6 Ways to Wring All the Value from Your Earned Media Coverage Press coverage can help your brand gain visibility and increase credibility — but not if no one sees it. What can you do to get more value from the media placements you've worked so hard to earn?
By Michelle Garrett Edited by Chelsea Brown
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Often when I help clients earn media coverage by pitching stories to journalists, they are, of course, initially happy and even excited. To see the fruition of our work come to life in the form of a story in the news IS a thrill.
But what happens after that? Often, nothing.
When you've put a lot of effort into securing earned media coverage, it feels a little, shall we say, lacking, to share and celebrate only the day you see the piece — then stop there. Press coverage can help your brand gain visibility and increase credibility ... but not if no one sees it.
So, what can you do to get more value from the media placements you've worked so hard to earn? Here's how to leverage your earned media wins and wring all the value you can out of each one:
Related: 5 Ways You Can Amplify Your Media Coverage
1. Post it on your site
The best place to post media coverage on your site is in a dedicated newsroom or press area.
Having a newsroom is important if you want to make it easier for journalists to find ALL the information they may need about your company in one place. You can include press releases, executive bios, headshots, logos and other visuals.
Not every company has a newsroom on its site, so if you don't, you can also post it in the "About" section. One place I wouldn't suggest posting it is on your blog, which should be dedicated to posts written internally.
2. Share it on social media
Share the media coverage on your social media channels. Pull out a quote or a line you particularly liked when you create the posts. You can even pop a favorite quote from the piece into a tool like Pablo by Buffer or Canva to create visuals.
If you're a B2B company, LinkedIn is the most popular social media outlet to post on, but you can share it across your preferred social media platforms. Include a link to the original and a photo from the piece. On Twitter, it's a good idea to share it multiple times over the span of a few weeks.
You can also share different snippets from a piece of coverage to generate a "fresh" social media post. Not everyone will see your first post, so don't be shy about scheduling multiple posts, varying the days/times.
Also, be sure to tag the journalist and the publication when you share. Journalists DO notice. It's not a vanity thing, but if a story performs well, they may be more likely to be assigned similar stories. "The best way to get more assignments from a publication is to have the stories you have just done for them do well," journalist Aly Walansky says in this post.
3. Include it in your newsletter
If you publish a newsletter, you can also include your earned media coverage with links there. Those who follow your company would probably love to see it featured in the news.
Related: 10 Ways to Get More Traffic After You Get Media Coverage
4. Share it internally
You can share it internally, as well. Seeing the company you work for in the news can make you feel good about working there. In addition, the HR team may want to highlight earned media coverage when it communicates with potential new hires.
5. Use it as a sales tool
If your sales team is so inclined, they could share the coverage with prospects who may be considering buying your product or solution. It may help tip the scale in your favor if they read some favorable media coverage.
6. Don't forget to share it with other audiences who may be interested
As you communicate with your partners or investors, those audiences would be interested in seeing the coverage, as well.
Related: 6 Tips on Grabbing Major Media Coverage for Your Business
Remember, your media coverage can help increase your visibility IF audiences see it. However you choose to do it, you'll want to publicize any media coverage of your company. You've worked hard to earn it — be sure it has a life beyond the day it went live.
