Starting, owning, or operating a small business is in no way an easy task. Long hours, stress, and maintaining a business day in and day out requires intense time and effort. While many small businesses fail within the first few years, there are a number of public relations tactics one can take to succeed in the world of small business. Gaining publicity for you small business is the first step in getting the word out about what your business has to present.
To successfully gain the media’s attention, you must capture their attention from the very beginning of your inquiry. Without a compelling grabber, the media member who receives your message will likely read the first few sentences before tossing it by the wayside. Media outlets receive numerous amounts of inquiries for media publicity, with only a handful being selected for publication. As with any business, you will not be successful if you do not stand out from the competition. Especially with a small business, where competition is even tighter, with many business not surviving in the long term.
An effective way to immediately grab a journalist’s attention is to start with a story. No matter what the subject is, an interesting story leading into the main point of an article will likely get the journalist to read the whole piece all the way through. Readers love a good story, whether it be humorous, suspenseful, or dramatic. The important thing to keep in mind is to keep the story concise, to the point, and entertaining. Anything too text heavy will likely bore your readers. The main focus when writing your story and article as a whole, is to have your reader read the article in its entirety.
When writing an article for a bridal/trade show, having an interesting story to lead into the main article will likely get the journalist to read your piece all the way through. An effective story must relate to the main point of your article, so incorporating a specific bridal show into your wedding will get the journalist to easily relate to your entire article.
For example, consider starting with a bridal show when a certain bride who was extremely stressed about the whole wedding process, found everything she needed, and had the perfect wedding with Rock The Aisle Bridal. For weddings, a “feel good” story is the ideal story to start your article with. Think, if it sounds like it could be the plot for a Lifetime movie, it will likely work with your story. It is also important to know that each story does not need to be written from the exact experience. Use a specific time from a bridal show as a basis of your story, and feel free to get creative with your article.
Some writers may be be reluctant to adding elements to a story that didn’t happen exactly “that way”, but writing is about being creative! No journalist, writer, or publisher has ever had material published without a creative element. There are certain times when writing 100 percent, truthful to the point is appropriate, but for the purpose of bridal shows, it is okay to take bits and pieces from each bride’s stories.
When writing an article with hopes of getting it published, your piece must stand out creatively. Journalists and publishers receive many submissions each day, and only the finest get published. By starting off with a compelling story, you are able to gain your audience’s attention. The main goal of your article is to have the reader read the article in its entirety, so by first grabbing their attention, you can get your main messaging across in the body of the article.