Every organization with an active media relations program is familiar with the cycle of pitch and publish. There’s a whole lot of hustle that goes into working with the media to land each interview or appearance.
Across the company, everyone gets excited as you wait for the piece to appear. The day coverage runs, there’s a burst of activity as customers, partners, and industry influencers notice your good press. That day, it was widely and actively shared on social media channels, and it was added to the “in the news” page on the website.
But then what? More often than not, that same exciting piece of coverage is forgotten or pushed aside in favor of pursuing more opportunities.
Missed Opportunities: Sharing Media Coverage on an Ongoing Basis
Every single piece of media coverage secured should be leveraged to create ongoing value. The majority of coverage is likely to be features or thought leadership pieces, which are evergreen and ideal for sharing.
The world of PR has changed dramatically. Now, your organization needs to become the publisher, and social media is your platform. The more value-added content you can share, the greater awareness and credibility you can build for your organization.
Every brand is a publisher. If you are just starting out, keep that in mind. Your future domain name should be recognizable enough for PR to work.
Don’t worry that people may have seen it already or that you are recycling content. In the fast-paced world of social media, most of your audience likely didn’t see it the first time around.
If your organization is going to take the time and effort needed to secure media coverage, a focus should be placed on sharing it consistently to make the most of it.
Here are some proven ways to regularly share media coverage using social networks:
X/Twitter
Tweeting about coverage the day it happens is a no-brainer. But if you want to extend its shelf life, start by regularly including Tweets of evergreen media coverage in your content calendar. Write tweets that highlight various messages from the piece and work to engage your followers. Don’t just say “article on X, Y, Z, publication”, put it into context or ask a question. “Ever wondered how you can XX? Find out more with XX.”
Every single piece of media coverage can be shared multiple times in multiple ways; you just need to be creative. Be sure to include the handle of the media outlet in your Tweets and use hashtags so your content can be easily found.
When coverage appears, it definitely should be shared as an update on the key individual’s profiles on LinkedIn. For example, if your CEO is quoted in Forbes, be sure to have them share that coverage as an update on their personal profile.
Once coverage appears, it should also be shared on your company’s page and in any customer groups as appropriate. After your initial burst, it can be socialized in groups as a resource and be used to answer questions over time. The key is to use the coverage to add value within your industry and not simply say “look at us”.
As with LinkedIn, you want to share this content on your company’s page and in groups. For your page, you can share it multiple times, provided you mix up the time of day and the content you are including.
Make use of images to highlight the piece and make it compelling. Content can also be shared on an ongoing basis to answer questions on your page or in groups.
If your company is active on Pinterest, create boards that tie to your subject matter expertise. For example, if you are a management consulting company focusing on leadership, you may create a board called “great leadership stories” where you share resources and examples of great leadership in action.
If your coverage were to fit in that category, you can pin it (be sure to include a relevant picture with a text overlay if possible) to that board. Be sure to make the most of the description for that pin and use hashtags.
YouTube
With broadcast coverage, most outlets now share clips of interviews on YouTube, which offers you a great way to curate and share this content. Within your company’s YouTube Channel, create a playlist that showcases all of these clips in a single place, and if you can, add them to other relevant playlists.
As you maximize the value of each piece of content by sharing it, you are making it easier for it to be found and seen.
If your company is actively using Google+, Instagram, Slideshare or any other social platform, look for ways to actively share your content as appropriate.
Bonus: Connecting with Journalists on Social Media
An added bonus of taking the time to share media coverage via social media is that you are boosting your company’s credibility with key influencers, including reporters. The Oriella Digital Journalism Study found that 59% of journalists are using X, and they actively research stories on the platform.
Your content also becomes more easily found, which is ideal when journalists turn to Google to look for subject matter experts.
Social media offers every organization, regardless of size or stage, an ideal way to maximize media relations efforts. Smart content curation can result in greater visibility and lasting credibility that extends the lifetime value of each piece of coverage far past the publishing date.
