Hey everyone at Mac Insiders,

I'm in the middle of starting up a small business and I was wondering if anyone has some advice regarding public relations. Is it unrealistic to dream of having my business mentioned in a newspaper or on a radio station? I know there's always the option of purchasing ad space but I have a tight budget and cannot afford ads in the newspaper or on radio station. Additionally, I feel that when someone writes about a business or a product it has a bigger impact then when a company puts out an ad.

I appreciate everyone's response in advance.

The best way to get mentioned for free, is start a charity or get involved in some charity work, even if it's something small, you can get mentioned in a local newspaper like Dundas start or ancaster news.

It all depends on what you do or sell.

Ya that's a good idea, to some how incorporate charity work into my business. I'd share more information about my company but it's not fully up and running so I don't want to have a bad first impression on you guys

Easy way: social networking sites. Twitter and LinkedIn are really good to use, for example.

I can do PR for you if you'd like. I am in Communication Studies and have experience with this sort of thing.