I've written before about how important it is to seek publicity for your company. This can include personal features in your local paper or a project profile in a regional glossy magazine. Getting quoted in articles consistently is another great way to get exposure.

I'd rather have a full-color spread about one of my projects versus simply getting quoted, but these quotes do keep you in front of people. This is really a simple pain-free process. All you need to do is collect the names and contact information of the folks who write for your local newspapers and lifestyle magazines. Some will be regular contributors with columns, others will be freelance writers. It's a good idea to build a relationship with both. You also might want to explore the membership of the Garden Writers Association to see if any members are near you.

You have to be "top of mind" in order to get quoted, so you should be sending press releases periodically. Another thing you can do is just follow up and comment on one of their stories they write. If you're lucky, some of these writers will also be blogging which is a great opportunity to engage with them by leaving comments on their blog.

About a year ago I came across a terrific free source of media requests. The service is called "The Daily HARO", as in Help A Reporter Out. This service was created by PR expert Peter Shankman. It was created basically to hook up journalists with experts of all subjects. Here's how it works:

You sign up for a free account. Then each day, you'll receive up to three emails, each with anywhere from 15-30 queries per email. Not every email will contain a query or request relevant to our industry. I've found that I get 7 to 10 good queries per month. So you will need to spend a little time sifting through the queries. I estimate spending 4 to 5 minutes per email, so about 15 minutes per day tops.

I guarantee this service works! I have personally been quoted in multiple publications and I know that some members of LandscapeLeadership.com have been quoted and featured in national magazines directly from these leads.

So get signed up! You can sign up for free here:

http://www.helpareporter.com

You can also cancel anytime if you can't keep up with all of the queries.

Give it a shot and let me know if you have success.

All the best,

Chris Heiler, Editor
Visit my blog- http://www.fountainheadgardens.com/blog

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