Getting Your Name in the Paper…The Easy Way!

Posted by Laura Bergells

February 2, 2006

Last Thursday, one of my little blogs received a nice mention in our local paper, the Grand Rapids Press. I received quite a few phone calls and emails from prospective customers who told me they first heard about me from the article…and I’ve already closed two sales.

Nice.

But what’s particularly wonderful about this bit of free publicity is that I didn’t do anything “market-y” to get into the paper. I didn’t send a press release. And I didn’t cold call to pitch a story to a reporter or editor.

Not that these two activities are bad things! In fact, I often recommend these tactics to small businesses. I even believe that small businesses need to get into the practice of writing one press release and pitching one story per month.

(But alas! The cobbler has no shoes! While I have written and pitched stories for my clients, I have been woefully negligent about doing it for my own small business. )

Yet happily, I got a call “out of the blue” from the reporter, who got my name from a PR firm…that to the best of my knowledge, I have no relationship with whatsoever.

Apparently, this large PR firm subscribes to my blog….but I wouldn’t know that. When you subscribe to a blog, you can remain anonymous. That’s just one reason why subscribing to a blog is better than subscribing to an email list….you won’t ever get spammed. And you can read blog posts - when YOU want to, not when the email marketer thinks you should.

Blogs are the very essence of pull (not push) marketing. If you’re a small business person, a blog can help you connect with customers in a way that works for them. And that’s powerful, customer-centric marketing.

So, for one brief moment in history, my business blog was newsworthy in Grand Rapids, Michigan….simply because it exists and because a number of people faithfully read it. Next year, my little blog won’t be newsworthy for the mere fact that it exists. Lots of businesses will be blogging by then.

Hopefully, you’ll be one of them!

So here’s a big “Thank You” to my subscribers, readers, and listeners! Without your interest and attention, I wouldn’t have been newsworthy at all!