The individual that penned the phrase “there is no such thing as bad press” was horribly mistaken.

With information being sent at the speed of light around the world, negative press could be disastrous.

YouTube is not your friend when there are over a million hits for a video showing the deficiencies of your product, or a major faux pas being made on television by your CEO.

On the positive side, free advertising and brand awareness can be created by strategic and careful creation of a newsworthy event. Everyone loves a feel-good story, and local media loves to report them, so create a win-win scenario by making news. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Have a community day or street fair. Give lessons on anything related to your business, or give a “tour” of your operations for a school group.
• Partner with customers on something charitable—park clean-up, school safety, band instruments, literacy, etc.
• Do a “Green Makeover” of your business, with before/after video clips of operations

The key is this:

Whenever your company does something of note, or interacts with the community, let the press know about it.

You won’t always get a story out of it, but every now and then the happening will create a stir/buzz or overwhelming outpouring of community support that will bank huge amounts of goodwill for your company and increase your customer base.

Don’t be a jerk about it though…if people think you are doing these things just for press then that will paint you as a bit of a media whore and it will backfire on you in a big way.

So give back to the community for the sake of showing your appreciation, not for the free press—just make sure the press knows about it.