Who Wants a Free TV Commercial?

It's perhaps the most ignored on one hand and the most misused on the other: free publicity. Seeing your company on TV or in the newspaper--and paying nothing for it--is the dream of many a cash-strapped small business owner. And yet, of the thousands of firms that send out press releases an any given week, many are not hitting the mark.

Most reporters and editors on deadline are hungry for news. So, what is news? It's not a special sale. Or a new product (unless it can be tied to a larger issue in the public eye). In the eyes of a reporter, news is a real story or piece of advice, connected to a timely issue. Remember: the media make their money from advertising so they are not inclined to give it away. But if you offer them a real story, tied to a current issue or event, they will be interested.

It makes sense then that, in order to be of interest to a reporter or editor, your story must not look like an ad. What's more, it must have a "news hook," something that is relevant to what is going on in the world or your community--right now.

How to Get Free Press

1. Keep an eye on the news for timely topics. What's making news and how can you connect your business to it in a helpful way? The issues and problems that are on people's minds are what you are going to want to find tie-ins to. Falling home prices, hot topics like environmentalism or the economic downturn.

2. Become an "expert." Have you noticed that many of the people in your industry who are interviewed on TV news do not have any more knowledge than you do in your field? The only difference is they made an effort to contact the reporter or station and offer helpful tips for readers and viewers.

Example: A psychologist offers tips for handling the emotional impact of being laid off during a recession.

Example: In the wake of several home burglaries, the owner of a small security firm suggests safety and self-protection strategies.

Example: The passport laws between Canada and bordering U.S. states are changing and a travel agent provides tips for travelers who want to be prepared in order to avoid the long lines.

3. Consider seasonal, holiday and theme-related opportunities. The news and editorial calendars revolve around the seasons and the holidays. Start by going through the seasons and trying to find connections to your business.

Example: An owner of a tutoring company provides tips to keep children's minds active and growing during the summer.

Example: A dietician offers healthy snacks for the school lunchbox in September.

Example: A tire company has tips for driving on winter streets and highways; or a financial advisor offers ideas for often ignored tax deductions.

Example: A home and garden shop provides spring planting suggestions.

Holidays also provide great opportunities because the papers and television stations are always looking for tie-in stories.

Example: Around Valentine's Day this year, a Seattle coffee shop had a "Meet Someone Special" event. In their store was a bulletin board with numbered photos of participating customers. Colorful Valentine bags with red hearts hung on the wall. The numbers on the bags corresponded with the photos. Customers checked out the photos and put their own number in a bag if they were interested in meeting that particular person.

This story took me right back to the third grade, when the week of Valentine's Day brought equal measures of excitement and fear. (Who will give me a card? What if nobody likes me?) On the day after Valentine's Day, the coffee shop hosted an event so customers could open their bags and meet each other.

This was a clever idea. A new twist on Valentine's Day at a coffee shop. This small biz owner got it right, understood the concept of self-promotion with free publicity. And it paid off for her. I saw the story on the local news of two different TV stations on Valentine's Day. Both reporters interviewed the shop owner and several customers. The result: a couple of 30-second commercials for the store--at no charge--on the morning, afternoon and evening news.

This special event benefited the shop in other ways, too. It created more interactions between customers. It made it more likely that they would recognize another customer when they stopped by for their morning coffee. So it became a place to meet friends, rather than a shop filled with strangers.

Not bad for a small shop with, I presume, a limited advertising budget. A perfect example of how, with a little thought, you can get PR even more valuable than an expensive print ad--at absolutely no cost to you. Do you have stories that might get you free PR?