People love contests. So do the media. They're fun. They provide an aura of suspense. And they're one of the best ways to get publicity for your company without having to spend money on a paid ad. Choosing a clever contest that becomes an annual event can be part of your company's branding campaign. Pillsbury, for example, gets tons of free publicity from its annual Bake-Off. Winners are profiled in their local newspapers and national magazines, along with the winning recipes.

One of the reasons that contests are so valuable as publicity tools is that you can create publicity before, during and after the contest. Beforehand, you can send a news release announcing the contest and perhaps even pitch a clever angle that warrants a feature story. During the contest, you can keep the media updated on entries. Then you can announce the winner with great fanfare. During the months after you announce the winner, take the most interesting story angles from the contest, particularly clever entries that didn't win, and pitch those as ideas to the media. Then resurrect the contest the following year and do it all again.

For great ideas on when and how to do contests that will grab the media's attention and get you free publicity see Special Report #18, "Clever Contests That Will Tempt Reporters to Call"