business matters


7 ways to promote your business for FREE


Or, as it’s more commonly known, the art of Public Relations.


Did you know 99% of


press releases get thrown in the bin? Many of them are written by PR agencies who charge their clients large fees and often waste both the money and the client’s valuable time.


Because the 1% of press


releases that lead to a story or interview all have certain qualities in common, it’s something you can do if you make the time.


Marketing expert MARIANNE COWDERY brings you seven easy steps to use PR to effectively promote your business.


1: The journalists angle The best press releases are the ones that look at life from the journalists view point. Journalists need loads of good material for their publications, radio and TV shows, but the key is that the stories need to be interesting to their audience, and written in the editorial style of that publication or media. Journalists are not interested in


how long you’ve been in business, or who you’ve just appointed, but they are interested in ‘The Ultimate Slimming Pill’ or ‘Look 10 years younger in 2 hours’. Florists can have sensational headlines too; how about ‘How I won the love of my life back with a 1000 red roses’ or ‘Woodoo Lilly – A strange stinking flower’? Headlines need to make


people want to read on. You shouldn’t exaggerate or lie but you should try and think of a captivating headline.


2: Target the right


publications If you are targeting the wedding market you need to target bridal magazines. If you are targeting funeral sales then logically you would go for titles with a different readership profile. That said women’s


F&wb Summer 2013


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