You might not know it, but this occurs much more often than you realize. Why? Because media loves doing those kinds of community interest stories. It makes them appear more sensitive and caring about what's happening in their community, which leads to more viewers and readers--and of course more advertising revenue.

However, depending on how busy they are and what type of other newsworthy events are going on in your community, they might not immediately appear interested in your story.

In event that happens, try calling them once a week until you get your interview. Don't be rude, but be persistent. Reporters understand about persistence, because that's how they get many of their stories.

Have you ever walked into an ice cream parlor, only to find out that they only offered one flavor? Probably not. That's because they know that different customers have different tastes. Some people like chocolate, while others prefer vanilla -- and then there are some who only like triple-mint chocolate chip!

As business owners, we should keep this in mind, even if we aren't peddling ice cream. It's easy to fall into trap of thinking that everyone has same tastes, and if we do that, we are probably excluding large groups of potential customers.

I am not saying that we should try to be everything to everybody -- What I am arguing is that we should do our best to remember that not everyone is alike, and that by simply putting a little extra variety into our product or service line, we can expand our customer base -- leading to more profits!