JUNE 29, 2009

FREE Publicity

You're a small-business owner – aka, expert in everything (or at least most days it feels like that's what you need to be). And you're so good that you figured most of it out: finance, product development, customer service, marketing, management. But when it comes to PR, not so much. You wrote a killer press release like everyone else and expended your precious time making a million follow-up calls – and nothing.

You know getting media attention is a top priority, but you can't afford a publicist yet. Good news: You may not need one.

With all the cutbacks, overworked journalists in need of sources for their stories (including PINK) often turn to these handy sites to find leads. Sign up for a "source" account and get their queries e-mailed to you.

 Journalists post inquiries on HelpAReporterOut.com, which will send you up to three e-mails a day with 15 to 30 in each one. See something you'd be a good fit for? Shoot the eager journalist a note.

Though you'll pay for this one, Profnet from PR Newswire offers several outlets for promoting your company. Post your profile for journalists, browse specific listings and more.

PitchRate.com e-mails you the day's top journalist postings – and lets you browse the site for more by publication category.

Bonus PINK Link: Thinking about hiring a publicist after all? Here are some things to consider when you choose.