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Pew Research Center

November 2, 2022 By ZB Group

Why Media Coverage Will Benefit Your Brand: A Look at Various Types

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

As you plan for 2023, working with journalists and content creators should be a priority and here’s why. Cultivating and leveraging these relationships will help your brand or company to connect, engage, inform, influence and communicate with your intended audience in credible and relatable ways.

Pre-internet before Google or social media, journalists were a primary resource for keeping the public abreast of news and information. Newspapers, magazines, TV and radio were the main conduits of mass communication. However, since the internet was created in the early 1980s a whole new dimension subsequently changed the way news and content is produced, consumed and shared.

Today, in addition to mainstream national and local media outlets, a plethora of content creators and new kinds of media companies have taken off. The widespread creation and use of digital tools, smartphone apps and social media, contributed to this sea change.

Now consumers discover new things, make recommendations to friends and family, are entertained or hear about the latest trends in a variety of ways. And brands have multiple options beyond traditional advertising for sharing their messages. For example, Katie Couric, the former TODAY co-anchor and former CBS News anchor, founded Katie Couric Media in 2017 to collaborate with brands “to create purpose-driven content.”

Here’s how working with journalists, content creators and subsets of each, will benefit your brand.

JOURNALISTS

According to the American Press Institute, “The journalist places the public good above all else and uses certain methods – the foundation of which is a discipline of verification – to gather and assess what he or she finds.” Journalists may be employed by one news organization full-time, freelance independently, appear on-air or contribute to several different outlets.

Editors pursue a story idea based on the value they believe it will bring to their audience. Many receive hundreds of pitches a day because a mention, interview or story in noteworthy media outlets, conveys inherent credibility and authority for the subjects that are cited. Writers, producers, editors, and reporters are not compensated by the brands or companies they cover. This type of media coverage is known as Earned Media as depicted in the PESO model. 

According to the Pew Research Center’s Social Media and News Fact Sheet, today, half of U.S. adults get news at least sometimes from social media. Reporters often share their work on social media to gain new subscribers as the WSJ is doing on YouTube and with newsletters. Some journalists also host podcasts and report for other media networks to reach new audiences. Their stories are findable online so an article or video segment spotlighting your brand can have long-term marketing benefits.

Lifestyle Experts and E-Commerce Sites

You may have noticed product review and recommendation sites affiliated with major media companies. Inclusion in these, offers opportunities for brand exposure and sales. The media company earns a commission when a consumer clicks or make a purchase through an affiliate link. The products are chosen based on research, reporting and what they think their viewers and readers would find useful and will like.

New York Magazine’s Strategist is one, The New York Times’ Wirecutter and The Wall Street Journal’s Buy Side are two others. On the broadcast side, NBC’s TODAY Steals & Deals with lifestyle contributor Jill Martin and GMA’s Deals & Steals with Tory Johnson, are popular consumer-focused segments that are integrated with e-commerce sites.

CONTENT CREATORS

Content creators write or produce media content on various topics in the form of a blog, video, infographic, website copy, or something else. Bloggers and social media influencers are often referred to as content creators. They are sought out by brands due to their large followings on social media and high levels of engagement. Here’s a brief look at them.

Bloggers

Blogs offer varied opportunities for featured coverage. From food and beverage, travel and beauty, to tech and business, they run the gamut in subject matter and target audience. Bloggers set their own rules regarding brand collaborations. For some, blogging is a full-time business but for others it may be part of their work in addition to hosting a TV show, podcast, teaching or writing books.

Bloggers may write a feature, host a giveaway, interview a founder, write a review, or offer gift guide opportunities. They will generally use a product or service before recommending it to their readers. If they receive free products, services or a fee, it will be clearly stated as such on their blog. They are also active on social media sharing their blog posts, which provides additional exposure for brands.

Brands

A brand may maintain a blog on their company website creating an Owned Media channel with relevant advice, news, tips, current research, surveys, guides, etc. This represents another type of content creation that serves as a resource for consumers and the media.

Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers may engage in paid collaborations that include sponsored posts, how-to videos or posting photos with or using a brand. Caitlin Covington is an influencer who in this New York Times profile says she was paid $10,000 to $15,000 for two different sponsored posts. Well-known celebrities can command even higher fees for endorsements on their social media channels if they enter into brand partnerships. Known as influencer marketing, these activities are also referred to as Paid Media.

To reach younger people, TikTok stars were invited to the White House in September and other influencers with a combined following of more than 67 million visited in October before the midterm elections.

There are all kinds of influencers to potentially partner with based upon their personas and audience demographics. Carefully consider if they align with your products, services, budget and marketing goals before collaborating.

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Today’s expansive media landscape offers many opportunities to share your messages and garner impactful visibility, authority, credibility, and engagement with your target audience. We can help you determine and implement a results-oriented marketing communications strategy that is right for you.

Filed Under: General Articles, Journalism, Marketing, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: American Press Institute, bloggers, brand story, content creators, influencers, journalists, media coverage, media relations, PESO Model, Pew Research Center, social media, TikTok

August 10, 2021 By ZB Group

How to Cultivate Media Coverage During Sea Change

geralt/Pixabay

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, wrote more than 2,000 years ago that change is the only constant in life. We can all relate to his sentiment. This is apropos to the media business which has experienced a tsunami of changes. To cultivate coverage, a well thought out plan, strategy and skillset is required to achieve your goals.

Here’s a brief inside look at a few of the elements integral to garnering effective results in this fluctuating environment.

Consider the Span of Options

It was simpler to plan a media relations strategy in the predigital days when the media universe was comprised of far fewer outlets. Today’s modern media landscape encompasses many platforms with new ones constantly launching. It’s important to first identify and then reach out to those for which your story is a good fit.

Thoughtful consideration of the options, keeping abreast of journalists’ beats, and staying current on new shows, sections, publications, columns, etc., are important factors in determining the outlets and reporters who may be interested in your story.

Journalists may also work as independent writers or producers at their own companies. Some freelance and contribute to several different outlets on a range of topics. They too are important to consider for media opportunities.

Create the Target List

Creating the media list is a fundamental key step. There are a myriad of media to consider such as digital or internet media, podcasts, newsletters, content creators or influencers, blogs, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and wire services.

For example, if your product or service is geared towards consumers with a special interest, then a platform, podcast, newsletter or website intensely followed by a smaller audience may be better to approach with relevant story ideas than an outlet with a larger more general audience.

Or, perhaps the local TV news media and newspapers would be a good fit for your story and target audience. For the first year in their data, total estimated circulation revenue for publicly traded newspaper companies in 2020 surpassed advertising revenue according to this Pew Research Center report.

Monitor Changes and Evaluate New Opportunities

Note changes as media outlets close, merge, launch and get reinvented on a regular basis. New ones may be added to your target list for evaluation, inclusion and potential outreach.

For example, Puck is a new digital media company with several big-name reporters which will launch in September. Details about it are here.

These articles by media reporters for CNN, The New York Times and Axios respectively, illustrate how media opportunities continue to arise including at the Los Angeles Times, with new media ventures that have sprung up to fill voids, and due to NBC News’ major push into streaming.

NBC News NOW plans to expand its weekday live programming throughout the fall and add to its weekend live programming beginning in the first quarter of 2022.

We’ve summarized a few aspects pertinent to cultivating media coverage but there are many others to consider and ensure your goals are met. Contact us to learn how our skillset can benefit your company in these changing times.

Filed Under: General Articles, Journalism, Marketing, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: Axios, digital media, Dot Dot Dot, Happy Bones Happy Life podcast, Los Angeles Times, media coverage, media landscape, media list, media platforms, NBC News NOW, newspapers, NJ Tech Weekly, Pew Research Center, Puck, The Profile

April 23, 2012 By Debbie Bayes

There’s Good News on the News Front!

Good News! in large print on front page of newspaperA recent report from the Pew Research Center says the State of the News Media 2012 is strong. You can read it here.

It seems that even though lots of us are consuming news on tablets, smartphones and computers, this is actually strengthening traditional news brands.  People using mobile devices are spending more time reading the news, reading more often and are enjoying reading longer articles.

What I found most interesting is the fact that the reputation or brand of the news organization is the most important factor influencing where people go for news in spite of the growth of social media.

An average of 22.5 million watched one of the three network news programs on ABC, CBS or NBC. Sunday print editions did well last year, local TV news audiences grew, more people are listening to radio on their digital mobile devices and tablets may provide a bright future for magazines that adapt.

Digital subscriber programs have helped increase revenues for newspapers. The New York Times will begin charging readers in April for those choosing to read more than 10 articles per month instead of the previous limit of free access to 20 articles. 

In addition to an increasing number of newspapers installing paywalls for content read online, the news business is changing in many other ways.  Legacy print media like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal now produce hours of Web videos featuring their journalists with content accessible on various platforms. 

Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor and Executive Editor Online for The Wall Street Journal, explains in the video below, that telling compelling stories is still at the core of the news business. However, the WSJ is reinventing itself by using video and adapting in other new ways to meet the needs of today’s news-hungry readers and viewers.  

There are still many challenges ahead for news organizations as they learn the best ways of embracing new digital environments.  I’m encouraged that news organizations are making the necessary changes which appear to be working to reinvent themselves for the current and future news landscape.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdkBc31MEYs

Filed Under: Media Tagged With: Alan Murray, Future News, Media, Mobile device, New York Times, News agency, Pew Research Center, Wall Street Journal

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