You don't have to hire a research company, you can just have clients or colleagues check a few boxes on a photocopied form.

You don't have to release a massive book of results, you can just send media people a press release highlighting most newsworthy responses.

The general media aren’t professional journals: they don’t insist on strict statistical methodology. They just want a good story.

That said, you should never make up a result or falsely represent your data. Media folks aren't likely to double check information you give them, but you want to be able to present accurate, truthful results if they do.

Afterwards, send copies of any video or audio tapes (smart move: get them edited to 5 minutes length maximum) to your best prospects and referral sources. Recently a longtime vendor sent me (and a thousand others, no doubt) an e-mail saying he’d be on 60 Minutes that weekend. I couldn’t watch that night but I sure was thrilled for him – and impressed. And he was top of mind for a good few days. Which is exactly what he wanted to happen when he sent me that e-mail.