You’ve just secured a feature story in a key media outlet, congratulations! But if your next step is to pat yourself on the back and move on to the next opportunity, you’re missing out on getting the most out of your hard work.
While earned media is an important part of the public relations toolkit, the momentum can easily peter out if you aren’t taking extra steps to nurture its potential reach. As social platforms, media outlets, and an endless supply of content and entertainment vie for attention, relying on a media hit to do all the heavy lifting leaves untapped potential on the table.
Here are five ways to amplify a single media hit and make your hard work go the extra mile:
- Get Chatty on Social Media
If your media interview is in-person, confirm with the reporter that it’s okay to take photos or video behind the scenes. You can use this content on social media to hype up the pending coverage, tag the reporter and news outlet, and create anticipation for the story among your fans.
When the story is published, share a link to it on appropriate social media platforms – LinkedIn and Twitter(X) are typically great for this. Don’t forget to tag the reporter and news outlet in your post. This reads as a “thank you” for talking about your company or executive and helps them get more eyes on their content, a critical objective for journalists.
- Include it in Your Customer Newsletter
Be sure to keep an ongoing newsletter section dedicated to sharing media coverage. You can share your behind-the-scenes content and a short writeup here, or link directly to the coverage and provide a one-to-two-sentence summary of the content. Earned media serves as authentic third-party validation for your product, services, and leaders, so this will help your newsletter subscribers see how often others are talking about you while seeing fresh perspectives on your brand.
- Add it to the Press Section of Your Website
If your website doesn’t already have a “Press” section, get on it. Your Press section can house everything from the email for your PR contact, historic press releases, and an archive of the media coverage you’ve secured over the years.
The benefits are twofold: First, as your customers are researching your brand before deciding to talk to a salesperson or make a purchase, they’ll have quick access to all of your great media coverage, touting your expertise and leadership in the industry. Second, as other reporters are looking to learn more about you for potential stories, they’ll easily see how you perform in interviews, as well as what interesting stories and information you have to share. Coverage often begets coverage, and you can support that momentum by keeping your website’s press section up to date.
- Create a Blog Post Expanding on the Topic
Coming up with interesting blog content can be tough, but having secured a media hit on a specific topic, you’ll know that the subject matter of the coverage is of interest to your target audience. Make a blog of it!
Use your introduction to talk briefly about the media coverage and link back to it, then use the rest of your blog to expand on the topic. You don’t always get the chance to say everything you want to say in a media interview, so add additional context, perspective, and information to build out a thorough blog post.
- Share Internally on Your Company Intranet
Don’t neglect the brand fans in your own home! Ensure that media coverage is included on your company intranet site, or even in an internal newsletter. Media coverage can help team members feel a sense of pride and enthusiasm in their work, and they may even be inclined to share the content on their own social pages, leading to further amplification. Win-win!
And that’s it. Don’t let your hard-earned media coverage fizzle out once the story publishes. Use a comprehensive approach to public relations to extend coverage reach and reinforce your brand story.
