You’ve done the hard work and finally achieved the media coverage of your dreams—whether it’s an interview on the local news, a PR placement in an important magazine for your industry, or a segment on a well-regarded TV program—and think you can finally relax and revel in a job well done. Right?
Think again. Given the fast-paced nature of today’s media environment, a solid PR placement is often just the beginning of the story. After securing a placement, it is up to you to leverage the coverage effectively in order to gain additional visibility and drive the outcomes that you want for your business or organization.
Here are six tips for making the most out of your PR placement and extending the lifetime of your media coverage:
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Get social.
One of the first things you should do upon securing a PR placement is to share the coverage on your brand’s social media channels. For particularly important placements, consider using social media as a way to build buzz and anticipation around the coverage (for example, “be sure to tune in at 6 to see our business spotlighted on channel 9”). Be sure to use appropriate hashtags and tag your posts correctly in order to maximize the number of people who will see the post.
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Share with stakeholders.
There are a lot of people who care about your brand—and a PR placement is a great way to remind them of the great things being done by your business or organization. Sharing media coverage with important stakeholders in your organization such as employees, executives, and board members allows them to see the results of their work in action and can be a great way to build community around your brand. Consider asking employees to share the news on their personal social media profiles (but do not make it a requirement, as sharing is most effective when it is organic).
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Put it on your website.
Including links on your website to media coverage about your business gives valuable third-party credibility to your brand. If you have multiple placements, create an “online newsroom” on your website containing past PR placements as well as press releases that may inspire additional stories from media personnel who want to learn more about your brand.
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Mail it out.
If your organization has an email marketing list, including your PR placement is a great way to break up the rest of the content in your next weekly or monthly e-newsletter. Consider using your email list to share news about especially important placements—just take care not to overwhelm your audience with too many emails in a short period of time.
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Be presentable.
One of the best—but often overlooked—ways to utilize your PR placement is to include it in presentations, proposals, and other collateral materials for your organization. Demonstrating your success in the media to potential customers and/or clients helps to give your business added credibility and positions your organization as a thought leader in your industry.
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Use your PR placement to gain momentum.
Finally, landing a solid PR placement is also beneficial in establishing momentum for media coverage. Sometimes all it takes is one high-profile placement for other outlets to take notice and start telling the story of your brand. In addition, you can use your first big placement with an important outlet to continue building a relationship with the media personnel there—which just may catapult your brand into the media coverage stratosphere in the process.
No matter what industry you are in, landing your first big PR placement is never an easy task. However, with practice, research, and persistence you can achieve media relations success that will amplify your message and take your organization to the next level.
About Scooter Media
Scooter Media is a full-service communications agency in greater Cincinnati specializing in public relations and social media. Read more of our tips for achieving PR success here and here.
