Contributed to the BBBB by Rick Frishman.

Each of us is unique. Even those of us who do the same things go about them differently. Look at yourself and identify how you differ from the norm. Take inventory. Find out what's unique about you and what special ingredients distinguish you and your product or service from the crowd. Then come up with clever, interesting, and unusual ways to tell the world about it.

To identify your unique characteristics:

• Discard all your preconceptions about who you are, they're probably invalid.
• Zero in on your uniqueness by asking yourself what about you do people find intriguing? What do they want to know? What questions do they ask?
• After you've identified both your own and your business's uniqueness, get creative. Find a hook, a link or a device to capitalize on that specialness, something that will capture the media's interest.

Remember though, that reporters care only about items that will benefit their audiences. What you're promoting may be inventive. It may even be groundbreaking or earth shattering, but if it doesn't relate to their audience, they won't give it any play. Reporters want to tell their audience that you can help them because you do have something unique.

An excerpt from the National Best-Seller GUERRILLA PUBLICITY: Hundreds of Sure-fire Tactics to Get Maximum Sales for Minimum Dollars by Rick Frishman, Jill Lublin and Jay Conrad Levinson.