Creating an Effective PR Strategy

Your business can be doing amazing things--maybe you're throwing an event with another business in town, you're offering a new service or you have a great anecdote that demonstrates why your business is unique--but without good PR and word-of-mouth, these buzz-worthy events or success stories can go unnoticed. Joe Wiggins, senior publicist at Patch, offered his advice for reaching out to the media to generate attention and hopefully, more business.

First, do a little research. "Learn who is covering your industry or the business beat in the local media," Wiggins suggests. Create a list of reporters and save their names as Google alerts to stay on top of what they're covering and when they're covering it.

Once you have a list of reporters to pitch to, send out short updates about your business that include the five W's -- who, what, when, where and why. Also include linkouts to your website with more information or photos. Wiggins also recommends including links to your bio or photos of your business. "Before committing to a story, it's helpful for a reporter to see what his or her readers would see."

Brevity here is key. Wiggins suggests just two to three sentences for these updates and cautions against copying and pasting a press release or attaching information-dense documents. "These updates should be more about teasing the reporters with information and giving them the ability to learn more."

"Stick to email, too, but don't be afraid to follow up with a phone call," especially, he says, if you're looking for a response and don't receive one within a week or so. And avoid snail mail, if possible. All of that important information you send over could likely end up buried on a busy reporter's desk.

Above all, in any communication with the press, Wiggins says to tout what makes your business unique. "You should be able to ask yourself that and answer it in two sentences. Before you promote your business to the media, you have to define your brand and the story of your business. You don't want them to define your brand for you."