Get The Word Out
By Gina Petrone

I know what you're thinking. It's difficult enough running the day-to-day aspects of a business, let alone trying to drum up new business as you go. Even if you have additional staff helping to get the word out about your products and services, new locations, promotions, and sales support, news releases can make your company grow faster.

News releases? You mean those fancy, lengthy notices that major franchise companies send out to newspapers, radio and television stations in hopes of getting their name in print? Sure, you may be thinking, that's fine for McDonald's and Burger King, but who's interested in my franchise? The answer: numerous publications, thousands of readers, and many, many potential customers.

Every month I open my work folder and begin to sort through loads of paper, trying to piece out the editorial content for Successful Franchising. One of our monthly features, Company News, is always one of the hardest to fill. I have no problem selecting franchises to profile in our other features, but when it comes to newsworthy items to report, it starts to get a little more difficult.

As the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place, there are always a few blanks left in the sixteen slots inning authors. In fact, sometimes the news releases that pass my desk are hastily written, short paragraphs that give me just enough details to prompt me to pick up the phone to gather more content. Voila! A small paragraph becomes a 300-word editorial on your company and an excellent sales tool.

Some public relations firms do a tremendous job of promoting their clients and, I must admit, the majority of news releases I receive do come from public relations personnel. If I'm really short of news, I'll inning authors. In fact, sometimes the news releases that pass my desk are hastily written, short paragraphs that give me just enough details to prompt me to pick up the phone to gather more content. Voila! A small paragraph becomes a 300-word editorial on your company and an excellent sales tool.

Some public relations firms do a tremendous job of promoting their clients and, I must admit, the majority of news releases I receive do come from public relations personnel. If I'm really short of news, I'll call up a PR firm and ask, "What's new?" And they never let me down. It's simply easier than calling franchise companies up individually trying to solicit their latest expansion plans.

There are also companies which specialize in the electronic distribution of news releases sent over major wire services like Associated Press, Reuters, and Dow Jones, as well as newspapers and magazines, including trade publications, across the country. But if a public relations firm or news wire service isn't penciled into your budget, a paragraph or two on your latest franchise opening or new logo design will equally do the job.

Are you at a loss for something newsworthy to report? Nonsense. Unless you're just sitting back, twiddling your thumbs, news is all around you. What areas are you now targeting for expansion? Who's the newest franchisee? What new products have you added? Keep it basic, the standard who, what, where, why, when, how. Any event or addition is worth the opportunity to promote your company. There is nothing more sublime than signing on a new franchisee who read about your company targeting the Midwest or adding a new smoothie to the menu. And it cost you pennies! So never, ever think that your message isn't important enough to get published.

Make a list of publications or news stations you'd like to target. Be sure to include local media in the areas you're targeting, as well as the national media. Don't overlook industry publications. Call to get the correct contact person. This is extremely important. If you send a news release to the wrong individual or to the wrong address, you're wasting your time. Get your message into the right hands.

Get a hold of editorial calendars. They're a wealth of information and story ideas. For example, we're profiling Women in Franchising in our December issue. Most franchise companies have a female franchisee. A short biography on a franchisee that fits a scheduled feature article is worth its weight in gold.

Another tip? Return phone calls from editorial staff. I can't tell you how many phone calls I place, telling a franchise company I'd like to write about them in an upcoming issue, no strings attached, and I never hear back from them. Or if I do, it's two months later. Now, truth be known, I never call more than twice. If they can't be bothered to return my call, I'll simply go on to the next franchise company and I'm less likely to contact them in the future.

The cost of promoting your business with news releases is a lot less than you might think. A standard news release can be mailed for 32 cents, faxed for pennies, and e-mailed for even less. There's really no excuse or reason not to promote your business at every opportunity.

Whether you hire a public relations firm, delegate a staff member to write up a 400-word news release once a month, or simply pick up the phone yourself, your message needs to get across and your business noticed. Sending out a news release is an excellent way to accomplish this.

Yes, five days before deadline, my column is now complete. Whew! But I'll soon be opening my next folder and I'll be on the look-out again for news.