If you're in business, you have a product or service to sell. And the more people who know about your product or service, the more customers you will have. And the more customers you have...well, you get the picture.

Here's a super-easy way to get free publicity: treat someone to your product or service. But not just anyone. Choose someone who has the capability to tell lots of other people about your business. And who might that be? Think local media outlets: newspapers, tv stations, radio stations, and magazines.

Whatever you sell, there's someone who would be tickled to get a free sample. Maybe you have a bakery - how about finding out the birthday of your local weatherperson and delivering a personalized cake. Or maybe you're a hair stylist. Offer a complimentary "before and after" makeover to your local newsanchor. Does your local tv station have a pet show? Send them a basket of your organic doggie treats and they may just talk about them on the show.

PR expert Joan Stewart tells how a new restaurant delivered breakfast to the staff of the radio talk show "The Wayne and Jayne Show" on KBS Radio in Kelowna, British Columbia. It was simple: the restaurant owner dropped off the breakfasts along with a card that read: "Hey, love the show. We just wanted to send you guys breakfast." Presto! The idea worked. "We talked about it on the air because they were nice to us," co-host Wayne Kelly said. "They got a ton of promotion which resulted in people coming through their doors."

Who could you treat today?