Marketing and all things related

I love Andy Sernovitz's blog (Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That!), and I have to give him props for a post he published about generating your own PR this past week.  In his post, Andy describes six steps to drive your own publicity, which I think are particularly helpful to small businesses, freelancers, etc. who have very limited (or nonexistent) public relations budget but would clearly benefit from a little love from the press.

What I like best about Andy's post is it includes six steps that he's used successfully himself to get publicity, so they're not pie-in-the-sky suggestions, they've already been proven to work.  Here's a recap of Andy's ways to get some press:

1. Ask for it
2. Put a package together
3. Pitch your client instead
4. Go local
5. Use web-ready press releases
6. Write it yourself

You can read Andy's description about each step on his post, The Getting Press Issue.  I think his first suggestions, "ask for it," is great when you read his description and his theory that journalists are looking for things to write about everyday, and your story might just fit the bill.  Andy say's he's gotten 90% of his press using this simple method. 

So next time you need some PR, why not ask for it?  Then try Andy's other steps for generating publicity, and you just might find yourself generating the awareness you were hoping for!

Do you have any simple steps for creating publicity with little to no monetary investment?