Positive media coverage has long been considered a powerful tool for the top of the marketing funnel. Bylined articles, profile stories, quotes or mentions in a respected publication can build brand awareness and position a company as a source of trusted information and insight.  

That’s even more true in today’s digital communications landscape, where the audience for any one article can expand exponentially via social media to far beyond the publication’s direct subscribers.  

What’s more, since “publication” is no longer limited to a single point in time, savvy companies can strategically use media coverage to add value and drive growth at every stage of the client journey. In addition to drawing new audiences into the marketing funnel, it can support a wide range of communications goals, including accelerating sales, improving client retention and recruiting talent.  

Below are six ways companies can leverage media coverage for maximum benefit.  

  1. Share articles on social media. Link to media coverage on your company social media accounts, along with a short explanation that provides context and reinforces your positioning as an authority on the topic. 
     
  2. Facilitate social media sharing by employees. Establish a turn-key internal process that encourages your sales, marketing, C-suite and other internal professionals to share coverage with their social media networks. Provide the links as well as compliance-approved language tailored for different channels. 
     
  3. Add article links to email campaigns. Whether you’re sending a prospecting or nurture campaign, an event invitation or follow-up email, the addition of a link to coverage about your company, products or services can complement your message and add gravitas to your brand. 
      
  4. Distribute collateral about coverage. Consider purchasing digital “reprints” (the article under the publication’s masthead) to distribute electronically or in hard copy. Alternatively, you could create your own email or sales piece that highlights one or multiple significant media mentions, but keep in mind that you’ll likely need to request permission (and pay a fee) for the commercial re-use of the content and publication logo/artwork.
     
  5. Keep sales teams informed. A quick summary of recent media coverage – including the name of the publication, the internal professional quoted, a summary of the topic, and the sales/brand message it supports – can enable sales teams to determine when and how to best use the coverage (and the collateral you’ve created about it) in the sales process.
     
  6. Add coverage to recruiting materials. Clients and prospects aren’t the only audiences for your media coverage. Add links or mentions of coverage to recruiting materials, including on the careers portion of your website, to make your company more attractive in the eyes of potential employees.