How to get greater mileage from your media exposure
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There is an oft over-used phrase that people use when talking about PR – “today’s news is tomorrow’s fish and chip paper”. But in an age of social media and t’internet, the crumbs you leave today can still be found days, weeks and years down the line. So, when it comes to the media coverage you secure for your organisation, how can you maximise its lifespan exposure to get more return on your PR investment?
Add links to your emails
The average business person sends 40 emails each day to clients, suppliers and new prospects. The simple act of including a “Take a look at our MD speaking to CityAM” link at the foot of your emails can increase the number of opportunities for your PR to be seen by those within your existing network.
Share on social media this week, next week and the weeks after that
Posting a link to your coverage across each of your social media platforms is an obvious way to boost awareness. But if all you are doing is simply copying the article title into the post itself you are limiting the number of times you can promote this new content. Take two or three key points from the story and use these to create a series of separate posts – each post will focus on a different point that was made, but will link to the same piece of coverage.
Feature the coverage in your company newsletters
Imagine you have received a newsletter from two potential suppliers touting for your business. The first supplier shares great content that is interesting and relevant to your organisation, and ticks all the boxes for what you are looking for in a supplier. Supplier number two does exactly the same, except they share a link to an article that quoted them within a publication you respect. Which supplier would you perceive most highly? Seeing a business cited in a credible media suggests their opinion is highly regarded by that sector’s peers and positions them as a leading authority. This could be the critical factor that tips the decision of which supplier to appoint.
Client story
In 2019, we started working with a new client. Soon after, they announced plans to reduce their working hours to four days a week. No big deal, really. Except for the fact that they’re a recruitment business that operates in an industry renowned for its long hours culture, where consultants typically burn the candle at both ends.
The client was looking to recruit for themselves, and thought this would be a great perk that would attract new talent to join them. They wanted us to target the recruitment trade press with an announcement. And so we did. But we also recognised a much bigger opportunity here.
We crafted the story and focused on three key areas: mental health, flexible working and business growth. We then approached the key publications covering their sector. They lapped it up. We then targeted management and leadership publishers. They too loved it, too. That was soon followed by calls into the local and national newspapers, radio and TV stations. They couldn’t get enough of it.
From a single press cutting, this story went crazy. 12 months on and the client is still appearing in the media discussing the story, from SKY News and BBC, to The Times and a plethora of business management and industry magazines and websites.
Target industry events
Every industry will be served by a number of webinars, expos and conferences, where the great and the good of that sector congregate to hear, listen and learn all about the latest key developments within their industry. Have you considered speaking at these events?
Event organisers want the best people in that industry – after all, it is the credibility of the speakers that gets the people through the doors! So, get in touch with them, set out your stall and share examples of the media where you have appeared. This boosts your credibility in their eyes and gives them greater confidence that you could be a great speaker to have on board.
Target similar publications
While you cannot approach a competitor publication to the one in which you have appeared and offer the same articles or quotes, for example, you can re-purpose that content and tailor it to the media in question.
For example, we worked with a client on a specific story that got coverage in The Telegraph. We then took the same story but modified it for a different audience – the Daily Mail in this instance – and pitched that publication separately.
The story was essentially the same. But because we understood that the Daily Mail would be more interested in a certain aspect of the main story that was different to what The Telegraph’s readers would be more drawn to, we went in on that angle.
It worked; it’s simply a case of understanding your audience(s) and ensuring you ‘speak’ to them in the right way!
PR is easy, when you know how to do it in the right way of course. If you’re looking to get your business seen, heard and read by the people you want to do business with the most, get in touch with us today.
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