Everyone wants to have her news covered by the "Big Guys." But 
if your media relations efforts are focused only towards the 
national media, you're missing one of the best opportunities 
to get your name in the news.

Local TV stations and cable channels, radio stations, newspapers, 
magazines, trade publications, and newsletters - both print and 
electronic - have huge amounts of time and space to fill. And 
most of the time, these media outlets don't have the staff or the 
resources of the Big Guys, so if you can truly help them do their 
jobs, you'll be repaid with some great publicity.


Here are my top ways to develop a great local media relations 
program:

1) Write press releases with a local angle.  

One of the easiest ways to do this is what the people in the news 
business call 'piggybacking.' Piggybacking simply means putting a 
local spin on a national story. You can piggyback on news items, 
trends, holidays, or national events. Let me give you an example 
of a great piggyback story from my days as a TV reporter. It was 
during the time when anthrax and chemical warfare were big on the 
national news. A local army-navy store owner called saying that, 
because of the scare, gas masks were flying off the shelves. The 
store owner got great coverage, and my story was used in local 
broadcasts across the state - and covered as a print story by the 
Associated Press.


2) Hot guest sheets. 

Want to be a local radio show guest? DJs and talk show hosts are 
always looking for interesting local people to interview. But you 
just can't send them a news release in the hopes that they'll see 
you as a good guest. After all, they're really not in the news 
business, but the entertainment business. So you need to develop 
a 'hot guest sheet' that outlines why you're topic is interesting 
and why you're a great guest. Also put in a list of suggested 
questions to help them generate the best interview from you. 


3) Start meeting reporters and editors.  

One of the best ways to get your name known by the local media is 
to set up informational interviews with the journalists who cover 
subjects relevant to your business. Now this isn't a pitching 
session for you to tell the journalist how great your business 
is. The purpose is to find out what the reporter looks for in a 
story; how he or she likes to receive information; when is the 
best time to contact him or her.  After the meeting, follow up 
with a nice thank you note. 


4) Letters to the editor. 

Did you know that the letters to the editor are one of the most 
read sections of the entire newspaper? Yet very few business 
people take advantage of this. When you see a story that has some 
relevance to your own business, write your letter to the editor 
agreeing or disagreeing with the piece or adding some perspective 
the writer didn't mention. Writing as a business owner often 
gives you a way of adding a unique perspective to a subject at 
the same time as publicizing your business. Just keep your letter 
to no more than 300 words, as shorter letters are more likely to 
be printed than longer ones. I've often had a reporter call a 
client, after reading several letters to the editor from them, to 
interview them for a story. They feel the person has publicly 
established themselves as an expert - and is eloquent enough to 
be interviewed.


So just remember the secret behind the word "publiCITY" - city 
(that is, the place where YOU live) is part of its name! 

About the author: Shannon Cherry, APR, MA helps businesses, 
entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations to be heard. She’s 
a marketing communications and public relations expert with more 
than 15 years experience and the owner of Cherry Communications. 
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