How to maximise the success of media coverage

Just as you cannot expect one public relations or marketing tool to result in immediate sales, you should not expect media coverage to result in people parting with their money to do business with you.

What you should know about good media relations that results in strong coverage in the right places, is that it ticks many boxes. It assists people in the decision making process and is often what initiates genuine interest or transforms a potential client into someone who is ready to do business with you.

What do you do with your media coverage?

Many people make the mistake in thinking that media coverage should speak for itself in attracting clients. By doing this they are missing many opportunities to maximise the success of their media coverage. For example, media coverage can be used as a tool that satisfied customers can use when referring you to their friends and family. It also works brilliantly as a tool for encouraging loyalty and pride amongst your staff and customer base.

For example, I have a not-for-profit client that I provide public relations for. We recently put our heads together and came up with a fantastic concept that was newsworthy in many ways. Within two weeks of the first announcement, the media relations activity resulted in almost 50 unique pieces of coverage in radio, newspapers (national, state and local), online news sites, newsletters and magazines, with the promise of more to come. OK, enough with the bragging.

The point of telling you that was to show you that even with so much amazing coverage, it doesn’t have to stop there.

My client can maximize the benefits of the coverage by sharing it online (their e-newsletter, website and all social media platforms). This also extends the reach of those who can see and hear the coverage. The organisation can also share it with its members and donors. This demonstrates the not-for-profit’s progress and momentum and reminds them to donate.

The organisation’s calls to action are heard by many because of the coverage and can be heard by many more through direct mail campaigns that reference and include coverage to help prove their credibility to volunteers and donors.

Finally, the coverage greatly assists my client in attracting corporate sponsorship. In any industry, other businesses are far more likely to want to do business with an organisation that is talked about and is in the media. It also presents an opportunity for corporates as they can see the publicity value for them to be associated with the not-for-profit.

So over to you: how do you maximise your coverage?

• Do you have it on display in your office or waiting room?
• Do you mention it to clients?
• Do you have a special offer for those who spot your coverage?
• Do you put it on your website or mention it in your promotional items (for example, ‘as seen in The Australian Financial Review)?
• Do you mention it in your bio?