Earned Media: Building an Integrated Strategy

Earned media is an elusive form of marketing in which your company is promoted by positive media that comes from outside the company itself.  News stories, radio interviews, and positive reviews can all constitute earned media.  Earned media is alluring because it costs nothing for the business, yet can significantly increase overall revenue.

While by definition a company cannot buy or create its own earned media, there are a few strategies that can increase your company’s chances of gaining earned media.  One of the best ways to increase the earned media that your company receives is to design an integrated strategy that blends content marketing strategies with earned media potential.

Make Your Business Easy To Present.  As soon as possible, spend time developing an elevator pitch for your business.  Highlight the attributes that make your business unique, and write your company’s vision.  This makes it easier for media outlets to highlight your business in a coherent manner, without causing journalists the frustration of having to unearth your company’s vision and purpose on their own.

Develop Your Own Media Marketing Strategies.  Using media strategies such as content marketing will increase your company’s visibility and thus the likelihood gaining earned media.  Making your company searchable by developing a presence on social networks and other sites makes it easier for your company to be ‘found.’

Do Something Out Of The Box.  In order to be newsworthy, your company needs to be doing something different from the competition.  What is your company doing to stand out from the crowd?  Determine your company’s unique aspects, and don’t hesitate to make them known.

By establishing a robust marketing strategy, it will be easier for news outlets to highlight your company through earned media.  Take the time to invest in your company, and the earned media will follow.  To learn more about ways to improve your small business, please visit our website and contact us with questions or comments.

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Mistakes Happen

 

I sent out a press release for a new client and accidentally placed my media contacts in the copy line instead of the blind copy line and hit send. By the time I noticed my error, it was too late to recall. Luckily, it was not a 380-person national media list like Gloria Allred as reported by the Hollywood Reporter; nonetheless it’s not a good look. There is a legitimate reason the mistake was made, however I rather not place blame on circumstance. I acknowledged the blunder by immediately sending an apology to the contacts on the email in the proper blind item format.

The lesson learned is to recognize a mistake happened, accept it and take responsibility for it.

 

Another Lesson Learned when Speaking with Media

No matter how many times we tell our clients “Off the Record” does not exist, it seems to go in one ear and out the other. It doesn’t matter if your client is a mom and pop shop, the White House or everything in between. Remember, journalists need to attract and retain a large audience through interesting and informative stories, and when we forget who we are talking to we unintentionally give those more than intended.

“Off-air moments during the taping of a television show almost always produce more candid and newsworthy exchanges than those that take place on air. And increasingly, TV personalities, politicians and pundits have found themselves in compromising positions when they’ve been unaware, say, that their microphone is still on.”~ Huffington Post

Here are a few unforgettable reminders of what can happen whether you are a guest or the journalist.

• March 13, 2012 – Yahoo! News / The Cutline’s Dylan Stableford reported ‘AP names administration officials White House did not want quoted.’  According to the story, “The White House organized a conference call with two senior administration officials on Tuesday to “preview an announcement by President Barack Obama about an important China trade issue,” but told reporters on the call not to quote them by name.” And now we all know “The officials were U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and the deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs, Michael Froman.”

• September 11, 2011 Fox News anchors in Philadelphia mock Kourtney and Kim Kardashian after an interview about their new clothing line.

• November 18, 2010 Huffington Post reported ‘Fox News Commentators Caught On Camera Mocking Sarah Palin’s (reality) Show’ that lasted one season.

• September 15, 2009 – Just about every news outlet reported on President Obama’s recording calling Kanye West a “jackass” for jumping on stage during the 2009 VMAs during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech while waiting to go live on CNBC.

• July 6, 2008 – Rev. Jesse Jackson, while mic’ed and waiting to go live on Fox News “Fox & Friends” made rude and personal remarks about presidential candidate Barrack Obama on how he addresses black people and changing his male anatomy.

• September 4, 2000 – George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney’s comments about Adam Clymer, a New York Times reporter were less than favorable. GWB: “major league asshole.” VP DC: “big time.”

Microphones are always on. Don’t speak. Dead air is a way to get you to say something, anything.

If you would like more information on in-depth training send an email to Adrienne@2girlsconsulting.com.