Does anyone know anything about PR / journalism / getting press coverage? Can you advise me?

[RabbitAndCo]

My DH and I are launching a new business, and would love to get some press / magazine coverage.

My plan is to buy all the national papers this weekend, find all the bits that seem even vaguely relevant, and then attempt to get in touch with the people that write those articles and see if they would be interested in getting information about what we do (and then sending them that information, of course!). I plan to do the same with a range of local / national magazines.

Does this sound the right approach? Or is this a bad idea? Will anyone pay any attention to me or is this what PR companies are for?

Thank you for any help on this subject

Well, I don't know wherabouts you are, but I'm a journalist for a small local newspaper.

If it's advertising you are after, you'll want the best deal for your money - advertising doesn't come cheap. And it will also depend on the type of ad you want.

For example, in our paper (small & country like) it about £500 for a full page ad, with the full page ad you will also get editorial, but just a few paras & some photographs.

In our rival paper it would cost you about £250... but we cover a wider area & it would go in 9 publications (sister papers).

I know we usually listen better to the company owners than the PR companies... once you're established then a PR company could work wonders for you...

Another example, a local shop keeps being nominated for awards - not really serious awards - just stuff like 'best staff member' 'who wears red the best' etc... something different, they book a photographer, he shows up, they send us a PR and hey presto, they're advertising their business without even advertising IYKWIM?

Another one in our paper this week, a lady opened a new business but charged an entry fee & give it to charity - the pics were in the paper of the 'charity' event but still people knew it was a new business!!

The glossy mags would be more expensive, but I guess it depends who you're trying to target

Good Luck !!

Thanks Fairhaired. That is useful.

I suppose at the moment we are hoping to do as much free (or if that is unrealistic, cheap?) marketing as possible - the sort of thing I was thinking of were those pages you get in weekend supplements that list the-latest-wonderful-things-you-must-have-for-your-home. Someone has mentioned Daisy Bridgewater's children's notebook in the Telegraph, which I haven't seen, but sounds like the right sort of thing.

What I'm unsure about is the best way of getting on the radar - so will be trying phoning / writing / phoning again and see how I get on!

(Unless any wise MNer can point me in a better direction)

What's your business?
attempt to get in touch with the people that write those articles and see if they would be interested in getting information about what we do (and then sending them that information, of course!).

I would skip the middle step
Just send the info to the people.
Journalists have people calling them up ALL the time.
They may ignore it, it may be completely perfect for something they're planning.

Rabbit - if it's your dh's artwork you're selling i think it would fit right in to Junior magazine. The children's notebook would be perfect as well - I read that and think 'oooh' - which I guess is what you're after.

(Sorry in advance for the long post)

The key is how you present the information.

Put together a proper press release:

1. make it "pretty" - use a template that looks professional, has perhaps a picture/logo at the top.

1. Contact details. Put them everywhere - names, emails, mobiles (make sure journalists can follow it up and get hold of you for more information".

1. Well written: you need a good catchy headline, then a first paragraph that sums up exactly what you're saying, and then more detail after that. Write it in a style that fits with the publication - and NOT in the first person. (sometimes journalists just cut and paste and don't want to have to read the information and rewrite it into an article)

1. Put in your own quotes (then the journalist can make it look like that have done proper investigation)

So, to conclude(!) your press release should go something like this:

"NEW BUSINESS SET UP TO DO

An exciting new business has been set up by to which aims to .

Rabbitandco said "We have done blah because we think blah blah blah".

The business provides an exciting opportunity for to obtain ."

Try to include information about how people can find out more (website/launch event etc).

Hope that helps - hard to be more specific without details of the business!

is it the name/pictures on your profile? Send good quality small copies of the prints to all the relevant magazines etc, offer one or two as a competition prize. Get a twitter account and follow lots of people while linking to your website etc, again, offer a print as a prize to people for re-tweeting etc.
For local papers, again, they are often very keen for competition prizes, so contact them and suggest it.
Write a press release to the local newspaper's business section along the lines of ''An Anytown mum is swapping nappies for paintbrushes and following her dream.
Drawing/Bunting-making/ llama-grooming has always been a passion for Roberta Rabbit&co, a former pupil at Anytown High, but now she hopes to turn her hobby into a livelihood for her husband Roger...''

The trick is to make it sound like a story rather than a blatant advert.

sorry, is hard to show you, without knowing your story

Sorry, just to add...phone round the publications and ask for the best email address for the editor/features writers etc.

and once you have sent the info out, follow up with a phone call/email. Pestering in the guise of ''just checking you recieved it'' can work wonders.

Totally agree with Ellie.

Today I got an email from a local woman, she has written a book & it will soon be stocked in all good shops..

Normally our tight fisted paper will make people take out an ad, but the way she had worded this, it was a news story (because of her background!)

She called me up make sure I got her email and I interviewed her there and then on the phone! She even emailed me a pic & a promise she wouldn't go to the rival paper

Take a chance!!!!

Thanks all - this is really, really helpful. Much appreciated!

my invoice is in the post

elliemental and PandaSam have just been rereading your posts and want to say thank you again - very helpful.

The twitter thing is a complete unknown to me - I don't even know what following people and re-tweeting involves, so will be spending my bank holiday finding out!