If you are focused on successfully growing your business, then a terrific way to do so is to harness the intense power of public relations.  PR, as you probably already know, is the non-paid exposure of a person or business, its products or services.  The most traditional, and successful, ways of getting PR are:

• Being invited to appear as a guest on a radio or television show

OR

• Having a story written about you in a newspaper or magazine

What is great about public relations is that the only costs that you will encounter are those that are associated with working with a national or local PR firm (please check out our 2 Part Series ‘How to Choose the Right PR Firm for You’ for some top tips on how to pick an effective firm to fit your needs).  But if you choose the perfect firm, or just decide to do the work in-house, public relations can successfully grow your business without breaking your budgets.

Here Marsha Friedman, CEO of Event Management Services Incorporated, a national PR firm specializing in obtaining media attention for their clients through talk radio, television and print, shares 6 effective ways as to how you can begin to immediately generate valuable PR for your business, products or services!

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3.  Be Interviewed on Talk Radio Shows.  “Being interviewed as a guest on talk radio shows is a great PR vehicle that will help you to gain local and national exposure and communicate directly to your consumers”, says Friedman.  “Whether your business is  web based or you have nationwide clientele; you should do as many phone interviews on talk radio as you possibly can.”  Talk radio is very attractive from a PR perspective because:

• It appeals to an affluent, educated and attentive target audience
• Being a talk radio guest is substantially cheaper than advertising on the station
• Your interview presents a fabulous opportunity to sell your product
• The host (who has a dedicated listening audience) provides a solid “Third Party Endorsement” to your message
• As you will be presented as an expert in your field, talk radio lends further credibility to your message
• As a guest on talk radio you will have enough time to tell your whole story

4.  Appear as a Guest on Local and/or National TV Shows.  Take all of the ‘Pros’ of appearing as a guest on talk radio and add one more to see how it truly is one of the most valuable mediums for spreading your PR message to the masses.  Marsha Friedman says, “As viewers expect to see celebrities on TV, when you appear as a guest on a TV show your credibility goes sky high.”

5.  Obtain Coverage in Newspapers and Magazines.  You have probably picked up a newspaper or magazine and read an article about a competitor and thought to yourself “Why can’t I be here instead of them?”  The answer is that there is absolutely no reason why not!  The power of the print media is phenomenal.  “This is an absolute public relations goldmine”, says Friedman.  Here are some of the reasons why:

• Anything written is perceived to be true.
• Print is where you’ll find a huge segment of your buying audience.
• Huge Variety - there’s truly an endless source of publications to target.

With the proper press releases and follow-ups you can really jump start a successful PR initiative that will gain you national, or local if you choose, print exposure!

6.  Become a Public Speaker.  Another fabulous way to get PR for your company, products or services is to get onto the speaking circuit in your community and in your industry.  “Speak to community groups, Chambers of Commerce, events and trade associations to “create a buzz” about you and your company,” says Marsha Friedman.  “The more speaking engagements you do - the word spreads and the more speaking invitations you’ll get.  And, whenever appropriate - invite the media!  Just make sure you have a media kit to give them about yourself and your company in case they show up!”

Well there you go: 6 effective ways to gain national or local PR for you, your company, products or services.