Top Ten Ways for Start-up Entrepreneurs to get Free Publicity

1. Submit a free press release.

Go to the site www.prweb.com and sign up today. Write a press release about newsworthy items going on in your business. Use it to announce new additions to your staff, a new book you have written, or an upcoming workshop you plan to teach.

2. Write articles.

Write articles and submit them to websites, like www.ideamarketers.com, www.goarticles.com, or www.articlecity.com that offer them for free or fee to online newsletters and ezines. You can include a captivating byline, complete with your contact information. Next time someone reads one of your articles; you may be contacted and might even get a new client.

3. Design a captivating email signature.

Make sure your email signature includes your name, company name, telephone, fax and email address. But also add other information to capture the attention of readers. You might include a catchy slogan or an offer for a complimentary session. Better yet, if you have a new class to offer or have a book or article published, include a line about that as well. You might want to use a different typestyle and have contact information for that specific item as well.

4. Write a newspaper column for a local paper.

If you are a personal coach, you might create an “Ask the Coach” column. Be prepared to write a lot of articles or responses to readers’ inquiries. The most successful writers will be experienced ones and those who have a unique coaching specialty. There are thousands of coaches. Why are you different and what type of useful information can you offer to the readers? While there is a chance you might be paid for doing this column, don’t count on it. Most likely, you will be able to include full contact information in the byline which will make it easy for interested readers to contact you.

5. Contact your local talk radio station.

Local talk radio stations are always looking for interesting people to invite as guests. In order to get an invitation, you must have something captivating to talk about. There are thousands of coaches who coach business and personal issues. Do you have a specialty which makes you unique, i.e. a wedding coach, a relationship coach, a real estate coach? Have you developed a special and unique program which people can follow to dramatically change their life? Have you written and published a book? As they say in Hollywood, “don’t be dull and don’t be desperate.” Dull definitely won’t do, if you want to be on talk radio!

6. Donate your coaching services.

Each year, many private and charitable organizations host events to attract contributions to their cause. To raise money, they usually auction off goods and services donated to them by local businesses. Donating a one- or two-month coaching package is a wonderful way to contribute to a cause you support. It’s also a wonderful way to showcase your business and the services that you offer.

7. Volunteer to speak.

Contact your local chamber of commerce as well as other community clubs, like the Rotary or Optimist Clubs, and volunteer to speak on an interesting topic. Create a short one- or two-page proposal that includes four or five titles and summaries of speeches you’re eager to present. Include a short, professional biography as well as detailed contact information.

8. Offer a complimentary coaching day.

One day per month, offer complimentary coaching to everyone! Send out flyers or postcards to local chamber directors, to local businesses, and to residents of the community. Conduct 15, 20- or 30-minute coaching sessions. Be sure to coach something simple and tangible so that the recipient can walk away with an experience to remember. Ask the customer to take some action by the end of the next week. If you’re coaching in person, hand them your business card and ask them to call or email you in one week to report their progress. If you’re coaching on the phone, ask them to call you to report their progress.

9. Contact your local television news station.

Send or email your professional biography as well as a few news story ideas about your coaching practice to the lifestyle editor. If you have a local client who is willing to tout the rewards of having you as a coach, work them into the story. The key to gaining the editor’s attention is presenting a compelling, human interest story about how coaching has changed your clients’ lives.

10. Teach a class.

Offer a free or fee class through your local community education program. If your class is accepted, it will be published in the course catalog, usually with a short biography, which is then distributed throughout the community. In some cases, this can translate to being publicized to tens of thousands of households – a great way to become well-known.

Copyright 2004 by Tara Kachaturoff.