

Publicity can be a marvelous thing for a small business – less costly yet more effective and longer-lasting than most paid forms of marketing and advertising.
When potential customers see you, your product, service, or business mentioned in the media – be it online, print, or broadcast – it carries more weight than a paid ad. Readers see it as validation or even a perceived endorsement. Such media mentions are a form of what’s called “earned” marketing.
Business owners will typically get more for their money by going with PR over advertising. While PR agencies and PR contractors who specialize in small businesses can be helpful, it’s possible to get great results on your own.
But it takes some time and effort to learn the basic PR ropes. A consistent PR effort will build awareness and visibility for your business, and increase your odds of gaining coverage. That in turn can help boost sales, secure partnerships, or land more funding.
Keep in mind that press releases aren’t what they used to be. In the past, they were meant mainly to get the attention of journalists and editors. But they serve a much broader purpose now.
When you issue one today – especially via a PR distribution service – it will live online and be findable through search engines. So the potential audience is much broader.
PR Newswire offers a free, online PR Toolkit for small businesses. It includes press release writing tips and templates, along with demos and webinars. You’ll find it at SmallBusinessPR.com.
Cision – an online media database and PR distribution platform – offers a helpful report called the “Quick and Easy Guide to Sharing Your Press Release with the World.” You’ll find it in the Resources section at Cision.com.
Copyright © 2000-2017 BizBest® Media Corp. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2023 SCORE Association, SCORE.org
Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.