This idea doesn't suit everyone, it involves getting your face on television or in newspapers, or being interviewed on radio, but believe me it works very well. Once you and your business appear on television, you're virtually guaranteed thousands will contact you for more information about whatever you are selling.

Just recently, for example, I've witnessed several local people, working from home, having just basic websites who've managed to get on television to talk about their business. The interview always ends with a mention of the site viewers should go to for more information.

The same thing goes for local interest reports in regional newspapers and radio programmes where, if your name and business features, even locally, you're guaranteed lots of hits on your web site.

Just recently, The Journal (a north eastern newspaper) reported a woman whose web site offered information about regional foods. The newspaper gave a full and very glowing write up about this 'entrepreneur' with a link to her web site. Thousands of people must have visited, as I did, and thousands must have been very disappointed, because the site contained just page after page of NOTHING but invitations to pay to advertise your restaurant or other food-related business at the site. The site was well designed, what there was of it, but it amazed me that a major newspaper like The Journal had featured a site like this, with literally nothing for the ordinary man or woman to read, not even an advertisement at this stage. It was a new site, totally bare, not at all what I expected. Which is great news really because it proved that local reporters will pick up on anything local to promote to their public.

So imagine how much better publicity might be for a site that is up and running and offering something of interest to local readers and viewers, or national readers and viewers if you are lucky. A good example is a man from Durham who appeared several times on north eastern television news programmes to talk about his site offering advice to overweight men. The site was good, packed with useful information, and publicising the web master's new book to help overweight men lose their bulk.

The point is, if you really do have something good to benefit local people, you'll find regional newspapers and television programs fighting to include you on their programs, even if you are just a space filler when normal news items are in short supply.

The trick is to send a press release to local newspapers and television producers (radio producers, also) telling them about your business and including some interesting snippets about the market your business serves. Most interesting, and likely to generate a positive response, are issues to interest many people, such as losing weight after Christmas, getting stuck into really yummy local dishes, making money on eBay, getting out of debt. You might also offer a commission on whatever you are selling to anyone promoting your site this way and encourage even higher media take up rates.

It works like a dream and can attract heavy traffic to your eBay listings or your eBay shop, even to items you are selling outside of eBay using the back end selling techniques mentioned in our main article.

So, say for example, you've created an eBook about losing weight after Christmas, it's packed with affiliate links to dieting and exercising eBooks and programs and, wait for it, the book is completely free of charge. All people do is visit your site to download it! You write to all the local media and wait for thousands of hits and potentially hundreds of commissions making their way into your bank account.

And all of those people to whom to send your press release for all this wonderful free publicity? Try Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, available at all major bookshops, for the most comprehensive, most up to date listing of media contacts both in the UK and overseas.

Go on, it only takes half an hour to write a great press release and just seconds to email it, or better still to fax or post it to hundreds of editors and producers.