There’s nothing a local publication likes better than a celebrity or expert in their midst.
Our celebrity-obsessed culture extends from the 24/7 coverage of Brittany Spears to the little thrill of seeing a local television newscaster in a restaurant. At least with the newscaster you may have a chance at introducing yourself and having some interaction that you can later relate to your friends. It’s a more likely celebrity encounter, but could be just as exciting to the fan.
I like to cultivate a relationship with the editor of the local newspaper that serves my section of the city. In my case, the paper is the Stapleton Front Porch.
I volunteered to write a story on my area of expertise, in this case, healthy cooking, that she could run in her newspaper. Local newspapers typically run on shoestring budgets and are always in need of content written for free.
Play your cards right and you could be looking at a regular gig. Now, not only do I contribute a regular recipe column that is delivered to more than 35,000 households, but I am frequently asked to contribute other articles as well. Alongside my first column they ran a full-page feature article about me and my book.
My 35,000 neighbors see my face in their paper and around the community, and many have become my fans and friends as a result. It’s a pretty cool fanbase that is geographically-targeted and can provide an audience at your local booksignings or other events.
