6 ways to get more from good press

by | Feb 26, 2018 | Best Practice, Marketing, Advertising & Promotion, Public Relations/PR practice

It's always nice to get good coverage in the media (for instance, here's a great story about YouthWorx on Main, a initiative of the PTA Thrift Shop, on whose board I serve). We can extend its benefit with a few minutes of deliberate promotion.

How to get more bang from good press

Try some or all of these tactics the next time a reporter or influencer reports on your organization.

1. Share with the team

Send the coverage to your internal team, board and other stakeholders and influencers. Provide context, including how the article came about (pitch, cold call, etc.) and why the coverage is important to the organization. Then encourage these people to share, providing ideas for how to do so, such as forwarding to key people, sharing socially, etc. Ask people quoted or the managers of programs mentioned in the coverage to share directly via their accounts, too, including Linkedin. Engaging employees in sharing good news good business, too. 

2. Socialize it

Spread the word across all owned channels, including your website – perhaps for a short time on the front page, but definitely in the newsroom section. For social channels, add context about the topic, encourage re-sharing and try to tag the outlet and reporter. If you have enough room, also tag as many of those mentioned in the article as possible. Pull strong quotes, insights or data points to highlight and try not to cross post! Post the best image from the piece or add one of your own. See more ideas for using social media for PR.

3. Display it

Load it on digital displays in the lobby or store or provide printed copies in literature holders and information packets. And don’t forget to include an excerpt and link in your next email or print newsletter! Going to an expo, conference or trade event? Bring copies and display on at least one screen in your booth.

4. Distribute to groups

Get additional exposure by sharing the news with industry groups and publications, Linkedin and other professional networking groups, or alumni associations and publications. And if you're doing a presentation, give a quick nod to the piece and show a great quote or excerpt from it.

5. Link it

Look for opportunities to link to the story in your blog posts and other digital content; and for appropriate places to add it as a related content link – particularly for evergreen or older content that could use a boost. Bonus: Contextual links like these help with SEO, too. 

6. Pay to play

Extend the benefits with paid promotion for coverage that’s particularly favorable or helpful to a campaign or initiative.

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