Small Business Marketing Kit For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Becoming a News Source

To generate publicity, you have to start with a news item of interest, and that takes knowing the differences among promotional messages. If there’s even a chance that editors, reporters, or bloggers — or their audiences — will say “so what?” about the story you’re advancing, it’ll never see the light of day.

But even beyond a news story, to achieve publicity you need a media kit in both hard-copy and digital form that reporters, editors, and others can access for more information. And of course you need a list of media contacts and a strategy for maintaining media relationships and responding to media interest.

Creating a media kit and online media center

If you want to be cited in media outlets, called on by meeting planners, or contacted by local organizations seeking a lunchtime speaker, you need to be ready with professionally produced materials that those seeking official information about your business can access, reproduce, and quote.

Most small businesses create media kits in two forms: In hard copy, usually contained in a folder called a media kit, and online as a page on their website.

Online, don’t make people register to access your media kit contents, and do make it simple for them to leave their e-mail addresses and requests for customized information. In hard copy or online, here’s what to include:

Business facts, including history and product ...