Many business owners have almost a knee jerk reaction that PR is all about getting into the local paper.

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There are many reasons why this isn’t necessarily the best approach. Firstly local papers are actually quite difficult to get coverage in. A local paper may run to 75 odd pages, but only around 15 of these are editorial pages – the rest are ads. And of the remaining 15 pages many are devoted to syndicated news – like the weather, stars, the car section etc.

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Local paper editors also have to make sure there is a local angle to a story – and just being a local business is not enough. And because so many businesses think that the local paper is the place to be, editors are inundated with media releases, many of which they pass straight on to their advertising people to get you to advertise instead!

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A better approach is to consider what your business specialises in, and find the appropriate media to target. Even if you only service the local area, a national, targeted approach may get better results.

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Let’s take an example of, say, a high end hi-fi supplier. Rather than focusing on local media, a piece in a national hi-fi magazine will be read by far more hi-fi enthusiasts, some of whom will certainly live locally. And a piece is much more likely to feature due to the specialisation of the publication.

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So next time you’re putting together a media release think carefully about who you send it to – and have realistic expectations of your local paper!

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