Producing buzz around a product or a service doesn’t necessarily mean spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on an advertising campaign. Sometimes the greatest buzz costs nothing at all.

Take Research in Motion, the company that designs and manufactures the Blackberry smartphone. While cell phone companies feature Blackberry products regularly in their advertisements, Research in Motion received an estimated $50 million of free publicity in 2009, according to the New York Times, because then-President Elect Barack Obama was so enthusiastic about using and keeping his Blackberry once he entered the White House.

The media turned President Obama’s use of the Blackberry into a major news story, generating massive interest in the product and resulting in millions of dollars in free publicity. By his use of the Blackberry, President Obama also indirectly gave his own celebrity endorsement of the smartphone.

Third-party endorsements are one of the best ways you can garner interest in your business without spending a lot of, or even any, money. Expensive advertising campaigns, no matter how exciting, do not guarantee your success. Third party endorsements don’t require the same overhead and pose much less of a financial risk.

While you may not get world-wide interest, you can generate buzz, build your clientele and increase your profits.

The media can be a powerful partner in helping you build your business. Third-party coverage from reputable media outlets is viewed as an objective, credible endorsement.

Think of it this way: You see an ad for a new restaurant in your community; it claims to have the best pizza in the county. Piques your interest, but then again every ad for pizza joints seems to say they have the best pizza. Then you read an article by the local restaurant reviewer who raves about the pizza, deeming it the best she’s ever had.

Which is going to really convince you to try that restaurant? Chances are the restaurant review is going to give you the push you need. Third-party endorsements – whether by the media, a local organization or a prominent member of your community – give your product or service the validation for which clients often look.