How to Get Your Company Some Free Press

Advertising your product or service in a newspaper or on TV can cost a lot of money. In some cases, one television ad can eat up an entire year’s marketing budget, or more. If you are like many small businesses, this type of advertising is just not feasible.

One way to get some media attention for your company – without the huge price tag – is to become the focus of a feature story. The key, according to Mark Nowlan in his article How to Attract Attention with a Feature Article, is to emphasize information over outright promotion. By doing so, it is more likely that a reporter or editor will use your story just as you pitch it.

  A feature is an in-depth look at a topic, product or industry–it’s a complex story designed to be read at a leisurely pace. And a feature can benefit your company by linking your brand or product to a larger trend or industry focus while also showcasing you, the entrepreneur, as a thought-leader in your field.

What many people fail to realize about the news industry is that journalists are always on the lookout for feature stories that they can have on hand to be printed or broadcast when there is a shortage of breaking news or on what are commonly referred to as slow news days.

In his article, Nowlan gives you a step-by-step guide to pitching your idea for a feature article to reporters. While such free publicity may seem too good to be true, you might be pleasantly surprised at the interest a quality feature story can generate from the news media. But be patient, sometimes it can take weeks or months before you are contacted regarding your story. If your story is used, however, it will no doubt be worth the wait.