Editor’s Note: This post was submitted by Mike Ingalls, FOX 40 News Director in Jackson, Mississippi. They are great supporters of small businesses, especially through their social media engagement and web site.
It is tradition that good magicians don’t reveal their secrets. News people do not live up to the same strict standards as magicians. Hopefully, that will help your small business. In fact, I’m going to reveal how you can get FREE advertising, by getting your store in a local news story. You don’t have to spend money to get your message on local television news programs, but you will need to spend some time making relationships. Right now, you should look up the telephone number for all of your local newsrooms. Don’t just call your favorite station! That would limit your chances of getting air time. Call and ask to talk to the assignment manager (one tip, call around 10am, 1pm, or 3pm; those are usually slower times of the day, but if the person sounds busy, call back at another time). Tell the assignment manager what type of business you run, what topics you can speak about on camera, and ask them to put you on their list of contacts. Leave your name and cell phone and tell them you would be willing to be a source for any future stories.
So, what happens when they take you up on the offer? You must understand that news people are fighting the clock and several deadlines every day. If you get a call at 10:00 a.m., the reporter needs to get you on camera as soon as possible. To get this free advertising, YOU need to find a way to make yourself available. One quick story; we were doing a story about Ole Miss potentially replacing the plantation owner mascot. Our reporter called a local business that sells Ole Miss paraphernalia and he was told by the owner that she couldn’t talk because she was stocking shelves. For the purpose of this lesson, we heard “No, I don’t want more than a minute of free advertising.” Instead, we ended up at a local mall. “I’m not wearing make-up, I didn’t do my hair this morning, and the store is a mess” are other reasons interview requests have been turned down by small business owners. If you take one thing away from this article make it this; if you say no to an interview that will get you free publicity, your competitor may say yes. Make some phones calls, and when they pay off with an interview request, make the excuses for why you can’t do the interview disappear.
Hi I am Kimberly Cash and I am the Assistant Manager here at the Ups Store in Richland. We would like the opportunity to be interviewed and let everyone know where we are and what we do. We are not just a shipping store we also have a lot of other services. Come on up to the store and meet all the gals. Call us at 601 9321810