How to Increase Your Chances to Get Publicity

Write a biographical profile about you. It needs to be to the point, brief, state your experience and expertise. If you had any other article or picture published, mention. The same is valid for received prizes and special events (seminars, workshops) you've been in or taught recently.

Describe the benefits of your product or service. If in the service business, you might want to write about what you try to achieve in providing the service you offer to your clients. If in the product business, you can describe the focus of your goods (always stating the benefits, not the features) or your line of products, and enclose a sample of your product in the press kit.

Write down about the history of your company and its description. You can include the personal principles that lie behind the company to add moral value.

Include any previous articles written about you and some testimonial quotes your clients may have written.

Add a professionally taken photograph. At least 2: a headshot of yourself and a photograph of your products and services. Adding a professionally taken photograph will greatly increase your chances of being published, given that the editorial market praises professionalism in the materials submitted to them. Have some extra pictures for additional press kits ready to be sent in case other publications are interested in your idea or story. Glossy, 8x10 photographs are the standard for press kits, together with captions in a printed label, behind the picture, describing it. Something similar to Mr. X, in his office, Miami (FL), receiving the 2004 publishers award, last month.

Mention any highlight of your company such as a TV interview or radio broadcast, talk show, workshop or course you've offered and so on.

Create a presentation folder to enclose all the materials of your press kit. Make it stand out by a different size, color or format, but matching your style and visual identity.

Write a letter to accompany your news release. Address it to the editor or publisher by their names (get their names first!) with the idea or story you are able to generate for their publication.

Have your story start with an attention grabber followed by the text. Remember that you are releasing valuable information that may be useful to the editor, not an ad for your company.

Use your letterhead and include your contact name and phone, date to be released - or the standard FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE and your story immediately below.

Deliver your press kit/story by hand instead of mail, if possible.

Follow up with a phone call in a week from delivery to check if it reached the right person, to whom you addressed it and ask if there is any further information you can add. The follow up phone call is a key display for you: it opens doors to establish rapport with your editor/publisher even if your news is not picked for being published. It also reminds them, in case they haven t looked at it yet, and gives you the opportunity to be nice and helpful.

When creating the story/news to be released, remember that every time you do something for your community, you can create publicity. People have empathy with the good causes . Let them know anytime you donate time, money or associate with some other business in favor of a non-profit organization.

Last, but not least, understand that just because some news have not been published in one media does not mean others can't publish it. You can send the same information to other publications and see if they would be interested. The more consistent and persistent you are in trying to be published by offering the press valuable information, the more likely you will be. Keep trying!