From Brand Awareness to Credibility: Why Earned Media Is Essential for Your Success
In today’s crowded digital landscape, getting your message heard and your business known above the noise can be a real challenge. That’s where earned media comes in. Unlike traditional advertising, which involves paying for placement, earned media refers to publicity that you’ve gained through promotional efforts other than paid advertising. Earned media can include everything from media coverage to social media shares and influencer endorsements.
All of Data 360’s packages, starting with the Starter Package, use big data, AI and machine learning to give you unprecedented ability to develop your earned media through AI content development, automated pitching over 900+ million profiles and over 28,000 APIs to find matches to your offer.
But what exactly makes earned media so important? In this blog post, we’ll explore the key benefits of earned media through media coverage and why it should be a critical part of your marketing strategy. At the end of this blog, learn how Data 360 can help you reach your goals through earned media and much, much more. Stay tuned for other blog posts about earned media and how you can use it as your key advantage!
What Makes Earned Media Important?
The function of earned media is becoming more crucial to support a brand’s efforts and storylines as the global public relations landscape becomes more complex.
While your company may think it has the next big thing, the question of “is your item newsworthy” arises. Requests for coverage are continually flooding websites, TV shows, magazines, and newspapers. In fact, they receive so many proposals that the majority of businesses employ staff members whose sole responsibility it is to sift through the barrage and eliminate the pitches that have no place in the news or entertainment agenda. Even if you succeed in getting a foot in the door, there is no assurance that you will receive the coverage you desire. Earned media is hard to get, that much is obvious. It takes a lot of time, it’s unpredictable, and even if you’re lucky, you can never be sure how much coverage you’ll actually get.
Describe earned media.
Earned media is defined as “any publicity that is not purchased.” It can appear in a variety of ways, including newsworthy headlines, online reviews, posts on social media, rumors spread by word of mouth, and more. Earned media may be a fantastic method for companies and non-profit groups to increase visibility, establish reputation, and increase traffic.
Why even try?
Because earned media is very valuable, of course. Earned media is free and focuses on quality rather than quantity, in contrast to purchased media, which is all about getting your message in front of as many people as possible regardless of their interest. It’s the difference between getting a favorable review in a significant journal and having a commercial air during the Super Bowl. The latter will reach niche audiences with genuine interest in what you have to say, whilst the former may reach millions of individuals. Because of this, earned media is still worthwhile to pursue even though it can be challenging to acquire. It will have a greater impact when you finally land that elusive favorable article, review, mention, or segment.
What are some pointers to make the most of your chances to get earned media?
1. Keep your ears and eyes open.
Watch for news articles, blogs, or social media posts that make mention of your company or group. You can utilize tools like Hootsuite Insights, Sprout Social, Zoho Social, or other similar programs for social media monitoring, or you can set up Google Alerts for your brand name, leadership, or subject matter and let the search algorithms handle media monitoring for you. Some of these tools provide free basic services, while others charge a subscription to provide more comprehensive coverage.
2. Solicit and make the most of favorable press.
Earned media requires patience. Building the relationships and producing the information necessary to receive major media coverage can take many organizations months or even years. Make sure to share any coverage of your company or organization that you come across. Share it with your network by posting it on social media and including a link to it on your website. Additionally, make sure to thank the author, reporter, or organization that mentioned your coverage and offer them the chance to assist them once more in the future.
3. React immediately to unfavorable press.
Visibility is crucial in times of distress. The more people encounter your business during a crisis, the more probable it is that they will recall it once things have returned to normal. As a result, there is always opportunity during a crisis. Because of this, earned media is crucial. If you do come across some bad press, don’t freak out and don’t disregard it. If you choose to ignore it, the problem will frequently get worse. You’ll lose the confidence of stakeholders, which could result in financial loss or the deterioration of your reputation and brand. This is your opportunity to correct the record, establish yourself or your organization as leaders in the respected field, and convince the public that you are dedicated to resolving the issues mentioned. Earned media may assist in reframing the narrative and returning the focus to your purpose, whether it be through an op-ed disputing false information or a bad news story about how your organization may have been careless or accountable.
4. Be proactive in looking for chances.
Watch for news about your company or brand, but also keep an eye out for opportunities for earned media that are pertinent to your initiatives. If you own a small business, for instance, you might wish to approach regional journalists about stories on starting a business or what you’re doing to assist others. If your organization is non-profit or non-governmental, find journalists or news sources that have written about the issues you support. Journalists are constantly hunting for exclusive and original content. You have a better chance of grabbing their attention if you can provide them with something that no one else can.
5. Establish connections with media.
The foundation of earned media is connections. Develop a relationship with the journalists and subject-matter experts in your field and provide them with insightful information. Keep your elevator pitches targeted, brief, and direct. Be aware that a lot of journalists now use social media to discover sources for stories and subject matter experts to interview. You are more likely to be called by reporters looking for sources or commentary if you have a sizable social media following. You may increase the likelihood that journalists will cover your story by making it simpler for them to do so.
6. Prepare to react quickly.
When an opportunity presents itself, you must be prepared to take swift action. A prompt answer demonstrates your concern for your company to stakeholders and future clients. Be ready with well-written pitches, beautiful images, and useful information. Additionally, giving prompt attention to earned media inquiries or mentions can help you rise in search results. So, if a reporter contacts you for a comment or more details on a story, respond. Your chance of having a quotation or piece of information featured in the narrative increases with speed of response. You’ll gain a reputation for being the go-to source for that journalist or media organization.
7. Utilize social media to its fullest.
Your earned media coverage can be greatly increased by using social media. Share any favorable press on your social media platforms, and respond to any critical remarks. Additionally, as was already mentioned, the quicker you respond to online reviews or social media mentions, the more new content you’re producing with keywords relevant to your company. This could raise the visibility of your company in search engine results, bringing in more website visits and possible clients.
8. Keep track of your development.
Measure your progress over time by keeping track of your earned media attention. You may establish a long-lasting relationship with clients or stakeholders with the aid of earned media. You can improve your communications strategy and make sure you’re getting the most out of your efforts by finding trends in your coverage.
Earned media can assist you in establishing the kind of credibility that customers and constituencies are interested in from companies or organizations. Any business can benefit from audiences seeing and hearing about their brand more frequently, especially if it comes from independent media outlets.
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