by Leslie Hamp, Certified Marketing Coach & PR Whiz

Now is your chance. While the marketing and public relations experts are off enjoying their hard-earned vacations, the media are left scrambling for much needed copy. Plan ahead, and give them what they're looking for!

In June, July and August reporters are more accessible and open to creative, fun press releases related to entertainment, lighter business stories, trend pieces, technology news, travel features, and back-to-school and education themes. In September, the marketing, PR and agency reps will be back at it, so make hay while the pros are away!

One publicity strategy is to tie into current events. Think about the upcoming Tour de France. Now that Lance Armstrong has stepped away from the competition, cyclists from around the world will be vying for his place on the podium. Whatever the outcome, this will be a hot news item. Tie into it. Plan your strategy now. A few ideas:

1. Restaurants can offer tour discounts on pasta, pancakes or other carbo items that will be devoured by the Tour de France contenders.

2. Bike stores can tie into the tour with special Tour de France promotions, discounts and contests that would be picked up by media outlets whether print, television or radio. Feature the tie in and the winner of the contest.

3. Bed & breakfast inns and hotels can tie into the tour with special rates and organized rides for bicyclists. Feature stories can focus on the recreational and tourism aspect while showing that human aspect of an individual, couple or family enjoying some R&R. Readers love to see themselves in others who are having fun and experiencing success.

4. Wine shops can tie into the tour by featuring wines from France. Special Tour de France wine and cheese gatherings with a discount on French wines would be a fun tie in and good twist that would get noticed by the press.

5. Children's toy stores can tie into the tour by offering special promotions related to the color yellow. Perhaps the store is overstocked with yellow stuffed animals. If they tie into the Tour, they can offer discounts on anything yellow. Imagine photos of kids and their stuffed animal published in the news or displayed throughout the store.

6. An ear, nose and throat physician can easily tie into the tour and share his/her expertise related to facial injuries bikers typically suffer when they go head over heels over their handlebars. Newspapers and web sites love these stories. So do prospects searching for a specialist and current patients who hear about their doc in the news.

7. Organizations working on a fundraising campaign can tie into the Tour by telling donors they will contribute a percentage of each donation to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The organization will get publicity from this long after the 2007 Tour de France.

Think current events. What’s your tie in?

Leslie Hamp, Certified Marketing Coach & PR Whiz, shows small business owners how to blast their business to the next level of success. Find out more at www.boostyourbottomline.com