Getting publicity seems easy, doesn’t it? You send out an electronic news release, make follow-up calls and then writers and producers call you immediately. Those of us who’ve tried that approach know that it doesn’t work that way. There are very few guarantees in life and getting publicity is one of them. That’s why there are Public relations dynamos like Liz Bradford, president of Bradford Public Relations, Inc., to help those of us working naked as well as major corporations, get exposure.

Liz Bradford

Liz was an anchor anchor/producer/reporter for 12 years before she started her PR firm. Her clients include Ford Motor Company and Krispy Kreme Donuts (yum!) among others. She shares a home office with her account coordinator and this year she decided to rent an outside office for 16 hours a month. Her outside office gives her a place to host potential clients or her consultants (most of them work from home too) for team meetings. Liz, knowing the value of PR, was happy to answer a few questions for all of us working naked:

Lisa: What are the top three PR mistakes small business owners make?

Liz: 1) They don’t budget enough for marketing and PR and can lose momentum once they do start getting media attention. 2) They’re afraid to toot their own horn and don’t do any PR. 3) They get frustrated when they see their competitor getting publicity.

Lisa: What are three things a small business owner can do to get publicity?

Liz: 1) Always be thinking about “story ideas” that would interest newspaper reporters, trade writers, radio station hosts, influential bloggers, TV reporters. 2) Be original and be creative. This is about ways to set yourself apart from your competitors. Blog, Tweet and get a Facebook and/or MySpace page. Social media is very important in today’s media environment where some of the traditional media is losing its audience. 3) Look for small charities in your neighborhood to support and let the local media know about it. Philanthropy goes a long way, especially in this economy where charities are losing donations and need help. I don’t recommend picking a large charity because your news of making a donation will get lost.

Great advice. Time to update my media list.