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 By Tash Hughes of Word Constructions

Send out a media release and get free publicity – how often have you heard that as a business owner?

It is true that if your media release is picked up and used by a media outlet, you can get some great publicity for your business or project for no additional cost. However, it is unlikely you will get coverage for every media release you send out, and you only want to send out media releases that have potential value to the media.

So what are some good times to send out a media release?

• When you open or launch your business – announcing your existence is a great excuse but you will need to say something more than “we’re open”. Show how it will benefit people (e.g. the first restaurant in the town or use of new technology to provide faster service) or give a human interest angle (e.g. local hero starts a business or personal situation inspired help for others)
• Offering something new – this could be a new location, expanding to a new area, adding a new service or product range or even new staff/management. Again, find the part of the story that will interest people using the media
• Community involvement – if you are sponsoring or are personally involved in a local event (e.g. judging at a local fair or on the committee for a homeless shelter or run a team blood drive) you can send out a release to inform others about the event and your involvement. Many people who believe in the event/cause, will note your support
• Seasonal activities – it could be announcing your Mothers Day specials or how your business is participating in the spirit of the season. For example, a local pharmacy used to have the Easter Bunny and Santa in the store for a day for parents to bring in children for a free photo – that is a story for the local media
• Major achievements – if you or your business wins an award or other honour, you can announce it to the world! Not only is it publicity for you, it also shows people that you somehow stand out in your field which can inspire their trust
• For your anniversaries – each year you are in business is an achievement and builds trust as you are not ‘here today and gone tomorrow’. You can add in human element or note what public celebrations you may be running (e.g. 10% off everything on our birthday or all customers invited for a coffee to celebrate with us)
• Appearing in public – if you are presenting at an expo, talking at a conference or even comparing a business function, you can provide publicity for yourself and the event by sending out a media release. Public appearances build your credibility and potential customers will be interested in learning from you. Make sure you include all relevant details in your release such as time, date and location of the event.
• Special events – sales, demonstrations, guests (e.g. an author signing books, naturopath consultations, chef demonstrations and sportspeople giving autographs in the shop) and functions (e.g. providing speakers, an after hours preview) are worth promoting and the media sometimes publishes such stories if they consider it unusual and/or useful enough for their audience
• Closures – trade holidays and business specific closures are important for customers to know about, but the media won’t often pick up these stories unless it is a significant closure (e.g. local supermarket is closing for 2 weeks) or the closure relates to something exciting (e.g. hairdresser’s shop closing for 3 weeks to be rebuilt as a large beauty saloon in a small town or a shop closing for a month after a fire)

Clear communication is critical to the success of any business, but it is often left to care for itself in many businesses. Tash Hughes is a professional and skilled writer who makes technical and otherwise boring information accessible for everyone a business needs to communicate with. Next time you need webcopy, articles, newsletters, reports or any other business document, visit www.wordconstructions.com.au to see how Tash and her team can help your business succeed.