Business Profiles

Profiles are a great way to bring attention to your business to keep existing clients up-to-date and develop new customers. Articles are typically between 350-600 words on any subject you choose.

There is any number of reasons why you would to tell this story in a press release but every business has a story to tell. Here are some ideas to get you thinking.

• What motivated you to start your business?
• What’s the history of your business?
• What changes have occurred in your business in the last year, ten years or longer?
• How are you adapting your business to change?
• What new products or services are you introducing?
• What are your plans for the future?
• Who are the people in your business and what do they do?
• What are your unique capabilities, products or services?

You should not attempt to answer all of these questions in a single profile so choose 2-3 and focus on those. Here are some events or changes in your business that may be a good time to create a business profile.

• Business anniversary
• Grand opening or change of location
• New product or service launch
• New contracts have been one
• New people have joined the business or retired
• Employees have had important accomplishments

Profiles can include 3 photos or graphics.

Columnists

Columns are an opportunity for you to write about the subject of your choice but will generally be a topic related to your business. Articles should focus on one or two main issues or ideas so as not to be confusing. Helpful articles are generally the most popular but there are several approaches:

• Solving a problem
• Preventing a problem
• Facts & information not commonly known
• Money-saving ideas
• Planning for the future
• Business management & skills development
• New products, ideas and concepts

Columns are not about you and your business. They provide information to readers and demonstrate your expertise in the subject you have chosen.

Columns can include 3 photos or graphics. Be sure to provide us with a 50-75 word bio about yourself and a photo.

Press Releases

Press releases are used to announce a range of news items, such as scheduled events, personal promotions, awards, new products and services, financial data, accomplishments, etc. The topic should be newsworthy and not simply an advertisement.

Here are the common structural elements of a press release:

• Headline or Title – something interesting to get attention
• Date – the date it is written
• Introduction – the first paragraph that generally gives basic answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why.
• Body – the story or information you are getting across.ackground – a short “about” section, providing independent background on the issuing company, organization, or individual.
• Contact information — name, phone number, email & mailing address.
• Include a photo or graphic.

Editorials & Comments

Before sending us your opinion please review the guidelines below.

Facts should be facts. Do not misrepresent issues or the opinions of other people to further your own. If you raise our suspicions we will expect you to identify your sources of information.

Do not single out people for your criticism. We do not support personal vendettas regardless of how just you think your cause. politics is a bit of a different story so if you don’t like what your MPP or MP is doing, they’re fair game.

If you do not want your name to appear in print please specify this with your submission. You must, however, identify yourself to us. In most cases we will contact you before a submission runs to confirm that the author is in fact the person identified on the submission.

Keep your submissions to two hundred words or less or we may be forced to précis it. We do not guarantee that your submission will run exactly as it was provided although we will not editorialize any submission other than correct typos and offending grammar.

You can challenge the accuracy of anything you read but be prepared to substantiate your opinion. Let’s not pile one erroneous viewpoint on another.

If you are responding to another opinion, please identify it by title at the beginning of your article. Responses are usually appended to the original submission so that readers can follow the thread.

Watch your subject matter. We are not preventing children from reading this section so we will reject anything submissions with sexual or racist overtones. Profanities and other questionable use of words will be removed or the submission rejected entirely.

Opinions will remain in the archive for at least twelve months and perhaps longer if they continue to be relevant.