Diversify Your Marketing Strategy: How You Can Raise Visibility Beyond Traditional Media

If there was a secret sauce for securing a traditional media placement, the ingredients would likely include intrigue, relationships, research, professional etiquette and a dash of patience. 

And because reporters are bombarded with pitches every day, there’s nothing more rewarding than experiencing the success of a positive story about your company or organization in the news. After all, it builds brand awareness, shares your value proposition with your target audience and ideally drives business leads. 

Despite what you may be hearing, traditional media is still alive and well. However, when it comes to earned media, the challenge is that the pool is smaller. Newsroom staffs are shrinking, which means there’s less room and time to share your news. 

With that in mind, if your ultimate goal is to secure a news feature, then consider this: Is it newsworthy? 

The reality is that your version of newsworthy may not always jive with a reporter’s, so it’s important to ask yourself some of the following questions. 

Is my news:
…unique or attention grabbing?
…breaking?
…timely or trend-worthy?
…impactful?
…visual?

Will my news:
…grab an audiences’ attention?
…evoke emotion or provide a reason to act?

If the answer is yes, pull out the recipe card. And just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, it may take time to see results—so patience is a virtue. 

On the other hand, if you decide the message is not newsworthy, the good news is all is not lost. In fact, traditional media relations should be just one part of a larger media strategy. 

Here are our four tips to help increase visibility and connect with audiences beyond earned media placements:

1. Speaking opportunities—As part of a larger thought leadership campaign, identify speaking engagements for members of your leadership team. Professional associations, Rotary or Kiwanis Clubs, Chambers of Commerce and industry trade shows are all likely to arrange regular lunch-and-learns, networking events and keynotes where speakers can address timely and pertinent topics to their members.
    
2. Article submissions—If you’re interested in telling the story yourself, some publications will consider editorial submissions or offer paid content sponsorship opportunities. Keep in mind that the article should be relevant, timely and should provide a holistic view of your topic rather than solely focusing on your company or service offering.  
    
3. Owned channels—Online properties owned by your company–such as a website, blog, webinars, videos, podcasts and ebooks¬–are valuable real estate to share your story. They provide the opportunity to control your message and output. Developing relevant and compelling content is just one part of the picture. Equally as important is how you drive people to this content and engage with your audience.
    
4. Social media—For news that might not be shared by the media (think new hires/promotions, milestone events like anniversaries and awards/recognitions), it’s time to leverage social media channels. Similar to owned channels, you have the ability to share news and increase engagement with a dedicated group of brand advocates. 

Interested in brainstorming ideas for visibility? We can help. Approach us anytime at hello@approachmarketing.com.