For marketing professionals seeking to amplify their brand’s message and build lasting relationships with their audience, mastering earned media is paramount. An earned media hub is the definitive resource for marketing professionals seeking to maximize the impact of earned media strategies. But where do you begin? This guide provides a step-by-step approach to building and managing a successful earned media strategy. Are you ready to transform your marketing efforts and achieve unprecedented levels of brand awareness?
Key Takeaways
- Set up Google Alerts for your brand name, competitor names, and relevant keywords to monitor online mentions.
- Create a media list of at least 50 relevant journalists, bloggers, and influencers in your industry using tools like Meltwater or Cision.
- Track your earned media mentions, sentiment, and reach using a dedicated analytics dashboard in a tool like Sprout Social or Buffer.
1. Define Your Earned Media Goals
Before embarking on your earned media journey, you need crystal-clear objectives. What do you want to achieve? Increased brand awareness? Improved reputation? More website traffic? Lead generation? Your goals will shape your entire strategy.
Be specific. Instead of “increase brand awareness,” aim for “increase brand mentions by 30% in the next quarter.” Instead of “improve reputation,” target “increase positive sentiment around our brand by 15% based on social listening data.”
Consider using the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This will help you create goals that are both ambitious and realistic.
I had a client last year, a local bakery in the West Midtown neighborhood near the intersection of Northside Drive and 17th Street, that wanted to increase foot traffic. Their initial goal was simply “more customers.” We refined it to “increase foot traffic by 20% within three months by securing mentions in local food blogs and news outlets.” This gave us a clear target and a timeline to work with.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
Who are you trying to reach? Understanding your audience is crucial for crafting compelling stories and pitching them to the right media outlets. Create detailed buyer personas that outline your audience’s demographics, interests, pain points, and media consumption habits. What publications do they read? What blogs do they follow? Which social media platforms do they use?
For example, if you’re targeting young professionals in Atlanta interested in tech startups, you might focus on publications like Hypepotamus or local business sections of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. If your audience is primarily stay-at-home parents in the Decatur area, you might target local parenting blogs or community newsletters.
Pro Tip: Don’t rely solely on assumptions. Conduct market research, analyze your existing customer data, and engage with your audience on social media to gain deeper insights.
3. Build Your Media List
A comprehensive media list is the foundation of your earned media efforts. This list should include journalists, bloggers, influencers, and other relevant media contacts who cover your industry or niche. But how do you find these people?
Start by identifying publications and websites that your target audience reads. Then, look for the reporters and editors who cover your specific area of interest. Tools like Meltwater and Cision can help you find relevant contacts and their contact information. You can filter by industry, location, and keywords.
When building your list, go beyond just names and email addresses. Include information such as their areas of expertise, recent articles they’ve written, and their social media handles. This will help you personalize your pitches and increase your chances of success.
Common Mistake: Sending generic, mass emails to your entire media list. This is a surefire way to get ignored. Take the time to personalize each pitch to the individual journalist and their specific interests.
4. Craft Compelling Story Ideas
Journalists are constantly bombarded with pitches, so you need to stand out from the crowd. Develop story ideas that are newsworthy, relevant, and engaging. Think about what problems your company solves, what unique insights you can offer, and what trends you can comment on.
Focus on the “what’s in it for them” aspect. Why should a journalist care about your story? How will it benefit their readers? A good story idea should be timely, relevant to current events, and offer a fresh perspective.
Here’s what nobody tells you: don’t be afraid to be controversial. A well-reasoned, provocative opinion can generate more buzz than a bland, uncontroversial statement. Just be sure to back up your claims with data and evidence.
5. Write Personalized Pitches
Once you have a compelling story idea, it’s time to craft your pitch. A pitch is a brief email or message that you send to a journalist or blogger to introduce your story idea and persuade them to cover it. Keep your pitches concise, clear, and personalized.
Start with a strong subject line that grabs their attention. Then, introduce yourself and your company briefly. Next, explain your story idea and why it’s relevant to their audience. Finally, offer to provide them with additional information, such as expert interviews, data, or images.
Pro Tip: Before sending your pitch, research the journalist’s previous work to understand their style and interests. Reference a recent article they wrote and explain why your story idea is a good fit for their publication.
6. Follow Up Strategically
Don’t be afraid to follow up with journalists if you don’t hear back from them right away. Journalists are busy people, and your email may have gotten lost in their inbox. However, don’t be too pushy. Wait a few days after sending your initial pitch before following up. A brief, polite email can be effective.
In your follow-up email, reiterate your story idea and highlight any new developments or angles. Offer to provide additional information or answer any questions they may have. If you still don’t hear back, it’s probably best to move on. Respect their decision and focus on other opportunities.
Common Mistake: Bombarding journalists with multiple follow-up emails or calls. This can be annoying and damage your relationship with them. Be persistent, but respectful.
We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. We were pitching a story about a new sustainable packaging solution to a reporter at Packaging Digest. After two follow-up emails, we still hadn’t heard back. We decided to try a different angle, focusing on the cost savings aspect. This time, we got a response and the story was published.
7. Monitor Your Earned Media Mentions
Once your story is published, it’s important to track your earned media mentions. This will help you measure the impact of your efforts and identify opportunities for further engagement. Set up Google Alerts for your brand name, product names, and relevant keywords. This will notify you whenever your company is mentioned online.
You can also use social listening tools like Sprout Social or Buffer to track mentions on social media. These tools can also help you analyze the sentiment of the mentions and identify key influencers who are talking about your brand.
Pro Tip: Create a spreadsheet or dashboard to track your earned media mentions, including the publication, date, headline, URL, and sentiment. This will help you visualize your progress and identify trends.
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8. Engage with Your Audience
Earned media is a two-way street. Don’t just passively monitor your mentions. Engage with your audience and respond to comments and questions. Thank journalists and bloggers for covering your story. Share the articles on your social media channels and encourage your followers to read them.
By engaging with your audience, you can build relationships, foster loyalty, and amplify your message. This can also lead to more earned media opportunities in the future. A report by Nielsen found that consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from people they know than traditional advertising. Therefore, actively engaging with your audience online can lead to increased trust and brand awareness.
9. Analyze and Refine Your Strategy
Regularly analyze your earned media efforts to identify what’s working and what’s not. Look at the data you’ve collected on your mentions, sentiment, and reach. Which publications are generating the most traffic to your website? Which story angles are resonating with your audience?
Use these insights to refine your strategy and improve your results. Experiment with different story ideas, pitch angles, and media contacts. Continuously test and optimize your approach to maximize your impact.
A concrete case study: We worked with a SaaS company based near Perimeter Mall in Sandy Springs. We focused on securing mentions in industry-specific blogs and podcasts. After six months, we saw a 40% increase in website traffic from referral sources and a 25% increase in lead generation. We achieved this by consistently analyzing our results and focusing on the media outlets that were driving the most qualified traffic.
10. Build Relationships with Journalists
Earned media is all about building relationships. Cultivate relationships with journalists and bloggers by being helpful, responsive, and respectful. Offer them valuable insights, data, and resources. Be a reliable source of information and expertise. The more you help them, the more likely they are to cover your stories in the future.
Attend industry events and conferences to network with journalists in person. Follow them on social media and engage with their content. By building genuine relationships with journalists, you can increase your chances of securing positive media coverage and building long-term brand awareness.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Building trust takes time and effort. Be patient, persistent, and always professional.
By following these steps, you can build a successful earned media strategy that drives brand awareness, improves reputation, and generates leads. Remember to be patient, persistent, and always focus on providing value to your audience and the media.
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What’s the difference between earned, owned, and paid media?
Earned media is publicity gained through promotional efforts other than paid advertising, which includes media relations. Owned media consists of channels you control, like your website and blog. Paid media involves paying for advertising space, such as social media ads or sponsored content.
How do I measure the success of my earned media efforts?
Track metrics like the number of mentions, reach, sentiment, website traffic, and lead generation. Use tools like Google Analytics and social listening platforms to monitor these metrics and assess the impact of your earned media campaigns.
How do I find the right journalists to pitch?
What if a journalist publishes a negative story about my company?
Respond promptly and professionally. Acknowledge the issue, express your concerns, and offer to provide additional information or clarification. Avoid getting defensive or combative. Focus on addressing the concerns and resolving the issue.
How long does it take to see results from earned media efforts?
It can take several months to see significant results from your earned media efforts. Building relationships with journalists and securing media coverage takes time and effort. Be patient, persistent, and consistent in your approach.
The journey to earned media mastery may seem complex, but the rewards are substantial. Don’t just aim for mentions; aim for influence. Start small, stay consistent, and always prioritize building genuine relationships. The next step? Identify three journalists in your niche and send them a personalized pitch this week. That’s your actionable takeaway.
