Earned media is a key strategy when it comes to expanding awareness of your brand. While it’s an impactful tool for any company, it’s perhaps even more powerful for nonprofits and agencies. Is this element part of your strategy? If it’s not yet, it should be.

In this short read, you’ll learn exactly what earned media is, why it should be part of your overall communications strategy, and how to maximize opportunities when they arise.

What Is Earned Media?

Simply put, earned media is press coverage that your brand didn’t have to pay for. It can be a newspaper or magazine article, video or podcast/radio interview, or other kind of coverage from an external outlet. Unlike an advertisement or advertorial, it’s not content that your brand created or purchased.

Earned media can offer expanded brand awareness and relevance, but it comes with some unique challenges, too. For example, let’s imagine that the local paper wants to write a story about your latest project. Great exposure? Absolutely. But the story is being told by someone outside of your organization. There’s certainly an element of risk when you relinquish control.

Does this mean you should avoid earned media? Definitely not. Just get smart about this dynamic and impactful tool to ensure that it’s going to work in your favor.

Earning Media

One of the biggest perks of earned media is that it won’t take a hefty bite out of your marketing budget like ads or other promotional strategies might. When it’s from a respected source, coverage can also enhance the public’s perception of your brand as legitimate or trustworthy.

Sometimes, these opportunities knock on the door. A reporter or writer will reach out because your product, service, or organization is relevant to another story. Such invitations can be great, but be sure to gain plenty of clarity around the angle of the story, how you’ll be included, and when/where the story will run. Especially if it’s a news outlet, don’t count on getting the chance to review the story before it goes live — that’s a no-go in the news world.

But there’s no need to wait for such invitations to participate. Enter, the classic press release. While this form of communication is often overlooked for a social media story, they’re a powerful tool — especially as news organizations are increasingly short-staffed, on tight budgets, and hungry for plentiful content in a 24-hour news cycle. Knowing how to craft a great press release can work wonders!

Handing a reporter a great press release improves your chances of earning media exponentially. (Trust me. I’ve worked on both sides of the coin; in the newsroom and trying to catch reporters’ eyes.)

3 Tips for Press Release Success (+1 Bonus Tip!)

1. Find and get familiar with a press release template. The layout is specific and each element serves a purpose. If you adhere to the proper format, the reporter or writer is much more likely to use your exact language and angle for the story. Think of it like this: instead of handing someone a basket of ingredients to bake bread, hand them a fresh loaf from the oven, ready to devour. Irresistible, right
2. Include well-crafted quotes from multiple sources. Consider what perspectives a reporter would source for an article. A board member? A happy client? A partner organization or community leader? I strongly recommend including those folks’ contact information as well, should the reporter want to follow up with your pre-approved sources.
3. Share at least 3 high-resolution images with your press release. It’s smart to include both portrait and landscape options. Again, the more complete story you can hand over, the more likely your story will make the publication and in a form closest to what you’ve designed. Hand them the whole loaf, not the ingredients!
4. BONUS: When you’re writing your press release, make sure that you include not only the critical information (relevant dates, names, locations, etc.), but also a solid boilerplate that summarizes your organization. This is a standardized overview of your brand that includes the basics for anyone unfamiliar with them. It’s not something you should re-write every time — it should show up the same way on every release you distribute. Again, it’s all about helping folks know exactly how to talk about your organization in ways that reinforce your identity and character.

Need Help Including Earned Media into Your Strategy?

While press releases seem simple on the surface, there are plenty of ways to ensure that yours not only grab attention, but make it into the outlet in a form that’s most accurate and impactful.

Sound overwhelming? I can help! Whether it’s training your team to nail press releases every time, supporting you in developing a reliable list of outlets to send your releases to, or simply taking the effort of writing them off your plate — I’ve got you covered.

If you’d like to chat more about how earned media can play a role in your communications strategy, get in touch for a free consultation today! Let’s find out how this strategy — and others — can help you reach your brand’s goals.