Maybe it played for Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, but that paraphrased line Print it and they will come doesnt necessarily work in real life.

Theres a lot to be said for the value of editorial side coverage, but you cant count on people acting on what they read or even remembering it for long. The smarter bet is to find ways to leverage your coverage to enhance the odds of driving more prospects in. Here are some fairly easy ways to do it:

First, create a short synopsis of the article (making sure your part of it is front and center), including the headline, publication and publication date. Tease to the hit or placement on your home page and link it to the synopsis, which you should post to the Press section (or some informational equivalent) of your site.

If youre among the many who are comfortable with e-mail marketing and are fairly nimble, you can devise a simple informational mailing that shares news of coverage and provides a link to the article on the publications website, if its available. Many publications allow public access to their content for a limited amount of time, so do this before that time expires.

Otherwise, you need to check out the availability of reprint rights and PDFs, well worth it for articles where youre quoted expansively or that youve authored. For a price, you can secure a PDF (hard copies are usually extra) and guidelines for usage. Dont make your own photocopies or PDFs because you risk violating the publications copyright.

Heres how to use the PDF: o Create a link to the PDF from the synopsis of the article youve posted on your website. That way people will know they can access the complete piece. o Whether you have formal or informal outreach efforts to clients, customers and friends, incorporate a brief, FYI-type summary of the article and attach the PDF, if its an e-communique. And dont forget to encourage the recipients to forward the piece to people they know who might find it of interest. o If you use snail mail outreach, things are a little dicier. If youve gotten a printable PDF and the mailing is fairly small, you may be safe printing and making copies to include as part of the mailing. Check the terms of your reprint permission. The problem is that PDFs are made to look good on the computer screen, but printouts dont reproduce as well. o Make sure anyone in your organization who is involved in business development is equipped with the PDF, and encouraged to include it as an informational attachment when promoting the business to prospects and friends.

If its printed, they may come. If you promote whats been printed, the odds go up exponentially!