“I am so busy these days, but I’m still not getting level of work I want,” Tracey told me. “I really want to get in with some bigger companies, but I’m always scrambling to get my current projects done.”

“When I first started my business, I just wanted to get some clients, any clients. Now, I have people calling me up to do jobs for them, but those aren’t jobs I want anymore. I mean, I need them, but I also want to start doing bigger projects for bigger clients.”

“All people calling me are small business owners I’ve met at networking meetings I attend. I know we talked before about fact that I’m not going to meet reps from big companies there, so I need to develop a different marketing strategy to reach them, but I just don’t have time. I keep thinking I’ll reach a point where I’ve got things under control, so I can start pursuing bigger guys, but I never get there.”

It was clear that Tracey was exhausted from going through same cycle over and over again, so I thought I would give her brain a reprieve by taking her back in time. “Do you remember when you told me about that guy that you met at a networking meeting last year? He was hounding you about making him a video, but you really didn’t see opportunity there. He didn’t seem to have any money budgeted for it and didn’t have a clear concept of why he needed it and what he would use it for. You just didn’t feel like he was a good prospect, so you told him that you were too busy to take on his project.”

“Yeah, what about him?”

“Well, there was a time when you would have seen him as a viable prospect. You would have set up a meeting, spent a few hours going to/from meeting, spent a few more writing up a proposal, placed numerous follow-up calls only to learn that there was ultimately no chance of getting a dime from this guy. Over time, you learned to qualify prospects, so you didn’t waste your time. By time you met that guy, you already knew how to spot a bad opportunity and had developed ability to say “no” to them.

“He was easy to turn down. He just didn’t have a clue. There was no way he would have ever turned into a paying client, so it wasn’t hard at all to tell him that I couldn’t help him out. But, I’m not talking about people like that. The people calling me are good prospects, but projects they need me to do are just small. I just want to start getting some bigger projects too.”

“Well, you say you’ve been trying to get around to marketing to bigger companies for past eight months, right? But yet, you continue to go round-and-round hoping that you’ll suddenly find perfect moment to work on your marketing strategy to reach bigger companies. It hasn’t happened yet so, just for a moment, let’s assume that this cycle will continue indefinitely. What do you think it will take to break it?” I asked her.

“I don’t know. I keep waiting for right time when things slow down, so I guess cycle will end when things slow down enough for me to think about it. I was hoping summer would give me a break, but it didn’t. Maybe holidays?”

As many of your already know, promoting and marketing your business in as many creative ways as possible is crucial to success of your venture. But finding ways to get noticed presents a major challenge for most entrepreneurs. I for one believe strongly in promoting by way of a good press release since it has potential of reaching millions. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that even a well written press release will work on first go around since a lot depends upon whether media thinks it’s newsworthy. Your release may be beautifully written but if it doesn't land in hands of someone who believes in its merit, it may go unnoticed. Which is why it's important not to give up after one try.

When writing a press release it is extremely important that your press release presents you in a positive, professional light. Bear in mind that ultimate goal of a press release is for media to take an interest in your subject matter, which may lead to an interview or story about your product. To gain media's attention it is important that you try to find a hook or something that will grab attention of those who are reviewing release. Remember, several thousand press releases come across desks of editors daily, making it quite a feat when an editor has an interest in your press release.

One important point to consider. You can't expect to write a release, send it off to a distribution company and sit back to wait for business to start rolling in. It is up to you to put in some additional effort, ensuring that it's being seen. I cannot stress often enough that one attempt at media is not enough to draw attention to your business. The more you put out your information, more people will be inclined to check out your site or business.

While a good press release can jump-start your business at a fraction of cost of most other forms of advertisement, no one can assure you that a press release will invite interviews on national TV. So what you can do to empower your release?