Local newspapers are in trouble. Circulation is down. Budgets are tight. Staff is lean. But they still need to fill pages. That's where you come in.
Every week, local papers publish dozens of small stories, quotes, and human interest pieces. Most of those come from PR companies. But some come from businesses just like yours that figured out what makes a decent story and sent it their way.
A feature in your local paper isn't fame. It's credibility. When a customer Googles your name and finds a newspaper article about your work, that's trust. When locals see your face in the paper, they remember you. When people read something interesting about your trade, you become the expert they think of.
And it costs you nothing except an hour to write a simple press release or email.
What Editors Actually Want
First, understand why editors would care about you at all. It's not personal. It's not because you're a nice person. It's because you fit one of their regular editorial needs.
Local Business Growth: "Local electrician wins big commercial contract" or "Family plumbing business opens second depot in south county." This appeals to the business and economy section. Editors need these stories regularly.
Human Interest: You've trained an apprentice who's now qualified. You've worked in the trade for 30 years. You retrain people with disabilities. You're a woman in a male-dominated field. These become feature stories because they appeal to readers beyond just business.
Seasonal Angles: Winter is coming, get your boiler serviced. Summer renovations season. Back-to-school sports club being refurbished. You tie your business to seasonal events, suddenly it's timely news.
Unusual Problem Solves: You restored a Victorian cottage's original plasterwork. You fixed a 50-year-old heating system no one else would touch. You use new technology to diagnose problems others missed. That's interesting to readers.
Expert Commentary: They're writing about rising energy costs. They're covering planning disputes. They're running a story about skilled trades shortages. You offer a quote or expert perspective. You're now in the paper as the local expert.
Editors don't need your business to succeed. They need interesting content that makes readers open the paper. That's it. Your job is to give it to them.
The Simplest Angle: The News Hook
Journalists talk about "news hooks." Something that makes a story timely and publishable.
You're unlikely to be news on your own. But you might be news connected to something else.
Local Events: Your town's high street is being renovated. You've just finished refurbishing the parade of shops. Contact the paper. "Local builder involved in [town] high street renewal." They're already covering the story. You're a local angle.
Legislation Changes: New building regs. New energy efficiency standards. New apprenticeship rules. You explain how this affects local homeowners and businesses. You're now the expert on a story they're already covering.
Milestone Moments: You've hit 25 years in business. You've trained 50 apprentices. You've just gone carbon-neutral. These are reasons to write a story about you.
Awards or Recognition: You've won a trade award. You've been recognized by an industry body. You've been featured in a national magazine. That's news worth the local paper picking up.
Interesting Project: You restored a listed building. You fixed a problem that stumped others. You've done something unusual or technically impressive. That's a feature story.
The angle is what makes editors say yes. Without an angle, you're just a business asking for free advertising. With an angle, you're a story they want to tell.
How to Actually Contact Local Press
Research first. Know what you're pitching.
Find the Right Person: Call the local paper's main line and ask for the business editor, or whoever covers your sector. Get their email. Don't email the general inbox. Emails to "News@..." get lost. Emails to a specific person get read.
Keep It Short: Journalists are busy. Your initial pitch should be three short paragraphs. Hook, details, call to action. That's it. If they want more, they'll ask.
Email Subject Line: Be clear and specific. "Local roofer restores historic property" beats "Press release." "Plumber raises money for local charity" beats "Business news."
Include a Quote: Give them something quotable from yourself. "Over 25 years, I've seen building standards change dramatically. These new regulations will protect homeowners better, but they'll also cost more upfront. My job is helping people understand that investment." Real quotes are better than generic ones.
Offer Photos: Photos get your story more visible. If you've got professional before-and-after shots, or a picture of you on a job site, mention it. Bad photos hurt more than no photos. Only offer good ones.
The follow-up: If they don't reply in three days, send one follow-up email. Not pushy. "Following up on the below in case it landed in spam." That's it. If they don't reply then, they're not interested. Move on.
Real Examples That Work
The apprentice success story: "Local plumber's apprentice wins national award." You train someone. They do well. They win recognition. That's a story about your business without being about your business. Editors love this because it's about human achievement and skills development.
The local insight: Housing crisis in your area? You get quoted in a story about affordable housing and what it means for trades. "We're building more properties, but we're not building enough skilled workers to maintain them," is a useful quote on a story they're already writing.
The restoration job: You've finished a notable project. Historic property, difficult restoration, technical achievement. Contact them with before-and-after photos. This becomes a feature story with your business as the centerpiece.
The charity angle: You sponsor a local football club's new clubhouse. You donate time to fix up a community centre. You train underprivileged kids. You're now in the paper because you're doing good work in the community. Your business gets mentioned. Everyone wins.
The expert commentary: There's a story about skills shortages, energy costs, house price crashes, new regulation. You send an email: "I'm a [trade] with 15 years experience, happy to comment on how this affects [local area]." Half the time, journalists will use you because you're timely and local.
What NOT to Do
Don't spam the same editor constantly. One or two pitches a year to the right person is good. Ten pitches a month is annoying. You'll get blocked.
Don't send a generic press release. The formal "Press Release / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" style is dead. Write an email like you're talking to a person. Because you are.
Don't pitch stories that are pure advertising. "Buy our services now" isn't news. "Here's how to know when you need our service" is interesting. The first gets deleted. The second gets published.
Don't use bad photos. Dark, blurry, unprofessional photos hurt your credibility. Phone photos are fine if they're well-lit and clear. Professional photos are better. Bad photos are worse than no photos.
Don't be precious about changes. Editors might change your quote slightly. They might trim your story. They might use only a small part. That's journalism. You can't control this. Accept it or don't pitch.
Build a Relationship Over Time
One feature is good. But the real win is becoming a trusted source for the local paper. That means when they need expert commentary, they call you first.
How you do that: deliver on your pitches. If you say something newsworthy is coming, deliver on it. If you offer a quote, make sure it's good. If you say you'll provide photos, don't. Build a pattern where pitching you is easy because you're responsive, reasonable, and provide good material.
After six months of pitching, the editor knows your name. After a year, they might start calling you for comment. After two years, you might be their go-to expert on your trade in the area.
That credibility is worth far more than a single article.
The Real Return
A local paper feature doesn't directly sell jobs. But it changes how people see you. Customers find you and say, "I read about you in the [local paper]." Other businesses notice. Potential employees notice. People trust you more.
That's not marketing. That's credibility. And it's earned by finding stories in your business and telling them to people who care about telling stories to your community.