They say advertising is something you pay for whereas publicity is something you "pray" for. That certainly applies to good, positive publicity about your business. What would have cost your organization thousands of dollars (the amount you would have paid for equal airtime on the radio or TV, or for the same space in a newspaper or periodical) you get for virtually nothing. Of course, bad publicity is also possible, and that is something to avoid!

While good publicity is good because it's free, it's also fabulous because it isn't coming from you it is coming from a third party (such as a reporter, a movie critic or testing organization). This makes it more credible and, thus, more impactful. The same is true of "word of mouth" advertising or publicity; this comes from one's friends or family or other respected, unbiased sources, people we generally trust.

But is publicity really free? Yes and no! Yes, if it truly happens without your doing anything. But no, if you want to "help" it to happen. You can do things (that will have some costs), such as writing and distributing press releases; contacting a reporter with a story idea; and collecting materials in a press kit. Read on to learn more about generating publicity for your business.

Small Businesses Can Do It

There are several ways a smaller business can actively generate publicity, including: doing it yourself; hiring a capable, local free-lancer; or hiring a smaller PR firm. You might want to consider the latter two methods if you are short on time. The focus in this section, however, is on doing it yourself.

Over half of all the news content in newspapers, magazines and on the airwaves comes from press releases. Over half! The rest comes from syndicated news bureau reports, one's own reporters, free-lance reporters, or even the competition. The point is that the mass media needs your stories and relies on them for their very existence.

The most common mistake for a beginner is to write a press release and to blindly send it out to as many news outlets as he/she can find, and that's it. What's wrong with this?

* There is no advance suggestion that a worthy story in coming

* There is no follow-up by phone

* There is no attempt to build a business relationship with the editor or reporter, and so on.

If such a new release accidentally gets used, great! But chances are, it will get lost in the pile - or the "round file".

Four Easy Action Steps to Getting Publicity

A better approach is to follow these proven action steps with your local media. Local media is typically comprised of 1-2 newspapers, 1-2 radio stations, one TV channel, and the local cable station.

1. Develop Newsworthy Story Ideas. Don't write a press release about your new store hours, your new web site or one that describes a new line of merchandise you are stocking; that is too commercial and of little "news" value. Instead, identify a "hook" that will increase the likelihood that your story, or a part of it, will be picked up. Come up with a series of timely, themed ideas for stories about you, your business or your employees or members that are important to your community, relate to current trends, embrace American values or are in sync with emerging social values. Prepare to either provide a description of your story idea in a cover letter or to incorporate it into an actual press release (see below on formatting tips for your release).

Examples of traditional American values:

Freedom of religion - Privacy - Freedom of press - Sky is the limit - Cheering for the underdog - Equality - Family - Individualism - Youthfulness - Progress - Materialism - Informality - Distrust of government - Honesty - Reliability - Fairness - Compassion - Courage - Humility - Reason - Self-discipline - Encouragement - Forgiveness - Optimism - Commitment - Initiative, hard work - Perseverance - Service - Education

Examples of emerging social values:

Transparency - Social Justice - Concern for the environment - Equality - Human Dignity - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink - Minimalism - Reducing activities associated with greenhouse gases - Community - Sharing - Natural health and nutrition - Holistic - Diversity - Buying locally - Fair Trade - Biodegradable - Compostable

 If you are reading a local newspaper on a regular basis, for instance, you can see what types of values and story lines they are into; be consistent with these. Examples of possible story ideas that embrace the above values are:

• Instead of putting hair clippings in the trash and landfill, we collect them and send them to the Oakland zoo for birds to use in making nests.

• Since our restaurant has began separating out food scraps from our garbage stream three months ago, we have decreased the pounds of landfill garbage we generate by 23.7% and have been able to provide composting material that will cover one acre of local farmland when it is fully broken down. This also means that the landfill is producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions from methane, the most potent of those gases.

• One of our employees suggested installing solar panels on our roof for our auto repair shop. Since doing so, our electric bills have fallen from $1,800 per month to just $17.

2. Identify Specific Media and Media Contacts Relevant to Your Story. Once you have some story ideas, consider who they will have the most appeal to. For example, what do your current customers read or listen to the most? What blogs do they read? Contact that medium initially (by phone or using the Internet) to determine who the key recipient should be. This is something your local librarian can help you with.

3. Direct your idea by mail to the targeted editor, reporter or writer. Include your contact information, any pictures that support your story, copies of previous press clippings about your business, and any other materials that might help generate or support a story (your logo, samples of your products would go here).

4. Follow-up directly by phone. Make sure the targeted person got your story, knows who you are, and how to reach you. Offer additional assistance or details that he/she may need. Be prepared to elaborate on your key points with facts, figures and anecdotal evidence when interviewed about your story. Be persistent! Keep calling and calling if necessary to make that direct contact.

Formatting and Writing a Press Release

Because of the sheer volume of releases received each day, it is imperative that they be properly formatted and well written. Here are the essential parts of a press release:

a. Use company letterhead with your logo

b. Type PRESS RELEASE at the top, centered, below your logo

c. On the upper left, include your "ID block": your company's contact person's name, phone number(s), email address.

d. To the right of this, indicate in capital letters FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE if there is no time restriction on your release; or, the exact release date (FOR RELEASE APRIL 15, 2009). Time restricted releases may relate to events like tax deadlines, specific holidays, the Olympics, etc. They are relatively rare.

e. Center and use capital letters for your headline. Subheads (those underneath), if used, aren't all capitalized. Headlines should be very short, direct, and clear.

f. Start the text with a dateline bolded and the date in parentheses. Example: Walnut Creek, CA (June 22, 2009)

g. Begin your release with your lead paragraph. Continue through it, adding quotes wherever possible to humanize your message. You can also slip in some "commercial" content in quotes.

h. Your last paragraph should be a "boiler plate", which is standard copy used at the end of each release to define the business. Example: Joe's Body shop has been located on 4th street in Alameda since 1956. We serve the auto body needs of our over 500 local consumers and businesses each year and have been a Green Certified business since 2007.

i. When completely finished, include these centered "slug" lines which indicate nothing follows: # # #

Writing a good press release will take some practice, but you can quickly get the hang of it, often by reviewing other releases (readily available online). Releases should follow an "inverted pyramid" style and generally not exceed two single-spaced, type written pages. Simply said, this means that your conclusion should come at the beginning, not the end, and that the first paragraph tells the reader everything he/she needs to know: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How Much. Here is a mythical example:

John Jonsey, co-founder of Whole Earth Markets, announced today in Sante Fe that he will step down as CEO at the end of the December, to assume the largely ceremonial post of Chairman of the Board. He cited personal reasons for his decision and stated that the "time was right", following the natural product chain's recent acquisition of competitor Wheat Stalks. A successor is expected to be announced early next month.

Think about how you read articles in the newspaper. To determine your interest, you first glance at the headline. Then, if remotely interested, you continue to read the first paragraph. After that, you either move on or continue reading until you've had enough or reached the end of the story. Press Releases are the same in this regard. They get increasingly detailed and specific.

There are lots of more detailed tips online. In your web browser, search the following:

• Press Release formatting
• Inverted pyramid style
• Issuing a press release
• Visit www.prnewswire.com to see press releases currently being released nationwide.
• Visit http://www.abyznewslinks.com/unitecasf.htm for links to local news organizations and publications.