If you’re a small business doing your own marketing, it can be easy to  — to put it delicately — piss off a reporter and adversely taint the very business aspect, product, or event you’re trying to pitch. There are some ways to insure that you get off on the right foot with the press, however.

And it starts with an email:

Journalists are busy people and spend most of their days multi-tasking, working the phones, or popping in and out of the office for meetings and assignments.

Most of them probably don’t have time to spare taking a random pitch call, and besides, they’ll just ask you to shoot them an email anyway.

When you do, be sure to include a short personal note in addition to whatever press release you’re sending so they feel as if they’re dealing with a real-live human being and not just a PR-bot.

If you don’t hear back right away, give it some time and follow up with a phone call just making sure they’ve received the information.

To get more dealing-with-the-press tips, visit BusinessInsider.com.