Jane Pollak, a Westport, Conn.-based artist and entrepreneur who creates intricately decorated eggs, has had great success getting media attention. Her secret of success: persistence.

“People think, if I try once, it’s over,” said Pollak, who has landed prime television appearances on HGTV (Home & Garden Television), the “Today Show,” and many other television programs. Articles about her work have appeared in dozens of newspapers, including The New York Times. She knows she has a good story to tell and is usually able to convince a journalist to tell it.

“You have to tell yourself, ‘When someone doesn’t call me back, it has nothing to do with me,'” said Pollak. “And, it usually doesn’t. Sure, I feel a little pushy when I call someone who’s said they’d call me. But people usually appreciate it.”

Reporters and producers are used to hearing from publicists who are thick-skinned and tenacious. If you, the business owner, makes the contact, you will stand out from the crowd of PR folks. (We always give first priority to story ideas for this column submitted by readers.) Be sure to make a journalist’s life easier by making yourself available and by introducing them to others who may enrich their story.

“If you’re a smaller business, it’s rare that someone will do a story just on your business,” said L.A.-based public relations veteran Tracy Bagatelle-Black. “You want to pitch them something called a ’roundup’ story and pick a couple of other businesses to write about in addition to yours.”

A roundup includes several viewpoints on a trend or breaking news event. Maybe you are one of several aquarium owners responding to an environmental report, or you are part of a small new crop of tech companies in Kansas. The goal is to identify a trend that you can intelligently comment on and pitch the idea to a journalist.

“If you’re pitching the story idea and you’re the main source, you’ll be quoted more often,” said Bagatelle-Black. “Sometimes, the journalist won’t even have to call the other sources if they know you’re available.”

Pitch information

Once you’ve gotten a reporter’s attention, the next question is: are you the best person to be interviewed? Often, reporters prefer to speak with the company founder or chief executive. If the chief executive isn’t available, or you prefer not to be interviewed, line up an alternate spokesperson.

“Just being on the phone (with a reporter), means you’ve already been sold,” said Bagatelle-Black. “Instead of selling the company, finding out what a reporter wants to know.”

Be careful, though, not to be too aggressive when it comes to selling your products or services to the press.

“Selling yourself as an expert is more subtle, and much more effective,” said Bagatelle-Black. “If you’re just giving a reporter a sales pitch, you’re not going to get quoted.”

Be prepared

Always be well prepared for an interview. Get your facts and figures in order, and practice with a friend or colleague playing the role of the reporter. If you are booked on “Larry King Live,” or a prime time business show on CNBC, you might want to hire a professional media coach to help you prepare for unexpected or hostile questions.

“The best thing to do is sit down and come up with key message points,” said Bagatelle-Black. “You want to get the key thinkers in the company together and make sure they agree on what you should say.”

If you land a coveted television interview, remember that unless it’s live, the interview will probably be edited.

“One of the key things that people don’t think about while doing a TV interview is that you have to constantly say the name of the company,” advises Bagatelle-Black. “You have to keep saying the name of the company at the start of every sentence, so when they choose your sound bite, your company name is in there.”

Punchy and popular

The more lively your conversation, the more you will be quoted or remain on the air. But be careful.

When you do talk to a reporter, it’s important to strike a balance between working to get your message across and listening to what’s being asked.

“There are different ways of being proactive and less reactive,” said Mary Kay McDermott, author of “The Bridesmaid’s Survival Guide” (Viking Studio, $15.95), who has had great success getting attention from the press. “Now, I realize that an interviewer usually hasn’t read the book. They just don’t have time. It’s my responsibility to pick up the ball and make the conversation more informative and more entertaining.”

But no one likes a business owner who acts like a politician someone who answers a question about school lunches with a speech about tax cuts.

Here, then, are tips and tricks for acing the big interview:

– Don’t go off on a tangent.

– Don’t get hostile.

– Avoid jargon.

– Rehearse with someone ahead of time.

– Relax and enjoy the conversation. The more lively the conversation, the better your chances for being quoted.

– Review your performance to make improvements for the next interview.

Jane Applegate is the author of “201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business,” and is CEO of SBTV.com, a multimedia site providing small-business resources. She can be contacted via e-mail at [email protected], or by mail at P.O. Box 768, Pelham, NY 10803.