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For a successful business, you need a viable business idea, the skills to make it work and the funding. Discover whether your idea has what it takes.

Forming your business correctly is essential to ensure you are protected and you comply with the rules. Learn how to set up your business.

Advice on protecting your wellbeing, self-confidence and mental health from the pressures of starting and running a business.

Learn why business planning is an essential exercise if your business is to start and grow successfully, attract funding or target new markets.

It is likely you will need funding to start your business unless you have your own money. Discover some of the main sources of start up funding.

Businesses and individuals must account for and pay various taxes. Understand your tax obligations and how to file, account and pay any taxes you owe.

Businesses are required to comply with a wide range of business laws. We introduce the main rules and regulations you must comply with.

Marketing matters. It drives sales and helps promote your brand and products. Discover how to market your business and reach your target customers.

Some businesses need a high street location whilst others can be run from home. Understand the key factors from cost to location, size to security.

Your employees can your biggest asset. They can also be your biggest challenge. We explain how to recruitment and manage staff successfully.

It is likely your business could not function without some form of IT. Learn how to specify, buy, maintain and secure your business IT.

Few businesses manage the leap from start up to high-growth business. Learn what it takes to scale up and take your business to the next level.

14 ways to gain free publicity

Variations of these ideas come up time and time again, resulting in free publicity for the businesses behind the story. The following might encourage journalists to cover your business

  1. Be the first, newest, oldest, biggest, smallest, etc. Journalists get sent a constant stream of 'average' all day long - make sure you stand out.
  2. Introduce something new or improved. Make it clear why your offering is better and focus on key benefits or problems it solves.
  3. Mark the passage of time. Being in business for ten years (quite an achievement), for example, can be enough to secure media coverage, especially if you are organising newsworthy celebratory events.
  4. Announce a new member of your team. It doesn't have to be anyone senior, although the more senior the better. Why are they special? Pinpoint the thing that made them the right person for the job and publicise that. Draw attention to noteworthy aspects of their career.
  5. Win an award. It's why many businesses enter competitions in the first place. Find out what trade, local, regional or national awards your business can enter and get your entry forms in. You've got to be in it to win it.
  6. Attract a new major client - the bigger the better. And don't shy away from boasting about it; get quotes from them if possible. News of big contracts can help to attract others.
  7. React to a current event. Give your opinion on something happening in the news nationally or locally that's relevant to you and your business. Spotting a trend and commenting on it is highly recommended.
  8. Provide good comment. Years of experience in your industry could make you an expert. Journalists and readers appreciate experts' opinion. Be available to comment when journalists need good quotes and invest time in social media by interacting with hot topics and hashtags.
  9. Give away freebies or run a competition. If you have a product, give it away (providing that is cost-effective, of course). Use it to drive traffic to your website. Arranging an exclusive deal with one media outlet might get you more coverage over a longer period.
  10. Write articles for free. Share your expertise and help a newspaper, magazine or website fill column inches with thought-provoking new content. Don't agonise too much about making sure the copy is grammatically perfect, sub-editors will usually sort out any errors. But make sure you provide insight and engage with interesting facts and thought-provoking comment. Share the articles on your website and socials.
  11. Survey your customers. Find out what they think about specific issues. Ask enough people about an interesting enough topic and the media won't be able to resist. Polls are always popular with journalists and their readers.
  12. Help a charity. Don't just give cash, either - it's dull and predictable (cheque presentation photos in particular are a relic of the 1980s). Instead, give your time or products. Better still - use your staff and resources to do something that will aid a worthy cause.
  13. Do something differently. Journalists love to write about pioneers. That's why entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson, Stelios and James Dyson have become household names. Break the mould and lead the way, but make sure you provide customers with additional value and benefits they cannot access elsewhere.
  14. Stage a publicity stunt. It's a tried and tested method, but your idea must be fresh, fun, exciting and highly visual (as well as legal and proper, of course), otherwise you won't get the publicity you seek. Think about how 'flash mobs' can and do go viral. Can you stage something with your staff that will get people talking?

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