Whether it’s news, commentary, or a clever piece of thought leadership, now your press coverage is live let’s get it working even harder for you to help grow your business.

Before we get to our essential tips though, here’s a quick recap on the power of the press, and why being constantly visible in the media, and staying front of audiences’ minds at all times, is so important to the future success of any company.

The power of the press

– Skyrockets your brand’s visibility and awareness
– Cements your reputation as the go-to industry expert – this is your differentiator!
– Boosts your search rankings with powerful backlinks from top-tier news platforms

Companies today operate in a world where buyers take themselves down around 70% of the buying journey before they engage with sellers, going through three stages in this journey – awareness, consideration and conversion. To ensure that you have a ‘seat at the table’ when buyers are ready to engage, it’s critical to be building brand visibility first – leverage the press’ vast audience reach and targeted niche readership to maximise impact.

As buyers enter the consideration phase, leverage the press to showcase your expertise and provide the information they need – all while gaining credibility as the industry expert through media endorsement. Securing a link back to your website in these authoritative news platforms, which surface highly on search results, will also help drive buyers back to your website as they move through the conversion phase.

Brands that skip the engagement phases, jumping straight to the sales conversion stage, will struggle to generate and convert leads effectively. Press coverage supports every phase of the buyer’s journey however, it can also enhance other marketing efforts for greater results – for a more powerful, joined-up approach.

So, here are some ways to make your press coverage work harder for you.

Engage with the press’ social posts

Once you’ve been featured in the press, there’s a good chance the news article will also appear on the press’ social media channels. The reporters also often share it on their personal channels. Don’t miss this great opportunity to engage and reshare their social media posts – the bonus is they have hundreds and thousands of followers, seen as a reliable and trusted source of information. If we are managing your social media then we will of course be doing this for you.

Post about your press coverage

Once the press coverage appears, be sure to craft your own social media post to share on your own social media channels. If it’s by-lined to a member of the team, ask them to also share, or reshare the corporate post with a comment. This will ensure that your existing clients as well as prospects see the coverage – while most companies focus solely on acquiring new business, retaining your current customers is just as important.

Don’t forget to tag in the press title to benefit from their huge audience reach, and include a link to the coverage accompanied by a scroll stopping graphic to capture attention. Again, if we are managing your social media channels then we will of course be doing this for you.

Use it as your differentiator in your sales decks

Being featured in the press, endorsed as ‘the industry expert’ on a particular subject, carries huge kudos and credibility. This builds trust and confidence in buyers, building your reputation as the authority in the industry. So, include the media title’s logos and press cuttings in your presentations as it could be your biggest differentiator against your competition.

Display press logos on your website

Display the media titles’ logos on your website (and any other marketing collateral). For example ‘As featured on Sky News or in ‘The FT’ or in ‘Infosecurity; or ‘Care Home Professional’. The authority of these titles carries huge weight, building brand confidence and trust, and reinforcing your reputation as the market leader in your industry – the obvious first choice.

Blog about it

Turn the topic and press coverage into a short blog and link to the press coverage for further insight. Ensure to put the blog in your own words, rather than paraphrasing from the press article, to stay within copyright rules.

Leverage third party relationships

Ask a channel or business partner to share your press coverage or your blog on their website – having this brand association will be powerful for them too, especially if they are reselling your services or products. Ensure they include a backlink to your website and ask them to promote it on other channels as well, such as social media, to get even greater awareness and link juice.

Feature in external comms

Feature the press coverage in your company newsletter – whether that goes to internal staff external stakeholders – it is all great for building even greater visibility, credibility and confidence. Employees get excited about working with a company that is regularly featured in the news while customers are more likely to choose a brand where the leaders are regularly quoted in the press.

If you need any advice on the points highlighted in this blog then do get in touch with one of our team here.