Leeann Froese
You have a great story that has been picked up by the press, and now you need to make the most of it. Use these techniques and amplify your media coverage.
Getting press coverage is hard work, so it is worth celebrating.
Press coverage alone is only the first step in getting your message out to your audience. You want to make your coverage work for you by amplifying your content across several different channels. This way you can reach a more diverse audience over a longer period.
Here are eight practical ways to get the most out of your press coverage.
FIND YOUR MENTIONS
It’s free and comes into your inbox as often as you sign up for: use Google Alerts to gather mentions you’ve received.
SHARE INTERNALLY
Tell your people. Share a link to the coverage internally with your colleagues, family and friends. Ask them to share the news on their professional or personal social networks.
SHARE WITH CUSTOMERS
You should share all good news with your trade customers and suppliers. You may even want to acknowledge their role in your success. When your customers see your press coverage, they can use it as a talking point to help sell your cider.
REFERENCE THE COVERAGE ON YOUR WEBSITE
Publicize an article on your website such as on your Home page, Media page or About Us page. It’s a missed opportunity and shocking how few wineries or cideries take advantage of keeping press mentions on their own websites. If you don’t have a suitable area on your site to post mentions, you might think about creating a page where you can celebrate your best coverage.
INCLUDE THE COVERAGE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER
If you have a list you regularly send email newsletters to, you should add the article to your next email. I’ve seen some people go one step further and include their latest coverage as a link in their email signatures.
GET SOCIAL WITH IT
Share any links on your social media channels, and tag both the outlets and reporters wherever possible. Go to websites like bit.ly and shorten any links to your coverage, so they are easier to share on Twitter or use as a link in your bio on Instagram. Make it a habit of sharing each piece of coverage a few times throughout the following month or two.
BRING THE COVERAGE TO REAL LIFE
A case study on some media exposure brought to life: our PR team worked with a news publication to curate a fun story on pairing Easter candies with our BC wine clients’ products. This story was very well received and was shared many times in many outlets.
As we do, our team then shared the link to the coverage with our clients, but we went one step further and did a mini photo shoot, taking a photo of each of the different wines & candy pairing suggestions.
We sent both the link to coverage plus a photo to the client as a value add to our PR service, in case they want to use the link and picture together on their own social channels. As we recommended, the clients then shared the photo of their wine and its candy pairings and the story link on their social media.
And one winery client went one step further. The wine shop manager also purchased the candy that was mentioned in the article and had it in the wine shop. When customers visited the winery staff said ‘why don’t you try the pairing suggestion that was in the paper?’ This is a great example of how media coverage can be leveraged to be made the most of.
They’re not only having the exposure of the people who come across the article on their own, but they took the article and re-shared it through their own channels; they also exposed it to walk-up traffic; and they lent the suggestion of candy and wine some legitimacy by showing them this third-party exposure.
MOST IMPORTANT: THANK THE MEDIA!
Let the outlet know that you are grateful for the coverage and let them know that you shared the article with your audiences. If you contribute to the overall success of a piece, the reporter may be more willing to talk to you again. PR is all about maintaining good relationships after all.
Let the outlet know that you are grateful for the coverage and let them know that you shared the article with your audiences. If you contribute to the overall success of a piece, the reporter may be more willing to talk to you again. PR is all about maintaining good relationships after all.
