Relevance to Beat Assignments: Only approach a journalist with story ideas that are relevant to his or her news beat assignment.

Relevance to Newsworthiness: Keep in mind that stories must be new, unusual or important, and informative.

Relevance to Time: Take stock in what's happening in your world and in lives of others around you by paying attention to current events.

Relevance to Audience or Readership: Make sure that your story idea will matter to specific group of people who comprise media outlet's readership or viewers. For example, story idea may only make sense in a magazine that targets working women, or men's health newsletter, or residents of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Fifteen years later, I still think about that editor - and every PR mentor I have since encountered - whenever it is time for me to pitch a story idea to another reporter. I still stand by my answer that "maybe" there are secrets to gaining media coverage, but truly understanding power of relevancy and how journalists regard it is a better bet. It could make difference between whether a story idea makes it on front page or lands in trashcan.

Tips can help you generate product orders or client leads or targeted Web traffic when you associate tips with a new product, an ongoing service you provide or features at your Web site. By mentioning a specific URL only in your press releases, your traffic logs will reveal which traffic arrived because of media publicity.

You can increase timeliness and odds of getting tips published when you tie them to holidays, particularly minor ones. If you run a dieting program, why not gear some tips to recovering from Fourth of July picnic binges rather than Christmas dinners? Editors love tips year round, but they love them most when they need a holiday tie-in and yours shows up.

Don't forget to post your tips at your Web site. Make sure your text includes phrases someone looking for advice on that topic would type into a search engine. Easy-to-read practical tips are some of most popular pages on Internet. The catchy title you slaved over will help attract search engine traffic, too!