| One highly effective type of advertising costs virtually | | | | example: |
| nothing: public relations. With public relations, the | | | | A free slide talk on family hikes in the Bay Area will be |
| newsworthiness of some aspect of your business or | | | | given by writer-photographer Jane Doe on Thursday, |
| business activities can earn you free publicity in | | | | October 18, 7:30 P.M., at Jackson's Shoes in Berkeley. |
| newspapers or magazines, or even on radio or | | | | In the following one or more paragraphs, add |
| television. | | | | information that rounds out the first paragraph or |
| However, it must truly be newsworthy. You might | | | | answers questions the first paragraph may evoke. For |
| publicize, for example, a lecture, a demonstration or a | | | | example: |
| workshop being presented at your business site-an | | | | Doe, author of A Walk in the Park, will recommend |
| event that news outlets could list in their community | | | | nature walks for families with children aged seven and |
| calendars or possibly even send a reporter to cover. | | | | older. Most walks are in regional parks, and Doe will not |
| Find out who at a station or publication handles such | | | | only show what various trails have to offer but also |
| local events and send that person a news release. | | | | the trails for difficulty. Parents and their children are |
| Alternatively, prepare an article for a newspaper or | | | | invited to attend. Jackson's Shoes is located at 1234 |
| trade magazine in which you offer information of value | | | | First Street in Berkeley. For more information, call (510) |
| to its readers. The point of such articles is to establish | | | | 555 3271. |
| you as an authority in your industry. It's for this reason | | | | Finally, on either the top or bottom of the news |
| that a stockbroker might write a biweekly column on | | | | release-which can be written on letterhead with the |
| personal finance or a nursery write a column giving | | | | words NEWS RELEASE above the text-write the |
| gardening advice. | | | | name and telephone number of your contact person. |
| A further source of publicity is goodwill efforts. Team | | | | For example: |
| sponsorships, for example, keep your name in front of | | | | For more information, contact Mark Jones at (510) 555 |
| the public. Lectures given by you or your staff to civic | | | | 3271. |
| groups or other businesses also enhance your | | | | To give newspapers further encouragement to |
| company's visibility. Get a list of clubs and associations | | | | publicize your event, enclose a glossy black and white |
| from your local Chamber of Commerce. Another | | | | photo that illustrates the subject of your release. Type |
| course of action, one that must be heartfelt and | | | | a caption and paste it on the back. For example, if you |
| genuine, is to spearhead a campaign to solve a | | | | are using a nature photograph: |
| community problem that is related to your business. A | | | | Family hikes in the Bay Area will be the subject of a |
| pharmacist, for example, might lead an effort to keep | | | | free slide talk by author Jane Doe on Thursday, |
| poison detection centers open. | | | | October 18, 7:30 P.M., at Jackson's Shoes in Berkeley. |
| Writing a News Release | | | | Overall, the virtue of a clear, well organized news |
| If you keep in mind the person at the newspaper, | | | | release and captioned photo is that they give |
| magazine or station who'll receive your news | | | | newspapers-your most likely recipients-several ways |
| release-a person buried under stacks of releases and | | | | to respond. They can print your entire release and |
| eager to find some newsworthy information - you'll | | | | captioned picture, they can use only the captioned |
| automatically write the best kind of release: short, crisp | | | | photograph, or they can insert just the first paragraph |
| and simple. | | | | into a community calendar. As a result, your chances |
| In the first paragraph, tell who, what, why, where and | | | | of getting something into print are greatly enhanced. |
| when-starting with a description of the event itself. For | | | | |