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Eric Swartz, President and Founder, Byline Group, eric@thebylinegroup.com San Mateo-based Byline Group provides full-service marketing communications specializing in message creation, alignment, integration, and packaging.

One of the most effective lead-generation programs I managed was a PR campaign undertaken on behalf of an Asian real-time intelligence wire service owned by the Australian Associated Press. My role was to launch and promote the service in the U.S. by issuing and pitching press releases and story ideas to the business and trade press. Our collective goal was to generate interest among marketing, financial, and information professionals whose companies were already doing business in Asia or wanted to do business there.

Until now, my client was handing out, on a casual basis to business partners, a brief, spiral-bound guide, Business Etiquette in Asia — An Overview, which summarized the dos and don'ts of business protocol in 15 Asian countries. I thought, "Hmm, this would make a great hook. Why not issue a release about the guide and position the client as the expert in Asian business etiquette? We could focus on the art of the Asian business deal, discuss cultural taboos, and push the service." We offered a free copy of the guide and invited readers to sign-up for a free 30-day trial of the wire service.

An amazing thing happened. My client was inundated with requests for the guide — about 500 in the first week alone! The guide was not unique or the first of its kind, but it touched a nerve by promising to help Western executives build more successful and rewarding relationships with their Asian hosts and partners. I was interviewed on WNBC radio in New York and followed up with several more releases.

What I learned: The sidelight of your story can be the highlight of your story. Ask your client, "What else can you offer?" Free offers are nice but it helps if they're relevant to your audience and can leverage the strengths of your client.

Republished with permission from The Northern California chapter of the Business Marketing Association