EQUTE — John Chow has a great article about how to get featured in traditional media, something that can propel a company, blog, individual to bigger news sources and smaller alike.

In a blog entry , Chow gave some pretty good tips about how to go about getting into a traditional newspaper.

His first point was have a story to tell, it’s an obvious first step, but thinking hard about your own story is essential. Don’t just say what your company, blog or site does, make sure to insert the human element — it’s what local newspapers want to see.

Which brings him to his second point, start locally but aim high:

Generally, the bigger the news outlet, the easier it is for them to find content because they’re bombed with story ideas all the time from people or companies wanting to get coverage. Your best bet is to start at home with your local papers and magazines. Once you’ve been featured locally, you can leverage it to get featured nationally and internationally.

Shooting for a big local paper makes sure you can get coverage, but also make sure that other news outlets will see the story.

His third step is to sell your brand. Make sure that your story hasn’t already been done, newspapers don’t want to rehash news.

With one newspaper story, your company can get great placement, find your way to bigger outlets and move laterally and across the blogosphere within your industry or niche.