The media always want good local stories, or a local angle on a national story, making the PR possibilities for a new business endless.  The trick is to be creative and think of an angle that makes your story stand apart from the rest.  Below are several ideas to help generate news coverage in your market and after contacting the media remember to be persistent, accessible and to follow up. 

Promote Yourself As An Expert
Editors always appreciate a regular and reliable source of ideas or information and they will not hesitate to approach you when they need a story.  For example, if you are in the wine business, offer yourself for interviews during the holiday season when reporters are writing about what to pair with the Thanksgiving feast.  Establishing this relationship will take time but if you prove to be a local expert in a given field, editors will be interested in hearing your views on topical issues.

Profile Pieces
Is there a person in your company with an extremely interesting story to tell?  If you are intrigued or interested in their story, it’s likely other people will be too.  Many community papers feature spotlight sections where you can pitch these types of human interest pieces.

Community Relations
Get involved! Partner with a local organization to fundraise.  Sponsor an event or donate your product or services to a charity.  Building goodwill in your community will go a long way, not only in terms of helping you generate media but can also increase your clientele base.

Photos
Newsrooms are often short on staff and often cannot send photographers to cover events.  If you have good quality photos available, offer to send them to the reporter. Photographs can make all the difference, especially in local papers. In your email, be sure to clearly label all the individuals in the photo, however, DO NOT send photographs without the consent of the reporter as most are weary of opening attachments from strangers.

Offer a Training Day
Invite a journalist to spend a day learning your trade.  Show them firsthand how your beautiful floral arrangements get made or tour them around the kitchen so they can meet with the chef and sample your delicious pastries.  Make it an exciting opportunity for them to learn about your business in a unique fashion.

Events
Are you celebrating a grand opening or a store anniversary?  Work with your local Chamber to invite the Mayor or other community influencers to attend your event.  Make it fun for your customers and bring in live music or offer special discounts and promotions to either introduce them to your products or thank them for their loyalty.  You will want to start promoting these types of events two weeks in advance.

Ownership Profiles
Local papers love learning about small business success stories.  If you have a good story to share, the media will be receptive to hearing about the impact your company has made in the community.