Comments on: Small newspapers prospering, so contact them now

By: Shel Horowitz, Ethical Marketing Expert

Shel Horowitz, Ethical Marketing Expert — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 10:21:43 +0000

I’m a big believer in this strategy, have used it many times–and have gotten a number of good sized stories (like 30 inches with picture), versus a two-line mention in a major paper.

By: John Easton

John Easton — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 22:29:37 +0000

Joan:

I have had some recent success by pitching the locals with ideas about my clients and even for groups I hold membership in. I got a hit last week with the Charlotte Weekly Newspaper for a club whose website my company built, http://www.excelsiorclub.net and video we produced, http://www.eastonsweb.com/development/Excelsior

I submitted a photo that I took of the owner in front of the club holding the award I received for producing the video. The editor loved it, I got a good mention and the club got great PR.

John
http://www.eastonsweb.com

By: Joan

Joan — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:36:24 +0000

Thanks for responding, Rose. I used to live in Pennsylvania and love Bucks County! And I’m familiar with the paper.

Regarding press releases, anyone who is struggling with writing them should sign up for my free email course “89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.” Sign up here: http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm

By: Rose Strong

Rose Strong — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 16:03:40 +0000

Hi Joan,
I have to hand it to you on this one! I got my start freelancing with a small town weekly newspaper called The Bucks County Herald. The newspaper is free and supports itself completely by advertisers and focuses not just on news, but largely on local arts and culture, sports, and features.

It is refreshing to go somewhere and intro myself to folks as writing for this paper as it is enormously appreciated in an area served by several larger newspapers. They print 21,500 with 19,000 papers picked up at over 100 locations, a subscrition service and an estimated readership of about 45,000! Big numbers for a small newspaper!

The editor is quite open to press releases and prints many as long as well written and there is space to place them. As a freelancer, I’ve done both articles for the paper and press releases for folks who ask me as long as I don’t write articles about them…conflict of interest there…have to be careful of that.