Earned media: The three reasons why

So there I was in a new business meeting and I found myself trying to talk the potential client out of doing a media relations campaign as a possible tactic.

Then days later I was in a client meeting downplaying the effectiveness of media relations in achieving the client’s ultimate goal.

That’s a 180-degree turn from a guy who has made his reputation the “media relations guy.”

As has been well documented on this blog, the art and practice of media relations is more difficult today. Fewer traditional outlets, fewer reporters, fewer “readers,” a fragmented audience, etc., coupled with the ability to better control one’s message and reach one’s audience through owned and paid media. This combination leads to fewer “at-bats,” less success and yes even less of a payoff for the client when you are successful.

I am a firm believer that even when you do get that placement, a client is only at most 80 percent “happy” with it. They might not like the headline. They don’t like the quote. They don’t agree with how they are portrayed in the article. Media relations is at best still like the childhood game “telephone” where you are telling a story to someone else and hope they can explain it to another person.

Something always gets lost in the translation.

So why do it? Why continue the practice of media relations at all?

After a great deal of thought I’ve boiled it down to three main reasons.

Awareness/credibility

Although its power in this arena isn’t what it used to be, a story still creates some level of awareness to your audiences whether they are external or internal. People still think you are “real” if they see you in the paper, on TV and online. This does not mean awareness will make the new business phone ring off the hook however and that needs to be explained upfront. But it does mean folks will still come up to you at happy hour and comment that they “saw you in the paper.”

Ego

Most people won’t admit it but this is the usually the main reason they want a story written or produced about them.  They want their picture in the paper, they want to see themselves on TV or online. They HOPE that it leads to other things like new business but seeing it validates what they are doing. It makes them feel that all that hard work is being noticed.

Leverage

In this day and age of content marketing, leveraging media relations success is perhaps the best of the three reasons to execute a media relations campaign. Posting those pieces on your website validates your company/organization for those who Google you. Reprinting those pieces for your sales force, linking back to them in your email newsletters, writing about them in your blog makes they more valuable than hoping and praying folks will open the paper or spend time online finding them.

Are there more reasons? Perhaps. Although I bet you I can easily slide them into one of the three above.

Does that make media relations the “bastard stepchild” of the earned, owned, paid equation?

My answer is no, as long as you realize it is just not the panacea that it used to be. Media relations or earned media creates the blips or peaks on a long road. It should be married with long haul approach of including owned media that you produce with both amplified by paid media to make sure you are reaching the right audience with your consistent messages.

Don’t agree with me? Then shoot me down in the comment section.