make a lot of friends by securing membership or brining in others. This is smart networking and shows your commitment to the community. It’s always good to name drop too and most of the city’s movers and shakers are involved in these groups. You should attend all prominent clubs before making a decision and join only one. Keep open tabs on all clubs and become a resource in case they need something. Think about the community and your place in it. As a small business person you owe it to yourself to participate and become part of the ownership society which builds community spirit and strengthens your business. Think about it.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Despite exploding regulatory costs and skeptical investors, the market for initial public offerings seems to be rebounding. A few young companies mulling their own IPOs asked me what communications issues to keep in mind. Here are six considerations:

ONE: Start over-communicating now. You can’t be a quiet company that doesn’t put out press releases and then suddenly open the flood gates after you’re in quiet period. You’ll get slammed for hyping your stock.

Establish a routine far in advance of quiet period by issuing announcements about all personnel and operational milestones. This creates the business-as-usual precedent to continue feeding relevant business information into the marketplace during the IPO period. It also creates a historical foundation for potential investors and influencers.

Some companies think you have to go dark during quiet period, when the opposite is true. This is when you show the world how you make money.

TWO: Assume you are being taken literally. A private company can get away with sweeping, over-the-top mission statement hype to build an edgy, noticeable brand persona. But once you go public, those chest-thumpin’ promises of superior quality, die-for-you service, untouchable ethics and integrity become standards to which you’ll be held accountable by shareholders, analysts, news media and class-action lawyers.

THREE: Use stars carefully. IPO companies typically spotlight their star-player founders or CEOs. The problem is that these personalities often disappear sometime after the IPO, causing a crisis in confidence by investors who complain they don’t know the board, the management team or how the company will live without the celebrity they thought they bought into.

FOUR: Don’t underestimate the internal angst of going (gag) corporate. Being a public company will be a culture shock to managers and employees as the board’s focus shifts from boom-boom profits to enhancing long-term shareholder value. The change can be disruptive and demoralizing, especially at a strongly culture-driven company.

FIVE: Manage inevitable distractions. The receptionist’s zombie-like fixation on Bloomberg.com will remind you that IPOs are a costly operational distraction. People will be preoccupied with strike price, exit strategies and all the family-and-friends they never knew they had.

Whatever you committed to internal communications needs to double now. Maybe triple. Keep employees informed and directed enough to stay focused on the job at hand.

SIX: Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst. Make sure you’re ready for any potentially negative contingencies that might influence the IPO – including underwriter problems, sudden operational crises, over-hyped market expectations, lost business or sudden loss of a key executive.

And definitely keep an eye on your corporate or employee blogs.

Originally published in Scatterbox by Steven Silvers at http://www.stevensilvers.com

Steven Silvers is an accomplished reputation management, corporate affairs and communications strategy consultant with 25 years experience helping organizations navigate through today’s increasingly complex nexus of business, government, news media and community.

For information on having Steve speak to your business or organization, please drop a note to scatterbox@stevensilvers.com.

Do you have a great idea for a story, but no clue how to get it in the news? Are you tired of pitching press releases the news media simply ignores?

After twenty years of beating the street as a TV reporter, I have a scoop for you: the media needs good stories. But most stories are pitched so poorly, they are lost in the blizzard of faxes that blanket every newsroom.

So, here are five steps to increase your chances of getting covered that even some PR pros don’t know:

1) BE UNUSUAL

The old adage about "Man bites dog" still holds true. The news doesn’t cover what’s normal. We cover the abnormal.

PR whiz Carolyn Alvey knew this when she was trying to raise money for a charity several years ago. Instead of holding a garage sale, she sent out a press release announcing a "Celebrity Garage Sale." Everything from Bob Hope’s old golf clubs to Roger Staubach’s long-neglected neckties were for sale. By making an ordinary garage sale extraordinary, the media was instantly sold on the story.

2) BE VISUAL

Reporters tell stories with pictures. If the pictures aren’t there, chances are the reporters won’t be either.

Even the most non-visual story can be made visual if you’re creative. A dog biscuit business? Boring. A dog birthday party complete with doggie guests and party hats? Now you’re barking up the right tree.

That’s what Michelle Lamont did to boost her dog biscuit bakery. She began baking huge dog biscuit birthday cakes and inviting the media to cover the parties. She’s had reporters hounding her for stories ever since.

3) CHOOSE THE RIGHT REPORTER

Perhaps the most common mistake even some PR pros make is trying to sell a good story to the wrong person. Most reporters have a specialty, like "crime" or "business."

So, seek out the reporter who will have the most to benefit from your story. Start studying the news. Before you call a TV station or try and pitch the paper, become familiar with a reporter’s work. Don’t try and sell an investigative story to a reporter who covers entertainment.

4) WRITE LIKE A REPORTER

If I were going to send a press release to a reporter, I’d write the kind of headline that a newspaper would run. And I’d make the rest of the release so conversational that a TV anchor could read it right on the air.

Why is this so important? A major market newsroom gets hundreds of press releases every day. Often the decision on whether to cover your story is made in a matter of seconds. Many times that well-crafted sentence in the third paragraph of your press release is never read.

5) WAIT FOR A SLOW NEWS DAY

The holidays are the slowest "news times" of the year. When government offices are closed, so are most of our sources. Take advantage of it.

In fact, take out your calendar and begin circling government holidays. If the government isn’t making news, we reporters are scrambling to find something to cover. Pitch even an average story on a day when the media is starving for news, and you’re much more likely to get coverage.

There you go. Now you’re armed with knowledge that even some well-paid public relations professionals don’t practice. If your idea is unique, visual, and pitched to the right person when the supply of news is running thin, you’re in!

Jeff Crilley is an Emmy Award Winning Reporter and author of Free Publicity - A TV Reporter Shares the Secrets for Getting Covered on the News. It’s available at bookstores everywhere or online at www.jeffcrilley.com