The media love tip sheets and briefs because so many readers have such short attention spans. We sit in front of the television with our remote control and we just surf like crazy. We're going from one channel to the next. Briefs can be read quickly. For you, they're wonderful because they're so easy to write. Unlike many other things that you send to newspapers and magazines, you can send briefs without a cover letter explaining what it is. You simply send it in, and you can do that by snail-mail. You can fax it, or you can even email it.

Briefs are a great way to promote your product, particularly if you're giving away free advice that ties into your product or service. That's one of the secrets of getting briefs to work for you. Keep it brief, pack it with free advice and free tips that tie into your product or service, even if it isn't a direct promotion for whatever it is you're trying to sell. Editors might sometimes include in the brief a reference to where people can buy the product, or how they can contact you. They might even include a website or phone number. Sometimes that's all you need to get people calling you. For more great tips and ideas, read Briefs, Fillers and Quizzes: How To Write Them and Why Editors LOVE Them