Ed Kushins, President of HomeExchange.com, attributes Press Releases and unpaid articles for much of the growth of his company, so much so he has all but eliminated costly traditional advertising. In our Attract More Business Program we talk about why traditional marketing just doesn't work anymore and how to employ street-smart marketing and publicity. The ultimate objective of PR is to get media people to do a story about your business, but first you need to get their attention. Here are how Ed prioritizes his PR stories:

About the Company stories
Usually pretty boring unless the reader is already interested in what your company has to offer.

New and Improved stories
These are better. They tell about some new feature or benefit. Sometimes Ed will create a new feature just so he can announce it. This will usually generate some interest, if only because of the curiosity factor.

Elephant Comes to City Hall stories
These are the best type of stories. Newspapers, magazines and TV news can’t resist showing a picture of an elephant at City Hall. Even if the elephant has nothing to do with your company or product, it will almost surely get you in the paper. Ed suggests that you and your staff find the elephant that will make your story impossible for editors to resist. Be creative, be imaginative, have fun with it. You will get your story out and people will remember you. Here's an example:

Moving your office to a new town and want to get some press? You probably wouldn not be able to get a cub reporter to return your phone call. But move into your new office and on your first day there present a 6 foot x 2 foot check for $1000 to the local Boys Club It's our way of saying we are looking forward to being part of this great community, and they will send out a photographer. Much better than a 6 INCH x 2 INCH ad the same $1000 would buy in the same newspaper.