This year, we’d like a family to help us test out some of our short-listed toys. So if you’re in the UK and would like to try out some new toys with your kids this summer, just leave a comment on this post or email us, telling us about your favourite toy for pre-schoolers, together with information on your children’s ages.

If you represent a toy retailer or a company that provides goods/services to families, and you’d like to nominate a toy for inclusion in the guide, or find out more about advertising and sponsorship opportunities, get in touch here.

I’m working on a feature for a small business magazine looking at the process of applying for grants and subsidies. I’m looking for small businesses of all kinds to talk about things like:

- how they found out about sources of funding
- the challenges involved in making an application
- whether this kind of funding has made a difference to their business
- advice and tips on successfully winning funding

I’d also be interested in speaking to consultants and other experts who can offer tips to small businesses on this topic.

email Sally: mail @ sallywhittle.co.uk

Email the following to info@findatvexpert.com by 6.00pm on Monday, 27th of April, 2009:

1. A paragraph of no more than 100 words explaining who you are, what you do and why you’d be a great TV Expert.

2. A current photo and contact number (daytime & evening).

3. A copy of your CV (or similar) outlining your employment history and the training/qualifications that prove you’re an expert in your field of business.

The competition opens on Friday, 17th of April and closes at 6.00pm on Monday, 27th April 2009. Completed entries will go into a draw and one winner will be picked at random and announced on the findaTVexpert twitter page (http://twitter.com/findatvexpert) and the findaTVexpert blog
(http://findatvexpert.blogspot.com) on Tuesday, 28th April 2009 – the start of findaTVexpert’s second year in business. “If you’re an expert and you want to get on the industry’s radar, this is the competition for you,” says Richmond. “In the 12 months since findaTVexpert launched last year, experts with a wide range of skills have been found and booked for TV&Media interviews, screentests and appearances including Doctors of Clinical Psychology, Pharmacists, Personal Finance experts, Property Developers, Debt Doctors, Fashion Stylists, Stockbrokers, Career Strategists, Scientists, Historians, Online Shopping Experts, Horticulturalists, etc – and you could be next!” added Richmond

Terms and conditions apply  – see the findaTVexpert blog the media section of findaTVexpert.com  

1. Prior to interview you should ascertain certain essentials: is it recorded or live? Who is the target audience? How will the interview be used?
2. The end product could be a clip in a package, a longer factual, expert or feature interview, a discussion or a documentary each with its own very different form.
3. Ask yourself why you are being interviewed, and what the interviewer wants, to get the best out of it.
4. Define your message using key points and anecdotes.
5. Deal with challenging questions evenly, referring to your key points.
6. Find out the scope of the interview.
7. Focus on the subject matter to help deal with nerves. Check your appearance for TV. Help create visual aids to put your message across.
8. The interviewer may press you and repeat questions. Equally you can stop and go again if it is recorded. Remember if live you have more control.

If you want more great advice, read You’re On! How to develop great media skills for TV, radio and the internet by Alec Sabin, ISBN 978-1-84528-255-4, Available at all good bookstores priced at £9.99 or call  01476 541080 to order. We reviewed the book here last month if you’d like to find out more.

Anyway, I’ve now found a free media request service. The downside for some product based UK business owners is that the requests are largely US based, but if you offer an information based business or an online service a mention in the US media could still be helpful. Check out HARO, or Help A Reporter Out, at http://www.helpareporter.com/. Let me know if you get any useful queries and coverage.

Beyond that chapter, the book is more aimed at those who want to learn to be a TV or radio presenter. There is still a lot that anyone who simply wants to promote their own business can benefit from. Depending on your weaknesses, you can work on your vocal techniques, your interaction with your audience, and the material you are presenting.

The author, Alec Sabin, is an actor who now offers voice and presentation training. You’re On! is published by How To Books Ltd and is available at £9.99 in major bookshops and online retailers across the country. To see more about the book’s contents, click here. ISBN 978-1- 84528-255-4 

Ten years ago, I rarely used the term ‘real life case study.’ Save for women’s weekly magazines such as Take a Break, which have always predominately featured individual’s personal stories told in first person (as though it is they themselves writing the piece), there simply wasn’t such a demand for what is termed ‘real life’ within the press.

Today, I spend most of my time looking for and writing up such stories. As a freelancer, I write for many publications, ranging from the Daily Mail and the Sunday Telegraph, to magazines including Grazia, Glamour, Red, Eve, Woman, Woman’s Own and Take a Break. All want a number of real life stories in every issue.

Likewise, even when I am writing what we describe as a ‘trend’ piece, a real life case study is still of huge importance. For instance, I recently wrote a report for the Sunday Telegraph magazine Stella about middle class women who drink too much. In the editor’s mind, I could have got all the quotes from experts, trend watchers and government statisticians that I wanted, but without a real life case study who was prepared to be photographed and say ‘this happened to me’ the article would never have been published.

I am often looking for, on a single day, a vast range of case studies for a number of different publications. Another part of my work involves sourcing interesting case studies myself and placing them in magazines or newspapers. How do I do this? Often, PRs phone me up and tell me about individuals they have just taken on. I have also recently set up a website www.talktothepress.co.uk so that anyone who wishes to tell, or sell, their story to the press can get in touch with me. I then act on their behalf and broker their story into a number of publications, earning them occasionally in excess of £2000.

It is incredibly difficult to describe what makes a good case study. Generally speaking, the more unusual, extreme, inspirational and interesting the story the better, particularly when it comes to approaching a women’s weekly magazine with the case study out of the blue. 

In these instances, for example, a woman who has simply had a bit of post natal depression and wants to talk about how she felt miserable for two months would not make a good case study. Without being unsympathetic, she probably hasn’t got anything particularly special or different to say. But a woman whose post natal depression was so severe that she lost her house/job/husband would be a very strong case study.

However, that said, if it is national post natal depression week this week, or if there is a story in the news about how more women than ever are experiencing depression after having a baby, then a straightforward ‘it happened to me’ case study would fly straight into any publication. So it is always important to keep an eye on what is happening in the news as well as looking out for strong stories.

And remember, what publications are looking for changes like the wind. One week, they only want emotional stories, so if I approach them with an upbeat tale about a woman who gave up cramped city flat and stressful job to become a sheep farmer in the Outer Hebrides they would say no. The next week, the changes are the commissioning editor will be on the phone asking if I have any ‘happy stories’ – in which case the lifestyle change case study would be perfect.  

I am always interested in hearing about any case study who wishes to talk about their experiences. Don’t worry about packaging up the story: if you know there is a woman who is happy to talk and be photographed and you think ‘Wow, she’s had an amazing/interesting/sad/difficult’ life then just give me a call or drop email with the basic details. Remember, as long as a story meets certain criteria, it is always possible to find it a home somewhere and in doing so raise the profile of your business or client.

Credit: Natasha Courtenay-Smith can be contacted through www.talktothepress.co.uk