Off the ground... top advice for business start-ups
Entrepreneurs should bear the topic of publicity in mind from the start. It is an often-overlooked business driver during the planning process.
Entrepreneurs should bear the topic of publicity in mind from the start. It is an often-overlooked business driver during the planning process.
In any case, there is something amazing about the way one piece of news can get a new business off to a flying start. I've seen it so many times: the business owner thinks cleverly, comes up with a novel idea, and before you know it he's on the Gerry Ryan Show telling the world about his produce.
What really counts in a press release is meaty, newsworthy material. A good way to get an angle to your business, new or old, is to think as if you were an outsider looking in.
Write down every characteristic you can think of about you and your business and rate each one.
Honestly decide whether you think they're newsworthy, possibly newsworthy or, as is very often the case, of little interest.
I talked to a guy running a shop in Kerry last year about this process.
We ploughed through the list. The usual stuff; family business, great customer service, good location. Nothing terribly exciting so far.
What about the owner himself? A business graduate, enjoys golf, a Corkman exiled in Kerry…
Hold on a second, we might have something to work with there. The All-Ireland final between Cork and Kerry was a couple of weeks away and naturally, interest in the area was huge.
Remember, the reader relates best to the human side of a story. In the end, our man settled on a simple message. He was a Corkman tired of being slagged off by his cocky Kerry customers so, to get his own back, if Cork won the final, he would give a free breakfast roll to any local who turned up the next day in a Cork jersey.
Once you have settled on an angle, the key is getting your press release right. All the usual rules apply; find out the deadlines in your local and national media. Find out the days where they are short of stories.
Then you must present your story properly.
The Inverted Pyramid
The inverted pyramid is more commonly known as the 5W's: Why, What, Who, Where, When.
A good press release starts with the 'Why?' What's the motivation? It may be your service is addressing a particular need.
Next, the 'What' and the 'Who'. What will solve the problem and who will be solving it? Or what service will be offered and who will be offering it?
Here it's simple. What: Free breakfast rolls for Kerry customers if Cork win. Use the Who part to provide some background to the business.
End with 'When' and 'Where'. When will the problem be solved and where will it be solved? Or when will the service be offered and where?
In the end, our shopkeeping friend ended on the losing side in the final but, as some consolation, the story made several national newspapers.
Do it now. Look at your business in this way. See what an outsider might see. And write it down. Show it to other people, ask their opinions, and, in no time, you will be on your way to generating a press release that could stimulate a lot of curiosity about your new business - and custom too.
If you would like to talk to someone about starting up or financing a business, drop into your local Ulster Bank Business Centre, located at the Mid-Leinster Business Centre, 44 South Main Street, Naas, Co Kildare or contact Jim Delaney on 045 880 595.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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