You can get publicity with honey, better than you can with vinegar.
It was the week before Christmas in 1996, when the media were hungry for stories. When the local NBC News affiliate in Milwaukee heard that a local ad agency had surprised all 55 employees just days before at the annual Christmas party with an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World, the assignment editor jumped at the chance to cover the story. Within hours, camera crews were filming happy employees who explained how excited they were to be going to the Magic Kingdom.

The story was several minutes long on the 6 o'clock news that evening. It also made the front page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Christmas Day.

The result? "We were swamped with job applications from people who saw and read the news stories," said the company president, who found himself in an enviable position because of the tight labor market in Milwaukee and most of the rest of the nation.

Your company doesn't have to give away 55 free trips to Disney World to get that kind of coverage. You can, however, start a proactive campaign to strut your organization's best stuff such as working conditions, job opportunities, perks, the fun environment and even interesting co-workers-reasons why people would want to work there or why employees stay. Then develop a publicity campaign around it.

For more information on how to use free publicity to attract great employees see Special Report #3 "How to Use Free Publicity to Attract and Keep Valuable Employees"