Effective PR on a Limited Budget

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Do you put together press kits on behalf of your clients?

We keep them simple. Most people these days do not mail our large packets of clippings and information. I advise small-business owners to put together a mission statement, a brief bio, and some quotes about what they do. Make it in an electronic form, with your company logo on it, and send it in the body of an e-mail to the press person you're targeting.

You can find specific individuals by looking at the Web sites of local media outlets and figuring out who covers your industry or who covers small business. If you can't get an e-mail address from a Web site, call the news desk and ask.

What about industry publications? How useful are they?

It all comes down to knowing your audience and where your customers are. If you're looking to bring in the general public, your local media is the way to do it. If your customers are all insurance agents, they're reading the newsletters and magazines and Web sites sponsored by the insurance industry trade groups. The trade publications are like little gems that a lot of people overlook, but they can be powerful for the right kinds of companies.

How do you advise entrepreneurs to structure media pitches about their companies?

Before you write anything, stop to think about whether you—as a typical consumer or customer—would want to read this. Is it interesting? Is it attention-catching? Fun? Unusual?

Start your pitch with the newsworthy points right at the front. Don't drone on with a lot of background information at the top of an e-mail. Keep it brief.

And then make sure, before you send it, that you're targeting the right reporter or editor. Look at what else they write about. It's so easy now because you can Google their name and read some of their previous articles online. Ask yourself: Is your story really right for their audience?

The other idea is to pitch yourself as a writer on your industry or on business in general. Particularly in the trade publications, they are looking for free content that comes from an expert perspective.

If you've got some expertise and you can write—or you can hire someone to write down your useful ideas—that's an excellent way to get your name and your company's name out in front of the public. If you're passionate about your business—as all small-business owners have to be—that's something you should really enjoy doing.

Karen E. Klein is a Los Angeles-based writer who covers entrepreneurship and small-business issues.