How can I get free PR for my small business doing the right thing?
May 2, 2016 9:57 PM   Subscribe

I'm a small business owner who's recently decided to raise the company's minimum wage to $15 across the board. Sue me, but I'd like to find out if I can translate this into some free press coverage.

The small business I own has locations in Maryland and Virginia, two states that might've been close to raising their minimum wages, had it not been for recent political realities in both states (Maryland screwing up and letting an ass-backward Chris Christie wanna-be get elected Governor, and Virginia electing someone halfway decent as Governor, who'll of course just get gridlocked to hell and back by the rest of VA state government).

So I decided . . . screw it, I'm doing pretty well myself, so it's only fair I share the wealth a bit. So I decided to raise our minimum wage to $15 — granted, like every jurisdiction nationally that's done this, I'm phasing it in (albeit quickly — we'll hit $15 on 1/1/17). But given that this is a hot issue in the national discourse right now, it seems to me that this could be a chance to get the word out there and get some free coverage (and inadvertent advertising) out of it. Cynical, I know, but hey — I gotta pay for this wage increase somehow. ;-) (Not really; I'll do it regardless, but business hit a bit of a lull JUST after I announced this, so I could use any little bit of added foot traffic I can get.)

Our two primary markets are Baltimore, MD and Richmond, VA — fairly decent-sized media markets. How can I go about getting the word out about this?
posted by CommonSense to Work & Money (12 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Simply write up a press release and submit it to local media.

I used to submit ridiculously trivial press releases for a small biz I worked for, and almost always they would be published, often exactly the way I wrote them. Surely raising your minimum wage is more important than 80% of the stupid BS I used to routinely and easily get published. I don't think this will be hard.
posted by mysterious_stranger at 10:57 PM on May 2, 2016 [28 favorites]


Email all your local TV stations about how ypuve read the backlash against the minimum wage increase discussions, and how you'd like to make yourself heard as a small business owner trying to do the right thing for your loyal employees. You know your situation and your employees' situations better than the politicians, and you just want a chance to speak up about how this is best for everybody. Maybe add a detailed human interest story or two about how the wage increase will help a few specific employees (and all your employees in general), Improve your business in the long run, and not hurt you a bit.

Local news loves a good story like that.
posted by erst at 12:05 AM on May 3, 2016 [11 favorites]


I urge you read / watch the media to find out which journalists specifically are most likely to write about the topic. Get their email adresses and send it directly to them. A lot of the time if journalists get unsolicited stuff that doesn't concern them, they don't pass it on, they throw it away.
posted by Omnomnom at 12:56 AM on May 3, 2016 [4 favorites]


Find an organisation in your area that campaigns for living wages and let them know what you're doing. I'm sure they'd help get the word out.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:41 AM on May 3, 2016 [6 favorites]


The keys to getting your press releases picked up:

1) Email it directly to the reporter covering your topic

2) Write it in the form of a finished news article so they can just slap their own byline on it with minor (if any) edits

You would be amazed at how many reporters are lazy enough to do #2. My mom used to work in PR and the number of her press releases that were printed word-for-word under a journalist's byline was ridiculous.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:42 AM on May 3, 2016 [8 favorites]


I live in Boston where a small local chain of restaurants, Clover, just did that very thing. The news was picked up on local websites and magazines (possibly other media too), and they had large signs printed in their stores explaining what they were doing and why.
posted by chickenmagazine at 3:11 AM on May 3, 2016


Yeah, press release. Also, see if there is some kind of living wage certifying organization or group that campaigns for $15/hour in your area and see if you can get certified by them as being an official living wage provider.
posted by aka burlap at 6:14 AM on May 3, 2016 [2 favorites]


Publicizing this is not only within your self-interest—it is leading the way and demonstrating to other businesses how feasible this is.
posted by grouse at 8:07 AM on May 3, 2016 [8 favorites]


Maybe add a detailed human interest story or two about how the wage increase will help a few specific employees

Yeah, this. Look for stories involving employees caring for elderly parents (hell, grandparents!) who live with them. Or employees caring for extended family (nieces, nephews, etc.). Managers at the retail level might be best positioned to know their own employees' stories and recommend some to you.
posted by John Borrowman at 8:13 AM on May 3, 2016 [3 favorites]


Are you a Costco member? Costco prides itself on both helping small businesses, and treating its workers decently. Pick up a copy of the Costco Connection magazine next time you're in store, and write a letter to the editor re: your business. They frequently do profiles on small business owners.
posted by invisible ink at 9:32 AM on May 3, 2016 [2 favorites]


See if you can sponsor a campaign event for a minimum-wage advocacy group. You could supply food, buy logo t-shirts with their slogan and your logo, etc.
posted by Miko at 5:02 PM on May 3, 2016


In Richmond, contact Richmond BizSense http://richmondbizsense.com
posted by john m at 8:33 PM on November 1, 2016


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