The Chronicle’s Business blog / Jerry bellune

Savvy business owners seek relations with local newspaper, magazine and broadcast reporters, editors and news directors.

When they have something about their business the community should know about, they know who to call and how to pitch the news to appeal to journalists.

In other words, advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you pray for.

Here are 5 steps you might take:

1. Know your local editors and news directors or hire a publicist who does.

2. Find out who reads their publications or listens to or watches their newscasts.

3. Find out their deadlines and keep your news releases or email messages short and to the point. That means 150 words or less. They don’t have time to wade through your life story. Get to the point.

And use email and the phone. Save hand writing for your thank you notes.

By educating yourself about them, their audience and what they will print or put on the air, you’ve taken an important step.

For example, we welcome business news for our Around Town column.

If you have won an industry award or some other honor, let us know about it.

We share such ideas in “Maverick Entrepreneurs’ Million Dollar Strategies.”

For a $20 personally autographed copy, contact us at 803-359-7633 or email mailto:Jerry-Bellune@yahoo.com Jerry-Bellune@yahoo.com .