If you’re a small business just starting out, the chances of being able to afford a reputable PR company are likely slim to none.  Still, there are several PR practices that you can see to yourself—practices that can truly make you stand out on your own until you can afford professional PR services.

Many of these lean more towards social media common sense rather than actual PR methods. They are all very doable as long as you set aside the time and effort.

• First of all, don’t expect news outlets to beg to write about you just because you’ve opened up for business. What about your business is news worthy? What is it about your services that people are going to want to know about right away?
• If you are truly going to try to handle PR duties on your own, then be consistent. Simply sending out a poorly planned press release from time to time isn’t going to cut it. PR is something you’ll need to integrate into your daily business model.
• Pre-planning is great, but don’t set traps for yourself; if you get too caught up in the sort of business you want to be rather than the sort of business you currently are, you are setting yourself up for failure from the start.
• It’s also great to dream big…but don’t let that trip you up. Most of the time, you’ll have much more success focusing on local markets for your niche rather than querying larger well known publications. Don’t start out with delusions of grandeur; start where you know you can generate interest and success and then slowly start climbing that ladder.
• While no one likes to think about the worst, it is in your best interest to come up with some sort of crisis management plan. Any mistake or failure—no matter ow small—can cause huge catastrophic headaches later on. Prepare for these worst case scenarios from the start so they won’t catch you unguarded later on.

PR can be a tricky business. That’s why there are firms and agencies out there ready to help you But with a level head and the desire to present yourself professionally, you should be able to handle the basics just fine until you can afford the services of an actual PR agency.