PR Distribution Assists Local Businesses
Small business owners in a community rarely have news that the rest of the country cares to know. Occasionally, a local business sells nationally or has an idea that would help people in other parts of the world, but usually, this is not the case. Therefore, they should target their press release distribution to be local in scope. This article will explain how to handle PR distribution for local businesses.
Small business owners are the same as large business owners. They want media attention for what they are doing. The difference is that large corporations create policies that affect people throughout the country or worldwide. Small business owners usually have news that is important to local media but not national organizations. They often make the mistake that what they have to say everyone wants to know. Here are some tips to target your press release distribution for local businesses.
1 – Put Location in Headline
If you are a small business owner in a community, tell the editors upfront that this is a local story, not a national story. In the headline, you could put your location. For example, “Honey Manufacturer in Tampa Bay Opens Third Store.” This will let media organizations in Florida know that this story is meant for Tampa Bay and nowhere else. That will help the editors sort the story ideas for the right section, such as local news versus national news. It also lets radio and television get ideas for the local segments.
2 – Add History to Release
For a local story, you might want to help editors know the history behind an event or a business. If you are the third generation owning an establishment, make sure you tell the editors this information in the press release, but not the lead or headline. However, you could put the history in the body or in a quote. For example, the quote might say, “My grandfather started this company during World War II, and I am proud to follow in his tradition while moving our products and services into the digital world.”
3 – Quote Local Representatives
If your goal in PR distribution for local businesses, is to promote an event you are sponsoring, you might want to quote local politicians. You could invite the mayor and council members to your event and mention that they will attend in your press release. You also could quote them talking about your business. It doesn’t matter whether you supported the local campaigns or not. Politicians love photo opportunities, love to be quoted and love to be part of something local. It shows they are doing something. And, you can reap the rewards from their selfishness because you are more likely to get press attention if you quote someone else in your release, especially politicians.
4 – Send to Local Press
When you are finished with your press release, you want to send to the media. However, forget the New York Times or the Washington Post unless you live in those areas. Find out the names of local editors, local reporters, local broadcasters and local online publications. Distribute your press release to these people. Also, choose the local business sections or the local news sections of papers. You are more likely to be successful if you target your press release to these local people. It also would be a less expensive alternative to send to local media. If you don’t have a media list, even a local one, you could hire a press release distribution service that separates national from local releases. Faselis Growth, for example, allows users to pick a state or a city instead of sending everything nationally.
5 – Don’t Forget Industry Publications
Whatever your business is, there are publications that represent your industry. These are ones you read regularly and others in your field also read. Many of them have sections for briefs and would run a local story if what you have to say applies to others in the industry. A local event would not be published in industrial magazines or industrial online publications, but other achievements might be published. For example, suppose the local chamber of commerce gave you a good citizenship award and you want to tell the local media. This might be a story that the industrial publications would run.
If you want to get media attention for your local business, you need to keep the information local in your press release and target your PR distribution to local media.
If you want to get media attention using a PR distribution service for local businesses, Faselis Growth can help you know what is necessary to be successful.
by Louise Harris
