A single email from Nimsoft to me has now spiraled into a conversation involving hundreds of readers. What happened? Nimsoft alerted me earlier this week that the company had landed on the Inc. 5000 list, which identifies the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States.

I generally find news releases boring; I’m always looking for another angle. So I poked around the Inc. 5000 and discovered that Nimsoft was part of a bigger trend: Numerous managed services companies and software providers are on the list. And a few of our MSPmentor 100 companies are on the Inc. 5000.

But I suspect hundreds of MSPs missed out on this free opportunity for publicity because they don’t know how to actively promote themselves for zero cost. Here’s how to correct that mistake.

Take a few minutes and make a list of the media sites and publications you read. Then, see if they profile VARs, integrators, managed service providers or small business owners. And see if they produce so-called “franchise” issues that rank or highlight company achievements. A mainstream example is the Fortune 500 issue, but few of us run businesses that qualify for that list.

Instead, target brands like Inc. magazine, MSPmentor, CRN, MSPmentor, Entrepreneur and … MSPmentor. Of course, I’m biased. Everyone reading this blog should participate in major industry surveys — including our MSPmentor 100 survey, which helps us generate a free report that ranks the world’s top managed service providers.

Also, check in with local newspapers and chambers of commerce to see if they honor local businesses and entrepreneurs. The honors often involve filling out a quick survey and the resulting publicity can lead to new business.

Sometimes, silence is golden. But in this case, MSPs should be working overtime to brag about their successes. Leverage free media opportunities (here and elsewhere) to do so.