The Boundaries This is about "showing them ropes". Be very clear about accomplishments and priorities. Clarify what you expect in terms of quality, quantity, timeliness and cost. If there are "do's and don'ts, just tell them. They need to know unwritten rules, and how they'll know when to stop, use caution, or go for it.

The Support This is about "the safety net". Give them a clear picture of how you'll support them and what to do when things go wrong. Tell them how they can work best with you. Introduce them to other key people they can rely on. If at all possible get them a mentor.

Once you've created plan, implement it through a series of conversations. Commit to regularly scheduled, two way conversations that create an open, safe environment for new manager to get what he/she needs to succeed.

Although not all encompassing, a plan like this will create a foundation from which you can build. The results can significantly increase chances of success for your new manager. And, after all, your reputation depends on it.

Research reporters who cover your company's industry and study types of stories that they like to write.

Learn their deadlines and how they prefer to be contacted. Introduce yourself by phone and make it a point to speak with them regularly -- not just to talk about your company, but also about industry in general. Use those conversations to offer up source materials that will help reporters write terrific stories. If you are able to do this successfully, you will become a trusted source that reporters return to repeatedly, and you will significantly increase your chances of gaining coverage for your company.

Always Return Media Phone Calls Immediately.

Keep yourself and your organization at ready to receive phone calls from press. Make sure that reporters know how to reach you in a 24-hour cycle. This means they should have your office, cell, home, and pager numbers, as well as a contact e-mail address. If you still happen to miss call, return it ASAP. Always prepare yourself or members from your organization to conduct interviews from anywhere, at any time.

Conduct proper follow up after interview.

This is not a call to find out when a story will be published, but rather a call to make sure that reporters have everything they need in order to write a favorable story on your organization.

Whenever our company executives were interviewed by reporters, one team member would always accompany them to interview to take careful notes. Alternately, other team member would remain in office on standby. If, during interview, reporter indicated a need for specific information, an urgent message would be relayed back to office so that team member had time to gather information. Without fail, we always had requested information waiting in reporter's e-mail inbox before they arrived back to office. This may seem like a small task, but getting it right could really decide whether or not a reporter selects your story, or moves on to a new one.

The important point to remember here is this. Never underestimate power and dedication of your in-house staff. Before you make investment in retaining a PR agency, look at your internal talent first. What you find just might surprise you, and their drive to succeed will become contagious throughout your entire organization. And when time comes to hire a PR firm, you will have a ready-made collaborative team in place to work with your outside agency. Your in-house team knows your company better than anyone and that's where you, as a small-business owner, have an advantage over "big boys" at large PR agencies in getting media's attention.