|
|
|
Coming to a Business Like Yours: Webware
Whether you sell a product, a service, or a combination of both, those who are successful have one thing in common... an efficient back-office. But the “cost” of an efficient office has meant using complex accounting and order-entry programs that...
Internet Merchant Accounts For Innocents Abroad
If you want to sell on the internet, your need to accept credit cards. To accept credit cards, you need a merchant account, or access to one. There're two ways of getting this: Get your own merchant account, or 'pimp' off someone else's. The...
Lotto's - It Is All About Trust, and Honesty !
This week I received e-mails from a lady who participated in the match 5 competition, the match 5 competition is behind the link "Win 1000£" on the VWD website.
...
Six Lessons for Getting in the “Right Mindset” For Starting Your Own Business
Believe it or not your childhood attitude towards a fence shapes your business mindset. As you’ll learn from my experience starting a business, having the right mindset is the key to being an entrepreneur. It’s all about being a fence hopper...
Sweat the Small Stuff for Great Customer Service
Undoubtedly you’ve heard about the popular book series that started with Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, followed by Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work, …in Love, …with Your Family, etc. While these books relay a message containing a great deal of...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do-it-Yourself News Releases for Small Business
How do you create some serious buzz about your online
or offline company on zero budget? That's what Celina
wanted to know. She's the owner of a website that
specializes in desktop publishing and site design.
It's a small, fairly new company with no money to
commission a professional media release. Still, Celina
wanted to get the word out so she asked me for some
tips on how to write her own release.
MAKE BELIEVE YOU'RE A JOURNALIST
First, put yourself in the reporter's shoes. Try to
imagine what kinds of stories would interest her and
how you can make her job easier by dropping a good
story right in her lap. Ask yourself:
What sets your gizmo or your company apart from the
competition?
Have you recently launched a new product or service?
Personnel changes, awards, events, surveys, poll
results and joint ventures can all be spun into news
stories.
OH, THE HUMANITY!
Did you have to overcome some great challenge or
difficulty to arrive at where you are now? Or maybe
one of your clients had a special, urgent need that
was filled by your product/service?
Bottom line - human interest sells. For example, big
lottery jackpots would never make the news if they
blatantly promoted the lottery corporation itself.
But notice how the media flacks writing the releases
always focus on some aspect of the winner's life...
an ailing grandmother in need of expensive treatments,
a house that recently burned down and now can be
rebuilt, etc. In other words, the human angle that
newspapers, radio and TV just gobble up!
THE INVERTED PYRAMID
Write an enticing subject line, headline and first
paragraph. Get to the point quickly. Believe it or not,
most news writers and editors only take five seconds
to decide if they'll act on your announcement or not.
News reporters themselves have been trained to write
using the "inverted pyramid", putting the most important
information -- who, what, where, when, why and how -- at
the top. And that's what they expect to see in your media
release.
Unfortunately, most releases wind up in the garbage/delete
folder because they start weak, take too long to get to
the point, or are full of hype and puffery.
JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM
Keep the
self-promotion to a minimum but do include all
your contact information -- e-mail and snail mail, URL,
phone and fax numbers -- plus a brief explanation of what
your company does. Emphasis on brief! In fact, keep the
entire release to under a page if possible.
The exception to the rule is complex subjects, like for
example an economic forecast, aimed at a niche market
not a general audience.
ONE PHOTO = A THOUSAND WORDS
If a photo is available and helps tell your story, by all
means include it. This could make your release jump out
and demand attention from a busy editor who sees nothing
but black and white type all day.
MILK THE LOCAL ANGLE
Try to send your release to a specific person working on
a specific beat at each media outlet, at least locally.
This will require some research but will ensure that a
warm body actually gets your announcement.
And keep in mind, the media love a "local boy/girl makes
good" story so really target your hometown newspapers,
magazines and TV/radio stations and work that angle!
GET A SECOND OPINION
If you're having a hard time finding any angle at all,
ask a friend or a business associate to lend a fresh
perspective. You may be too close to your own business
to see the forest for the preprocessed paper products.
An objective bystander's insights might surprise and
inspire you!
GET OUT THE DICTIONARY
Finally, proofread your finished product meticulously
for errors. Then get your friend to do so as well. Two
heads are better than one. Ten proofreads are better
than two.
In conclusion, give the media something they can sink
their teeth into. Dig hard, think laterally, navel gaze
until you find the one thing about your company that the
public (and therefore the media) would be interested in.
By handing reporters a ready-made story on a silver
platter, you're sewing the seeds of some serious buzz!
About the Author
How can you free up more of your time and improve your
traffic and revenues? Hire an experienced writer/editor.
Heather Reimer writes action-provoking e-zine and web
content, news releases, sales letters, ads and articles.
Get a free content analysis report when you request an
estimate. mailto:heatherreimer@codetel.net.do
|
|
|
|
|
| United States Small Business Administration |
| An electronic gateway of procurement information for and about small businesses. Search engine for contracting officers, marketing tool for small firms, ... |
| www.sba.gov |
|
| SBA |
| The Small Business Planner includes information and resources that will help you at any stage of the business lifecycle. ... |
| www.sba.gov |
|
| Main Page - SmallBusiness.com - Small Business Resources |
| Find Small Business plans, advice, tutorials about organization, corporations, entrepreneurship, and smallbusiness. |
| www.smallbusiness.com |
|
| Yahoo! Small Business: Domain Names, Web Hosting, E-commerce ... |
| Yahoo! Small Business provides products and services that enable you to establish and grow your business on the Internet. Services include domain name ... |
| smallbusiness.yahoo.com |
|
| Small business advice business start up small business finance ... |
| business start up small business finance start up advice. |
| www.smallbusiness.co.uk |
|
| Smallbusiness.gov.au redirect to business.gov.au |
| Business Entry Point - Helping small business in big ways. An Australian Government initiative. The content from this website has now been consolidated into ... |
| www.smallbusiness.gov.au |
|
| Business & Small Business |
| Online and print small business publication. Information to help start, grow or manage a small business. |
| www.entrepreneur.com |
|
| Microsoft Small Business Center |
| Your home for information about Microsoft's small-business products and services, tailored business advice, technology tools, and more. |
| www.microsoft.com |
|
| The Small Business Advisor - advice for starting and operating a ... |
| Advice and assistance for starting and operating a small or home based business. |
| www.isquare.com |
|
| SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" |
| A nonprofit association dedicated to encouraging the formation, growth, and success of small business nationwide through counseling and mentor programs. |
| www.score.org |
|
| Small Business and Self-Employed One-Stop Resource |
| IR-2006-2, January 3, 2006 - Temporary and proposed regulations will significantly reduce tax filing burden for nearly 950000 small business owners. ... |
| www.irs.gov |
|
| Welcome to Small Business BC your business resource in British ... |
| BC Business Services offers assistance and resources for those running or starting a business in British Columbia and Vancouver. |
| www.smallbusinessbc.ca |
|
| Small Business Service | Home |
| Provides information and advice to help small businesses realise their potential. |
| www.sbs.gov.uk |
|
| NSW Small Business |
| A site developed by the NSW Department of State and Regional Development for small businesses. Topics include management, resources, current issues and ... |
| www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au |
|
| Business Management & Advice: Small Business Resources & Information |
| Looking for business management and advice? Our website includes small business resources and information that can help you. Visit the small business ... |
| www.businessweek.com |
|
| Small Business Lawyer, Attorney, Law, Legal Help - FindLaw for ... |
| Information and legal sites relevant to small business. |
| smallbusiness.findlaw.com |
|
| Small Business Funding Opportunities (SBIR and STTR) |
| Links to Small Business Funding Opportunities and SBIR / STTR Applications. |
| grants.nih.gov |
|
| Microsoft bCentral Small Business Directory |
| Directory categorized by industry with company business card feature. |
| sbd.bcentral.com |
|
| Our site has moved! Please update your bookmarks! |
| Facilitates the sharing and exchange of information among small business development centers, the small business administration and other business-oriented ... |
| sbdcnet.utsa.edu |
|
| Small Business Development Corporation |
| Our business information services provides guidance to improve business skills and knowledge on advice on starting, buying, selling and expanding a small ... |
| www.sbdc.com.au |
|
|