Owner Guides

Getting featured feels great. But an article that’s read once and forgotten is a missed opportunity. The owners who get the most out of press coverage treat it as a tool they use for months. Here’s how.

1. Share it on the day it’s published

Post the link on every social account you have, with a short note about what the interview meant to you. Tag the publication. People love congratulating a local business.

2. Add a badge to your website

An “As featured on” badge near the top of your homepage builds trust before a visitor reads a word. Link it to the article so people can see the proof.

3. Create a “Press” section

Collect your coverage in one place on your website. Even one article makes you look established. Two or three make you look like the obvious choice.

4. Put it in your email signature

“Read our story on Featured North” with a link. Every email you send becomes a small introduction.

5. Post it to your Google Business Profile

Share the article as an update on your profile. It gives searchers a reason to choose you over the listing next door.

6. Print it

A framed copy by the register or a QR code on the counter starts conversations. Customers like to know the story behind the place they’re standing in.

7. Use quotes in your marketing

Pull a line from the article for your website, menus, brochures or ads, credited to the publication.

8. Send it to people who matter

Suppliers, landlords, lenders, business associations, local councillors. Coverage is a credibility signal in every conversation you’ll have this year.

9. Pitch the next story

Editors like businesses that have already been covered, because it shows you’re interesting and easy to work with. Use your first feature as a stepping stone to the next.

The Featured North press kit

Every owner we feature receives a badge and a ready-to-post social image. Paid features add a profile box, extra photos and, with a Cover Story, a digital magazine cover designed for your business.

We read a lot of small business stories. The ones that stick, the ones readers finish, share and remember, have a few things in common. If you’re telling your story anywhere, on your website, in an interview or on social media, these are worth knowing.

A turning point

Every good story has a moment where something changes. The layoff that became a launch. The customer who asked for something you didn’t sell yet. The winter you almost closed. Find your turning point and start there.

Specific details

“We care about quality” could describe any business. “We roast twice a week and print the roast date on every bag” describes one. Specific details make a story believable, and they make your business memorable.

Honesty about what was hard

Readers trust owners who admit mistakes. The underpriced first contract, the hire that didn’t work out, the product nobody bought: these moments make the success that follows feel earned.

Real people

Name the regular who’s been coming every Saturday for six years (with their permission). Mention the employee who changed how you work. Businesses are made of people, and stories are too.

A sense of place

Where you are shapes who you are. The neighbourhood, the street, the city’s quirks. Local detail makes readers nearby feel ownership, and readers far away feel like they’ve visited.

A reason to visit

End with an invitation. What should a first-time customer order, ask for or look out for? Give readers something to do with the story.

What doesn’t work

• Slogans. “Passionate”, “innovative” and “customer-focused” tell readers nothing.
• Lists of services. That’s what your website is for.
• Perfection. A story with no struggle has no tension, and no reason to keep reading.

Every Featured North interview is designed to draw these details out. See the questions, or apply to be featured.

When someone searches for your business, or for a business like yours nearby, your Google Business Profile is often the first thing they see, before your website and before any article. A complete, current profile is one of the simplest ways to win more customers. Set a timer for 15 minutes and work through this list.

The basics (5 minutes)

• Business name: exactly as it appears on your sign. Don’t add keywords or cities to it.
• Primary category: the single category that best describes what you do. It matters more than almost anything else on the profile. Add secondary categories only if they’re genuinely accurate.
• Address or service area: correct, and matching your website.
• Phone number: one that’s answered during business hours.
• Website: links to your homepage or the most relevant page.

Hours (2 minutes)

• Check your regular hours are current.
• Add holiday hours ahead of every holiday. Few things lose a customer faster than showing up to a locked door the profile said was open.

Description and details (3 minutes)

• Write a plain-language description of what you do, who you serve and what makes you different. Write for people, not search engines.
• Add your products or services with short descriptions.
• Fill in the attributes that apply to you, like accessibility, payment options and amenities.

Photos (3 minutes)

• Upload a clear logo and a cover photo.
• Add recent photos of your storefront, interior, products and team. Our phone photography guide covers what to shoot.
• Add a few new photos every month so the profile looks active.

Reviews (2 minutes, then every week)

• Reply to every review, good and bad. Thank people by name. Keep replies to criticism calm, short and specific about what you’ll do.
• Ask happy customers for a review. A small card at the counter or a line in your receipt email helps.
• Never pay for reviews or offer discounts in exchange for them. It breaks Google’s rules and can get reviews removed.

Keep it alive

Post an update when something changes: a new product, an event, new hours. And when you’re featured in a publication, share the article as a post. It’s third-party proof that you’re worth visiting.

Want a story worth sharing? Apply to be featured on Featured North.

Good photos are the difference between a story that gets read and one that gets scrolled past. The good news: the phone in your pocket is more than enough. Here’s how to get photos you’ll be proud to send to any publication.

Light first, everything else second

• Shoot near a window. Soft daylight from the side is the most flattering light there is.
• Avoid overhead fluorescent lights when you can. They flatten faces and turn colours green.
• Morning and late afternoon give warmer, softer light outside. Midday sun creates harsh shadows.
• Turn off the flash. Almost always.

The five photos every business needs

1. The owner portrait. You, in your space, looking at the camera. Stand a few steps in front of a background that says what you do.
2. The storefront or workspace. Straight on, level, with the sign readable.
3. The interior. Shot from a corner to show depth. Tidy up first.
4. The product or service. Close up, on a clean surface, with one hero item in focus.
5. Hands at work. Kneading, cutting, pouring, fixing. These are the photos editors love most.

Framing basics

• Turn on your camera’s grid and place the subject on a third, not dead centre.
• Hold the phone level. Tilted doorframes make a space feel off.
• Shoot horizontal (landscape) for websites and articles, and a few vertical for social media.
• Step closer instead of zooming. Digital zoom reduces quality.
• Wipe the lens. Seriously.

Portraits that feel natural

Ask a friend or employee to take the photo while you talk to them. Real smiles happen mid-conversation, not on “say cheese.” Take twenty shots; one will be great.

Editing, lightly

Use your phone’s built-in editor to straighten, crop and brighten slightly. Skip heavy filters. Publications want photos that look like real life.

Sending your photos

Send the original files, not screenshots or photos saved from social media, which are compressed. Use email attachments at full size or a shared folder link, and name files clearly, like “business-name-owner.jpg”.

When you apply to be featured, these five photos are all we need.

Every Featured North interview is built around the same core questions. We share them openly because the best interviews come from owners who’ve had time to think. Use this list to prepare for ours, or for any interview.

The story

1. How did the business start? Tell us the moment you decided to do it. Where were you? What were you doing before?
2. What did the first year look like? The honest version: the first customer, the first mistake, the first time you thought it might work.
3. Who are your customers? Describe a regular. What do they come to you for?

What makes you different

4. What do you do that others in your industry don’t? Be specific. “Great service” is not an answer; “we call every customer the day after a repair” is.
5. What are you proudest of? A product, a team member, a review, a moment.
6. What’s something customers don’t know about your business? The behind-the-scenes detail people love.

Lessons

7. What was the hardest lesson so far? Cash flow, hiring, a bad season, a partnership that didn’t work.
8. What would you do differently if you started today?
9. What advice would you give someone opening a business like yours?

Community and what’s next

10. How does your neighbourhood or city shape the business?
11. What’s next for you? New products, a new location, a goal for next year.
12. Where can people find you? Address, hours, website and the one thing a first-time customer should try.

How to give a great answer

• Use real moments. “In our second month the oven broke on a Friday” beats “we faced challenges.”
• Include a number or two. Years in business, customers served, how many people you employ.
• Keep it conversational. Write the way you’d talk to a customer at the counter.
• Don’t sell. The story sells for you. Readers can tell the difference.

Photos matter too

Send at least one photo of yourself, one of your space and one of what you make or do. Natural light and real moments work best. Our guide to photographing your business with a phone covers the basics.

Ready? Apply to be featured.

Most owners assume press coverage is for companies with a PR budget. It isn’t. Editors, bloggers, podcasters and local reporters need a steady supply of stories, and a well-prepared small business is often easier to cover than a big one. Here’s a practical way to get started.

1. Find your angle before you pitch

“We’re a great bakery” isn’t a story. A story has something new, surprising or human in it. Ask yourself:

• Is there something unusual about how you started? A career change, a family recipe, a leap of faith?
• Are you doing something differently from everyone else in your industry?
• Is there a milestone coming up: an anniversary, a new location, a record month, a community project?
• Do you know something useful that other people would want to learn?

Write your angle in one sentence. If you can’t, keep working on it before you contact anyone.

2. Start local and specific

Neighbourhood papers, city blogs, local radio, community newsletters and industry publications are far more likely to say yes than national outlets, and they’re often read by exactly the customers you want. A feature in the right local outlet can do more for your business than a mention in a big one.

3. Make a simple press page

Add a short page to your website with:

• A 100-word description of your business
• A short owner bio
• Three to five good photos: you, your space, your product
• Your logo
• An email and phone number that someone actually answers

When an editor is on deadline, the business with photos ready to go gets the story.

4. Write a short, personal pitch

Keep your email under 150 words. Say who you are, what the story is, and why it matters to that outlet’s readers. Address the editor or writer by name, and mention something they’ve published recently so they know you read it. Offer photos and your availability for a quick call.

5. Follow up once, then move on

Editors are busy. A single polite follow-up a week later is normal. After that, pitch someone else. A “no” today is often a “yes” next season when your angle is fresher.

6. Be easy to interview

Answer questions directly. Share specific numbers and moments rather than slogans. Tell the truth about what was hard. The quotes that get published are the honest ones.

7. Apply to publications that want you

Some publications, including Featured North, exist specifically to interview small business owners. You can apply here; the basic interview is free.

Next: read the questions we ask every owner so you’re ready when the interview comes.