Why wait until New Year's to make a resolution?

I CHALLENGE YOU to spend this next year building foundation for "independence" in YOUR life.

How?

That's easy part. By building a homebased business.

If you haven't started building your own business by now, then it's time you got started. And, if you've been dabbling in a business, it's time you got SERIOUS.

A home business is ONLY way you will achieve complete "independence" in life.

Let's celebrate Independence Day TOGETHER in 2003!

JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM

Keep self-promotion to a minimum but do include all your contact information -- e-mail and snail mail, URL, phone and fax numbers -- plus a brief explanation of what your company does. Emphasis on brief! In fact, keep entire release to under a page if possible.

The exception to rule is complex subjects, like for example an economic forecast, aimed at a niche market not a general audience.

ONE PHOTO = A THOUSAND WORDS

If a photo is available and helps tell your story, by all means include it. This could make your release jump out and demand attention from a busy editor who sees nothing but black and white type all day.

MILK THE LOCAL ANGLE

Try to send your release to a specific person working on a specific beat at each media outlet, at least locally. This will require some research but will ensure that a warm body actually gets your announcement.

And keep in mind, media love a "local boy/girl makes good" story so really target your hometown newspapers, magazines and TV/radio stations and work that angle!

GET A SECOND OPINION

If you're having a hard time finding any angle at all, ask a friend or a business associate to lend a fresh perspective. You may be too close to your own business to see forest for preprocessed paper products. An objective bystander's insights might surprise and inspire you!

GET OUT THE DICTIONARY

Finally, proofread your finished product meticulously for errors. Then get your friend to do so as well. Two heads are better than one. Ten proofreads are better than two.

In conclusion, give media something they can sink their teeth into. Dig hard, think laterally, navel gaze until you find one thing about your company that public (and therefore media) would be interested in.

By handing reporters a ready-made story on a silver platter, you're sewing seeds of some serious buzz!