Create Publicity by Donating Time, Products and Services

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

Here are some creative ways to offer your time, products or services to snag free publicity.

• Invite local newspapers and magazines to call on you if they need someone to pose for a photo for the cover of a special section or for a feature story.
   

• Write a letter to the photo editor and the news editor of the publication in which you want coverage. Offer your business as a location where media photographers can shoot photos if they need certain environmental backdrops. Also invite them to photograph your products. See the article How to Work with Newspaper Photographers.
   

• If you’re in love with someone’s product or service, tell the company you would be willing to offer a testimonial quote for their paid advertising or marketing literature, and pose for a photo. They might feature you in a newspaper, magazine, radio or TV ad--and it won't cost you a cent.
  See Special Report #31: Sell More Products and Services by Getting and Giving Powerful Testimonials.
   

• If you advertise on radio or TV, or in newspapers or magazines, and you’re satisfied with the results, be sure to let your advertising sales representative know you would be willing to be featured in a testimonial ad. Newspapers frequently print testimonials. You might find yourself featured in a full-page ad in a local newspaper—for free! This technique works particularly well with business journals. See How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story.
   

• Volunteer to be an ambassador for your local Chamber of Commerce. You will have the opportunity to attend ribbon-cuttings, grand openings and other social events and get your photo printed often in the local papers.
   

• Include a sample product in your media kit. See Special Report #8: Media Kits on a Shoestring--How to Create Them Without Spending a Bundle.
   

• If you’re sending a news release about a new product, include a sample if you are absolutely sure that the person you are sending it to covers articles on your industry. Invite the reporter to use it or test it.