geralt / Pixabay
Your organization has had a marketing focus—e-books, blogs, videos, infographics, podcasts. You have been posting content on your website and LinkedIn, sending directly to your sales targets, and tweeting up a storm. You’re on the right path—after all, digital is where it’s at. The more content, the bigger chance you have to get noticed.
While the importance of digital has grown for marketing departments, public relations has seen a similar rise, as print media has continued its decline and print outlet staffing has taken a big plunge, according to the Pew Research Center. As with most things in business, every weakness creates a window of opportunity. In this case, the rise of digital has generated a news cycle that can’t be fulfilled by staff writers alone. Therefore, the opportunity is yours for the picking. The media needs you. They need your content. They need your expertise and they need your thought leaders to don their writer’s hats and pick up the slack in the new, digital, 24/7 news cycle. It is your time to take what you have already created and pass it on. Repurpose it. Modify it. But, most importantly, share it. It’s time to take your digital content and use it for a public relations program that can increase visibility and enhance credibility for your organization.
Here are three ways to capitalize on the digital landscape for your next PR campaign:
1. Content to Pitch
You already know the audience you want to reach and your PR team has a list of relevant media outlets—but now what? It’s time to put that content to use. After all, you created it, now it’s time to share it. Go through your blogs, your e-books, your videos, and your webinars and transfer the topics to your own internal editorial calendar. The content is a great jumping-off point to spur the conversation with media contacts—showing your expertise, while keeping your message consistent across channels. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. Your content is a great way to not only talk about what your thought leaders can share but to show them. Use it to your advantage.
Recommended for You
Webcast, August 29th: How to 8x Your SEO Traffic With These 3 Power Hacks
2. Pitch to Content
You read the news this morning and there was a major development surrounding a topic that your company has expertise in. You need to act quickly, as what is news today may be unimportant tomorrow. Get your experts up to speed, letting them know that you will be pitching them to the media for expert comment. But there’s more … take a few hours (and only a few, as time is of the essence) and have your marketing department create a relevant FAQ one-sheet or a visual that can coincide with what you are able to talk about. Sending digital content with timely expert pitching can garner attention that words alone can’t seize.
3. Attention-Grabbing Visuals
It’s not all about words. In fact, we’ve heard it a million times—a picture can say a thousand words. Therefore, use images to your advantage. You probably have a video or an infographic. Pass it along to the media. It is possible that your visual content can spur a story idea or maybe they just need an image that can reiterate their point in a better way than words alone. A visual can grab the media’s attention and help in cutting through the clutter. Encourage your marketing department to create an arsenal of visual content. Your PR team and the media will thank you for it.
Digital. Digital. Digital. If you don’t have content—and you don’t share the content—you will be missing an opportunity. The PR landscape has evolved. Media outlets don’t have the staff to write without your experts; they don’t have the time to create the content or to come up with the topics that would interest their audience alone. Help them. Pitch what you have, generate what you don’t, and get visual. It’s all about gaining attention and leveraging digital can be a powerful starting place for a PR campaign to take off.