search for them. It's as if someone made a sale for you for free.

Second, you are providing your local media personality with an opportunity to become directly associated with what you are doing. If this is something to assist the whole community, notify the public of a serious issue or a worthy cause, they themselves become associated with it as do you; it’s a win-win situation.

Third, if you have positioned yourself as an objective provider of business information in your field, you become very well placed as an industry expert that a local media personality can call on to lend a sto

Does news happen or is it made?

News is happening around us all the time; we only get to see it from our daily existence or through the media. The media are in the business of sifting through the tens of thousands of news pieces happening every day, sifting out wheat from chaff and presenting it to us in print, sound and vision.

This is a major task by any standard and is where you can help the media, and especially media personalities, with your Small Business Press Releases.

It goes without saying that this will in turn help you.

Every newspaper, radio station and television media outlet will have their star reporters and journalists who have to come up with pieces involving human interest stories, genuinely new innovative products and services as well as commentary from industry "experts" to provide credibility to a story. Their function in life is to find and present these stories and that is not as easy as you might think.

News may happen all around us, but how often is a news crew at the bank when it gets robbed? Not often, it's very rare and that's why such an occurrence would be news. In fact, finding and researching news ideas is time consuming and hard work and here is where you come into the picture.

If you are sponsoring a charitable or non-profit event, think about the human interest in what you are trying to achieve. Are you raising money for someone local, if so why does that money need to be raised and who for? Sending deprived children to camp, a food drive for the poor or funding medical treatment for a sick child with no insurance are all philanthropic, newsworthy efforts. Tugging at the heartstrings of readers, listeners and viewers will generate local interest in what you are doing, and incidentally in your business.

You may have an innovative product or service that the community as a whole would genuinely be interested in hearing about. Perhaps you have a service that will help save the elderly money, a product that a new tax break makes attractive or will save the environment because it is eco-friendly.

So why are your local media personalities dying to get your Press Release?

First, you will be sending them your Press Release and it will be clear, to the point and in a format that they want. Straight away you are making their job easy; you have already found them a story and done the initial research for them. It's as if someone made a sale for you for free.

Second, you are providing your local media personality with an opportunity to become directly associated with what you are doing. If this is something to assist the whole community, notify the public of a serious issue or a worthy cause, they themselves become associated with it as do you; it’s a win-win situation.

Third, if you have positioned yourself as an objective provider of business information in your field, you become very well placed as an industry expert that a local media personality can call on to lend a stor

on media outlet will have their star reporters and journalists who have to come up with pieces involving human interest stories, genuinely new innovative products and services as well as commentary from industry "experts" to provide credibility to a story. Their function in life is to find and present these stories and that is not as easy as you might think.

News may happen all around us, but how often is a news crew at the bank when it gets robbed? Not often, it's very rare and that's why such an occurrence would be news. In fact, finding and researching news ideas is time consuming and hard work and here is where you come into the picture.

If you are sponsoring a charitable or non-profit event, think about the human interest in what you are trying to achieve. Are you raising money for someone local, if so why does that money need to be raised and who for? Sending deprived children to camp, a food drive for the poor or funding medical treatment for a sick child with no insurance are all philanthropic, newsworthy efforts. Tugging at the heartstrings of readers, listeners and viewers will generate local interest in what you are doing, and incidentally in your business.

You may have an innovative product or service that the community as a whole would genuinely be interested in hearing about. Perhaps you have a service that will help save the elderly money, a product that a new tax break makes attractive or will save the environment because it is eco-friendly.

So why are your local media personalities dying to get your Press Release?

First, you will be sending them your Press Release and it will be clear, to the point and in a format that they want. Straight away you are making their job easy; you have already found them a story and done the initial research for them. It's as if someone made a sale for you for free.

Second, you are providing your local media personality with an opportunity to become directly associated with what you are doing. If this is something to assist the whole community, notify the public of a serious issue or a worthy cause, they themselves become associated with it as do you; it’s a win-win situation.

Third, if you have positioned yourself as an objective provider of business information in your field, you become very well placed as an industry expert that a local media personality can call on to lend a sto

rd work and here is where you come into the picture.

If you are sponsoring a charitable or non-profit event, think about the human interest in what you are trying to achieve. Are you raising money for someone local, if so why does that money need to be raised and who for? Sending deprived children to camp, a food drive for the poor or funding medical treatment for a sick child with no insurance are all philanthropic, newsworthy efforts. Tugging at the heartstrings of readers, listeners and viewers will generate local interest in what you are doing, and incidentally in your business.

You may have an innovative product or service that the community as a whole would genuinely be interested in hearing about. Perhaps you have a service that will help save the elderly money, a product that a new tax break makes attractive or will save the environment because it is eco-friendly.

So why are your local media personalities dying to get your Press Release?

First, you will be sending them your Press Release and it will be clear, to the point and in a format that they want. Straight away you are making their job easy; you have already found them a story and done the initial research for them. It's as if someone made a sale for you for free.

Second, you are providing your local media personality with an opportunity to become directly associated with what you are doing. If this is something to assist the whole community, notify the public of a serious issue or a worthy cause, they themselves become associated with it as do you; it’s a win-win situation.

Third, if you have positioned yourself as an objective provider of business information in your field, you become very well placed as an industry expert that a local media personality can call on to lend a sto

You may have an innovative product or service that the community as a whole would genuinely be interested in hearing about. Perhaps you have a service that will help save the elderly money, a product that a new tax break makes attractive or will save the environment because it is eco-friendly.

So why are your local media personalities dying to get your Press Release?

First, you will be sending them your Press Release and it will be clear, to the point and in a format that they want. Straight away you are making their job easy; you have already found them a story and done the initial research for them. It's as if someone made a sale for you for free.

Second, you are providing your local media personality with an opportunity to become directly associated with what you are doing. If this is something to assist the whole community, notify the public of a serious issue or a worthy cause, they themselves become associated with it as do you; it’s a win-win situation.

Third, if you have positioned yourself as an objective provider of business information in your field, you become very well placed as an industry expert that a local media personality can call on to lend a sto

search for them. It's as if someone made a sale for you for free.

Second, you are providing your local media personality with an opportunity to become directly associated with what you are doing. If this is something to assist the whole community, notify the public of a serious issue or a worthy cause, they themselves become associated with it as do you; it’s a win-win situation.

Third, if you have positioned yourself as an objective provider of business information in your field, you become very well placed as an industry expert that a local media personality can call on to lend a story credibility. Experts do not grow on trees and again, you're looking here to gain stealth publicity by association and you need to be perceived as trusted, informative and reliable.

While not every release you send will get picked up by local editors, be consistent with your efforts and over time you will build credibility and trust with your local media people – they will look to you as someone they can call on as an expert in a particular area – someone who is reliable and provides clear, accurate information.

Think about who your local media personalities are and what areas they concentrate on and tailor-make your activities with them in mind……has the news just happened or are you going to help make it?