Getting our press release out! How?

Tjobbe · #1 (**permalink**) 23-06-2008, 20:24

Hi everyone.

My fiancee are just starting up in business together and we have a press release at the ready.

Problem is, we do not know WHEN to send the press release out, and how to ensure as many people get it as possible!

The basics of it is that we are going on a tour of the UK in a camper van and visiting as many small businesses as possible, and blogging about it. Giving free publicity to the people we visit along the way.

We want our press release to achieve a number of things;

1] Generate interest in our tour, so that people contact us if they want us to stop by at their place and give them free publicity
2] Get our name out! plain and simple.

The tour is taking place near the end of august, and will take a few weeks, so do we build interest now or closer to the day?

We planned on finding as many newspapers along our route as possible and physically speaking to most of them and ask them if they would be interested in our story.

How else can we make sure we get the best coverage?

Thanks in advance!

IP2 · #2 (**permalink**) 23-06-2008, 20:35

First thought is...if you approach local papers when you get there, you will probably have moved on by the time they print anything looking at your schedule.

When you say 'speaking to as many small businesses as possible' what is it you want from them? Free publicity is great, but I suspect the majority of small business owners will not fully appreciate any benefit of being mentioned in a blog.

Tjobbe · #3 (**permalink**) 23-06-2008, 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by IP2

First thought is...if you approach local papers when you get there, you will probably have moved on by the time they print anything looking at your schedule.

When you say 'speaking to as many small businesses as possible' what is it you want from them? Free publicity is great, but I suspect the majority of small business owners will not fully appreciate any benefit of being mentioned in a blog.

The small businesses will be *very* small businesses. More specifically - crafters, artists and makers. People who probably don't even have a Web site and would genuinely appreciate free publicity.

We aim to see as many as possible, go round there, take a photo, describe what they do in a blog post and move on to the next one!

We would like to get some sort of notice to the local press, whether its 8 weeks or two weeks we don't know whats best?

IP2 · #4 (**permalink**) 23-06-2008, 21:30

Eight weeks is too long. Aim for two to three and try to make sure the release is around four to five days before you arrive.

You still haven't explained what you want from them. If they have no website a blog post is of little value. Currently this sounds like taking pictures of famine victims in Cambodia... I am sure they want free publicity, but why?

Tjobbe · #5 (**permalink**) 24-06-2008, 06:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by IP2

Eight weeks is too long. Aim for two to three and try to make sure the release is around four to five days before you arrive.

You still haven't explained what you want from them. If they have no website a blog post is of little value. Currently this sounds like taking pictures of famine victims in Cambodia... I am sure they want free publicity, but why?

What THEY get is a photo on our home page for x amount of time, and then it is archived in the category of their choice.

What we want to get from it is the possibility of discussing their web design needs, if any. Even if it is to give them our flyer / advertising leaflet.