Providing Classes to Reach Prospects and Get Publicity

Offering a class or workshop that provides useful, practical information can be an effective tactic for introducing yourself to prospective customers and clients. By sharing your expertise to a small, in-person audience, people get to know you as a professional. If the class is offered free, or at low cost, you may be able to get a press release published promoting your class in your local newspaper or business news publication.

No Sales Pitch

However, this type of public relations tactic will not work if people perceive what you're offering is a sales pitch. The class must provide information that people can possibly put to use without your help. You must view your class offering as providing a service, not selling a service.

Bad and Good Examples

BAD: An estate planner offering a class in how to decide if you need an estate plan. (Perception is estate planner will to try to convince participants they need an estate plan and should hire him/her.)

GOOD: An interior designer client of mine recently held a workshop on how professional designers draw floor plans. Participants were told to bring dimensions of a room they want to decorate. She's planning to offer the class a second time, as it was so popular she now has a long waiting list.