Previously we have offered tips to help you manage your small businesses public relations outreach. These are some great tips on how to research, reach out to and establish relationships with the media.

If you are interested in generating online or offline publicity, traditionally there are two approaches. The first way is to find a reporter who covers the type of the subject matter you can offer leads for, pitch them your idea or expertise, and hope they include you in their article.

An easier way is to connect with reporter query services that will tell you what type of stories writers are working on and where to reach them. Some services will let you join a database for reporters to search when working on a story.

Here are a couple free sites that can help connect you with reporter queries:

• Help a Reporter Out – Created by Peter Shankman, CEO of Geek Factory Inc., Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a service that mails you reporter queries three times a day. Categories include business/finance, healthcare, lifestyle, technology among others. When you sign up for HARO, you will receive five simple rules to follow. Follow these rules or be removed from the service!

• PitchRate.com – PitchRate.com is a complimentary networking service that allows journalists to make requests for input and for expert participants to submit pitches. Along with reporter queries, PitchRate.com also offers “PR Happy Hours,” which are podcasts that answer questions and discuss a variety of public relation topics.

• Reporter’s Source – Created by a family with 17 years in television news producing, Reporter’s Source is dedicated to providing a quick and easy solution for reporters facing a deadline, casting agents looking for new talent, and businesses or individuals trying to expand their market impact.

These are just a few of the many outlets you can choose from to help find reporters looking for sources. Other sources include PRLeads.com and GiftListMedia.com, which is a great resource for companies who are looking to unveil a new product.

These services generally come with a few quick tips for working with reporters that generally include:

1. Stay on topic. If you see a query from a journalist whose attention you’d like to connect with, but the query isn’t a good fit for your story, don’t pitch off topic.
2. Keep your pitch idea short. If you’re responding by email, write no more than one screen of copy. Give only enough information to let the journalist know what you have to add to the story. Don’t try to tell the entire story in your response. Also do not send attachments unless the reporter states they accept them. Instead, offer to send attachments and wait for a reply.
3. Be patient. Don’t assume that if you pitch and a journalist doesn’t respond, they’re not interested. Sometimes reporters will keep sources on file for future stories they work on.

Is your company using a reporter query service to help find story leads? Have you had any success with them?