A couple of years ago, January 2007, to be exact, my Retail Update column was about hosting and promoting in-store events to benefit local charities. Included in the text was a link to a simple generic template for writing a press release.

I'm providing the link again in this month's column because whenever I hear retailers discuss press coverage, this is a topic that always seems to come up. And it came up recently, when our editor in chief Jenny Heinzen York and a panel of retailers discussed how retailers can use the press to get more coverage in the media.

The venue was Ballroom B of the IHFC at the April High Point Market. The retail panelists, all of them Home Accents Today Retail Stars honorees, were Mary Sherwood, owner of Mary Sherwood Lake Living, Lake Gaston, N.C., Jamie Merida, owner of Bountiful, Easton, Md., and Valerie Watters, owner of Valerie's Furniture & Accents, Cave Creek, Ariz.

The three retailers shared their thoughts and experiences on everything from writing press releases to maintaining e-mail lists of customers to planning special events. Merida and Watters spoke from the perspective of retailers who use paid PR reps for some of their outreach, and Sherwood spoke as a retailer who does it all herself.

Both perspectives offered a very interesting look, for us, at how things work from "the other side," i.e. how the retailer responds to our solicitations for Stars, story ideas, edit submissions, etc., and how something like being named to our Retail Stars list can lead to a story, then to more stories, industry recognition, and so on. It was very enlightening for our editorial staff and, judging from the number of attendees and questions, informative for the retailers and designers who attended.

If you missed the High Point presentation, maybe you were in the audience when Jenny conducted similar seminars at the New York International Gift Fair or the Seattle Gift & Home Accessories Show.

If not, you can now find the video versions of the presentation on our Web site at www.homeaccentstoday.com. In the videos, which were produced in conjunction with the Gift and Home Channel, Jenny gives retailers a bit of good advice that stuck with me after I heard her say it at the High Point panel discussion — make it easy on us.

We get lots of phone calls, e-mails, announcements and invitations to special events, but when your news arrives in the form of a simple, well-written press release with photography, it makes it much easier for us to pick up. We benefit by getting something new to blog about or fill print or Web space with, and you benefit in the form of a little free advertising for the store.

Which brings me back to the press release. A good example can be found at samplepressrelease.info/sampleformat.htm. If you're promoting a special occasion or in store event, you'll increase your chance for publication even more if a small portion of sales are going to benefit a local charity.

To build or expand your list of media organizations, usnpl.com and newslink.org provide quick links to regional newspapers, television and radio stations. Finding the right person to send the release to will require a bit more work. If the newspaper's Web site doesn't include an editorial directory, browse the copy pages for names and e-mail addresses of editors of the local news, community events, arts and entertainment and lifestyle sections.

Lastly, make sure that this address is at the top of your media list: susan.dickenson@reedbusiness.com. Feel free to practice your press releases on me by sending news of store openings, special events, celebrations, relocations, expansions, etc.

To comment on this story, please write to me at susan.dickenson@reedbusiness.com or share your thoughts on my blog at HomeAccentsToday.com.

Visit HomeAccentsToday.com to tune in to a series of Web videos about developing an effective PR strategy for your store.