Positive Press

A few weeks ago, my Chairman, Kurt Harden, and I met with Mr. Michael Shearer, Managing Editor of The Newark Advocate about the importance of having some positive business stories printed, especially in this economic downturn. We discussed several ideas, and Mr. Shearer offered to talk to our members about ways to get positive press for the businesses.

Yesterday he spoke to our Manufacturing Council and today he spoke to our Economic Development Committee. He did an excellent job.

Here are some suggestions he provided:

• Promotions or people news: Very short items with name, what happened and photo (optional). Retirements are often overlooked.



• Openings, expansion plan: - We realize there are competitive issues at times, but our readers want to know what you are building. We also run at least a brief for any new business opening, no matter the size.



• New equipment or trends: Share your investment in the community.



• Larger orders or good news: Even adding six employees is news, albeit a briefer story.



• Community donations or efforts: Do your employees do something fun for United Way or another charity?



• Provide experts on issues: We've spoken to numerous bankers about the financial crisis, for example.



• Begin a blog on NewarkAdvocate.com: This can be a way to share news with the community without any media filter. You can either allow comments from readers to appear immediately or upon your approval.

In my opinion, the most valuable thing he talked about was the importance of building a relationship with reporters "even when you don't have much to share." I can't emphasize this point enough.

Thanks Mike for sharing these valuable tips.