Interviews on national outlets are indeed valuable, but in the digital age, it’s important not to dismiss media opportunities with smaller outlets as Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent experience illustrates.
In the spring when the coronavirus outbreak surged in the U.S., Dr. Fauci was a frequent guest on all the major TV talk shows. However, by August, the New York Times reported most interviews were with outlets like Instagram Live, an online education platform, a local TV affiliate and podcasts. Continuing this trend, Dr. Fauci was a guest on Sirius XM’s Doctor Radio, in early September.
He realized smaller outlets could be instrumental in promoting his public health messages to their audiences and may even be picked up by larger ones. According to the article, “His appearances are widely watched by reporters from large outlets, who then quote him in their news reports.”
Obviously not everyone has the clout that a prominent health expert like Dr. Fauci does to weigh in during a global pandemic, but here are eight reasons to consider opportunities with smaller outlets for a positive impact.
- Present, Explain and Expand Your Message. Connect with your target audiences where they spend time which includes smaller channels.
- Accrue Online Visibility. Journalists looking for sources on a subject and consumers alike can find the interview, story, feature or content.
- Ability to Share on Multiple Channels. Social media, subscriber-based newsletters, websites or company blogs, all provide more eyeballs.
- Lend Credibility to Your Brand, Company, Product or Service. Conveying your story on their platform, relays its importance for their community of readers, viewers, listeners, loyal followers and fans.
- Raise Local Awareness. Depending on where your customers are based, recognition by local media outlets may be preferable vs. national media.
- Engage with Niche Audiences. For certain products or services, blogs, websites or publications that appeal to specific interests may be best to target. For example, ones comprised of health or eco-conscious consumers, fashionistas, home cooks, entrepreneurs, cyclists or golfers.
- Express Thought Leadership. Via bylined articles and interviews with reporters at trade publications, promote expertise and convey influence.
- Reporters, Editors and Producers Change Jobs. Someone working at a smaller outlet today may leave for a larger one tomorrow, or start their own one day. Connections and positive impressions made in the past, will help build relationships with media professionals that may be advantageous for your business or organization in the future.
For a recent project, we arranged for the owner of a bed-and-breakfast, Woolverton Inn, to be quoted in the Associated Press, but we also intentionally selected to pitch smaller outlets that are a good fit for their messages and various audiences. As a result of our efforts, blogs geared for baby boomers and millennials, a meetings and events publication and a New Jersey business magazine, among several others, featured the inn.
There are many factors to consider when planning a media outreach strategy but keep in mind that smaller outlets may yield big rewards.
