Content Starts Here

Small business: Advertising in the local press

Getting the most from your local press

Search: More on advertising in local papers

- Turning invoices into cash
- Business insurance instant quotes

Over 40 million people a week read or listen to news delivered by Britain's regional press. Getting your business's name in a local newspaper can be an effective and cheap way of drumming up customers.

Local newspapers are always on the look-out for a good story to fill their pages. There are several ways in which you can increase the chances of your business making the news.

Your local newspaper or magazine is much more likely to follow up a story if it suits their readership profile. Study your local press before you approach them with an idea.

• Readership: Where do they live and what are they interested in? Look at back issues to see which geographic areas are covered. Adverts also offer clues to the type of readership catered for.

• Types of stories: Is your newspaper a campaigning publication or one that prefers 'soft news' (small children and cuddly animals)?

• Regular features: Are there any features or profiles you or your business could contribute to - for example, 'a day in the life of', or a piece on 'what I have in my handbag' etc.

If you sell a DIY or gardening product could you offer tips or even a column on either subject? But don't try to plug your product too blatantly. It's sometimes more effective just to list your company's name at the end of the piece.

• Journalists: Make a note of which journalists cover which areas, for example, sport, business, or features. Get to know one particular reporter so that they will be more likely to listen when you phone up with a story or email them. Invite the editor to a local business dinner or social event.

• Check deadlines. Find out when the reporter has to file their story. This may be different for different pages of the newspaper or magazine.

Spotting a story

Ask yourself if there is anything particularly newsworthy about your business. Have you won an award or contract? Are you trying out a new process or has a celebrity been spotted using one of your products?

Have your staff done anything noteworthy - worked for you for ten years or learnt Polish to boost your latest sales drive? Or perhaps your business is helping a charity?

If you're not sure what makes a good story test your idea on a friend outside work. If they pay attention you're on to a winner, if they doze off your not.

Offering a prize for a competition or sponsoring someone or something can win your column inches. Perhaps your homemade soup is ideal for Guy Fawkes Night. You could offer a dozen cartons for the first person to tell the paper when Guy Fawkes was born.

Or you could carry out your own survey. If you make a window cleaning product you could find out if men or women wash their windows more often and which part of the country has the cleanest windows.

A good photo will increase your chances and an effective press release will make it easier for the reporter. Look at Business Link's website for tips on how to write a release. Remember to change the angle slightly depending on which publication you're sending it to.

Remember news cycles

Plan ahead and you will boost the chances of your story appearing. Don't contact journalists when you know they will be very busy - for example at the time of local elections (unless you have an interesting angle).

They will be desperate for stories during the 'silly season' - the quiet summer months when nothing much seems to happen. Consider whether you can tie in a story to a regular event such as Easter, Christmas, Halloween, Chinese New Year, Bonfire Night or the start of the summer holidays.

Or perhaps there is a centenary or birthday that you can turn in to a news event. Earlier this year, for example, the medical reference book, Gray's Anatomy celebrated its 150th anniversary. The birthday was widely covered in the press because the publishers supplied human interest stories connected to the book.

Find details of newspapers in your area see the Newspaper Society website http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=3

Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR): http://www.cipr.co.uk/looking/index.htm

page: 1 | 2