Ask Dr. Deborah | Should I be creating press releases for my small business?

Dear Dr. Deborah,

My name is Katie, and I’m currently working on opening my own hair salon. Recently some fellow business owners were talking about how great press releases are for publicity. Being new to this, I agreed with them, but truthfully I don’t know much about such things. Should I be creating press releases, and if so what for and what do I do with them?

-Katie, WV