As we close on the third week of February (uh, where did the last month go?) it occurs to me that National Craft Month is right around the corner. This is the time of year when CHA makes an extra effort to promote crafts in the worldwide media. March isn't the only time CHA promotes crafts but having a designated month provides a more compelling argument for why newspaper and magazine editors should consider covering crafts.

I hope your plans include some proactive publicity in your community. Scrapbook Retailer can help you out with that! Simply visit the Marketing Tools  section of our Web site to find press releases that you can customize and send out locally. We've done the work of writing and formatting- you just need to add a local angle.

Next create your media list. Build a media list now and you will own a living document that when updated frequently, will serve you well. You want to collect names, titles, address, phone numbers and email addresses for people who have the ability to get a message out via radio, television, newspapers, magazines, websites and now blogs.

Try your local chamber of commerce to see if they have a media list you can access. Not all of these folks will be contacts for your business but it is a good starting spot.

It's also easy to create your own. Identify media outlets that are used by the audience you want to reach: local newspapers, weeklies, tourist publications, entertainment publications, local television stations and radio stations. Does your local government provide an online community bulletin board? You'll want to send there as well.

Most of the contact info is available online or your local librarian can help you find it. It's always best to direct a release to a particular person but if you can't, you can address the envelope to the lifestyle editor. If you do address it to a particular editor- PLEASE spell the editor's name correctly. It shows that you went to the trouble of doing your homework.

Stay tuned for more information on media outreach. If you have any specific questions about contacting local press, please email me directly and
I'll try to help.

Have a great weekend.I'll be digging out from 6 inches of snow!--Beth