Don't dismiss the chance to be on television because you think your business isn't "important enough." If you can offer an interesting visual-the Number One most important criteria for TV-you just might be what the TV cameras are looking for. Here are tips on how small businesses can get onto television.

 Piggyback off holidays. A company that cooks and delivers dinners for busy families can pitch a story about their business the week of Thanksgiving, when many people hate to think about cooking anything other than the annual Thanksgiving feast. Invite the TV cameras along. A business that makes fancy, custom-made candies should call TV stations a few days before Valentine's Day. Ask to speak to the assignment editor.
 Offer yourself as the local angle to national stories. If national news outlets, for example, are reporting a sharp increase in the number of home-based businesses-and you're representative of the trend-call the TV station and invite them to your home to shoot film of you at work, as long as it's something more exciting than you sitting at your desk.
For more tips on how to get on TV see Special Report #9, "How to Generate Free Publicity for Your New Business"