A Free Public Relations Gem

Have you recently served as a keynote speaker at an event? Or, has your business received a special award or recognition? If so, don’t just sweep these accomplishments under the rug. Submit this news to the “business notes” section of your local newspaper or business journal.

More often than not, the business section of your local newspaper has a weekly “business notes” or “business briefs” section that lists short blurbs about businesses from your area. These mentions, submitted by businesses, range from recent media coverage to book releases and website launches. If you’re operating on a small marketing budget, business brief submissions are an easy to execute, cost-effective tool that will keep your business in the public eye.

You would be surprised at how many people regularly peruse the business briefs section to stay in the loop about business news, stake out possible partnerships, and generate talking points for networking events. To get started, all it takes is a call to the news desk at your local newspaper to secure the appropriate submission contact and a few minutes to craft your submission. Your submission should be a short, succinct paragraph that lists the basics about your topic. Remember, you can create a business brief about a variety of areas, including:

* Recent media coverage

* Conference/event keynotes

* Website launches

* Awards/recognitions/designations

* Board appointments

* New hires/promotions

* New product/service launches

* Community partnerships

Another great thing about a business brief submission is that it can still be used in conjunction with other PR tools such as press releases and media pitches to extend the life of your story.

Posted in PR.