• How to Leverage Media Coverage Beyond Publication

    How to Leverage Media Coverage Beyond Publication

    “Where do we go from here?”

    It’s a good question; everyone can and should be asking it. When it relates to PR, the question frequently appears after a wave of great media coverage has crashed and retreated. You got the pickup you wanted, but you’re left wondering how useful that pickup is now that the excitement has died down – especially if you’re not sure when your next big announcement will be ready to fly.

    Whether your news pipeline has run dry for the coming weeks, or you’re wishing the coverage you’ve already earned was working harder, don’t worry – there are a wide variety of ways to turn “old news” into new tools that aid your business.

    Build More Awareness

    • Give your bylines and op-eds more legs by sharing them through content distribution networks (e.g. 3BL for sustainability topics)
    • Take a second look at company profiles and identify topics you can further explore for byline articles
    • Leverage positive reviews to secure placements in new publications, or previous publications’ Buyer’s Guides (hint: use reporters’ own phrasing to describe your product or serv

    Augment Branded Channels

    • Populate your company blog with announcements, alerts and excerpts from positive news pieces
    • Quotes and excerpts can also be turned into simple graphics for your website and social channels (hint: positive reviews/coverage makes for excellent sponsored social posts)
    • Have your spokesperson publish your bylines and op-eds on LinkedIn Pulse, which delivers your content to a significant audience (just be sure to note at the top where the content originally ran)

    Attract/Please Stakeholders

    • Build news coverage into investor decks to demonstrate that your business had been validated by the media
    • Similarly, build news coverage into corporate presentations for board members or leadership teams to showcase the company’s success
    • If your company is a member of syndicates, coalitions or collectives, share your positive coverage to build credibility

    Outfit the Sales Team

    • Augment FAQ and “About Us” pages with relevant quotes from positive coverage or reviews
    • Deliver positive reviews to the sales team so they can share your third-party validation with leads
    • Let positive coverage act as a third-party testimonial in your email marketing

    Build Company Morale

    • The first people to hear about your fantastic feature story or broadcast interview should be your employees. It will boost morale, build their faith in your mission, and better enable them to be ambassadors for your business (hint: new recruits will also have greater confidence in your business if they see you making a splash across multiple channels)

    The list of ways to leverage your coverage goes on, of course. If you’re struggling to decide which tactics are best, well…the first step might just be sending an email.

    Vanessa Boynton

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  • Best Practices for Nonprofit PR

    All kinds of companies, organizations and enterprises are vying for media attention in today’s world and all have a compelling story to tell. But how do those in the not-for-profit space get their voices heard? After working at multiple nonprofits around the country, I’ve found that getting media coverage can be difficult no matter what, but for nonprofits, who aren’t always on the public’s radar, getting coverage becomes even harder. Here are 4 best practices to help nonprofits get noticed.

    1. Tell a Story

    While all organizations have a story to tell, nonprofits are often seen as sources of credible information due to the on-the-ground nature of their work. Nonprofits can use this to their advantage. Everyone knows that the best way to engage a reader is with a strong introduction, and nothing is better than a personal narrative. Not only are nonprofits credible, but part of what makes them so trustworthy is their unique ability to draw from a multitude of impactful stories that demonstrate how their work is improving the lives of real people. Any kind of interesting personal story will do the trick, successful is best – just be sure to include rich and powerful details.

    2. Use all media platforms, but be consistent

    It’s not all about media coverage. Social media has democratized the media space and nonprofits now have the ability to share their message with a larger audience in a multitude of ways. Social media, blogs and websites can all be used to engage an audience and highlight upcoming news and press coverage. To do so, the messaging across these platforms must be consistent, tell a compelling story and clearly explain what the organization does and why. If the content is scattered, the audience will scatter as well.

    3. Stress the so what

    For members of the general public and the media, the most easily understood part of what nonprofits do is why their work is important. It’s easy to conceptualize why we would want to help people in developing countries have a better quality of life, or help children in our own country get access to a better education. Protecting the environment and providing clean water and adequate food to our fellow man needs no introduction. This work has a real impact in the world and nonprofits need to be sure to clearly make that connection to the broader picture in their media outreach.

    4. Offer unique exclusives

    Nonprofits have access to a unique and inspiring group of people. These are the idealists, the dreamers, the part of the population that go out of their way to make this world a better place. That energy is contagious. By offering up interviews with policymakers, executives, major donors, and even those who’ve benefited from the organization’s work, nonprofits can stand out. There’s always room for a fresh and empowering perspective.

    Matter

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  • Industry News Scanning Helps You and Your Client

    Typing the same search terms into Google day after day may seem like a chore, but the benefits of it far outweigh the negatives. I’m talking about industry news scanning, which is a service many PR agencies provide for their clients. But it’s not only helpful to your clients – it is key in helping you grow as a PR professional.

    I scan newspapers and online outlets daily for coverage related to my client’s industry, trade, and competitors. Google Alerts are handy for some things, but they’re not as efficient as we would all like them to be. To successfully complete an industry news scan, it works better to have a list of core terms that are associated with your client’s product or key interests that you run through Google every day.

    Industry news scans help the client because it constantly alerts them to best practices, what their competitors are doing, and the popular topics in the industry space they exist in. But it can also benefit you as a PR pro in the following ways:

    • Everything has a niche market you can tap into: From microSD cards to specialty chocolates, every product out there is supported by a community of consumers, bloggers and reporters who are dedicated to discussing and reviewing it. Knowing that niche markets exist is key for PR – next time you need to pitch that unique rare video game, you can be confident the relevant consumer base is out there.
    • Find the most pertinent reporters: This tip has been a pot of gold for me in my own pitching efforts. Industry news scanning allows you to find the reporters who are writing about hot topics that are important to your client. You already know what these reporters are passionate about, and how it aligns with your client’s message – it’s a match made in heaven.
    • Become fluent: It is important to be highly articulate in the industry your clients exist in. Specifically for clients in the technology sphere, industry news scanning can help you learn key terminology that is helpful in pitching efforts.
    • Learn key trends that can be applicable elsewhere: Often, when I’m scanning the industry news I find topics that are relevant to multiple clients – which makes my job easier!

    It is commonly stated that PR professionals need to keep up to date with what is happening in the world around us – and industry news scanning is a great way to do just that.

    Matter

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