how to boost your PR efforts by creating “PR magnet” content
Relationships, list building, tailored pitches, and most importantly outreach - these are the mainstays of traditional PR campaigns, but what if we told you that your owned content efforts could drive even more earned media coverage? Journalists, just like consumers, and everyone else, research their topics. Similar to a consumer on their path to purchase a product, writers are on a learning path, and having your brand showing up here can drive coverage and establish your thought leadership and drive hits without any outreach at all.
how can owned content drive earned media coverage?
Think about it this way - a journalist gets an assignment to write about a topic, let’s say the hot new trend of the beer style, the Cold IPA. Likely, one of the first things that a journalist is going to do is a web search to find out what is a cold IPA anyways. This is your brand’s opportunity to show up with owned content published on your website or blog, maybe an article along the lines of “What Is A Cold IPA? And How They’re Made.” This is what we call a “PR magnet” piece of content.
These articles not only drive great traffic and exposure for your brand but also put your brand in a position of thought leadership. More importantly, this means that journalists might cite that content in their piece, reach out for your expert comment, or try your product firsthand - all great opportunities for earned media hits.
Best of all, these hits come to you. Framed in eCommerce terminology, this is a demand capture strategy rather than demand generation. You are capitalizing on existing search volume, rather than trying to create interest with outreach. Likewise, these hits are often high-value mentions that put your brand in a category leadership role, a great compliment to product reviews and roundups.
Example: 10 Barrel Brewing and the Cold IPA
We’ve put this very example together at Verde and are already reaping the benefits. When our client 10 Barrel Brewing came out with a new Cold IPA beer, we recognized the dearth of content on the topic and sought to create a better resource to pair with 10 Barrel’s video. The result? Our Cold IPA article ranks on the first page of Google for “what is a cold ipa?” and in the #1 position in video search. While this and related keywords drive organic search traffic to the website, this isn’t a lesson in SEO. Here we’re focusing on the potential to passively drive media inquiries and thought leadership for our client.10 Barrel Rock Hop IPA Seen In:
what types of “PR magnet” content can you create to drive thought leadership and earned media coverage?
Possibilities for PR magnet content are nearly endless, but all follow a similar trend, they help consumers and journalists alike learn more about the topic and answer their basic questions. Keeping the focus on journalists and earned media, content should help set the scene.
For example, does your brand products for van life like Adventure Wagon? Journalists writing about van life will want to know how much a Mercedes Sprinter 144 will cost them, what are the dimensions, and what configurations are available. Creating a Sprinter 144 landing page to answer these questions puts Adventure Wagon in a place where journalists can find them, cite the content, and reach out for further expert counsel.
This sounds a lot like SEO research, and it is - working closely with SEO teams and tools can be a great way to figure out what content to create. A data-driven approach is great, but it’s also important to look at topics anecdotally, and by looking at existing content as well as your competitors. This way, you can get a full understanding of the landscape, tailoring your content to match the questions of consumers and journalists alike.
takeaways
PR isn’t always about outreach - brands can passively drive earned media hits by creating PR magnet content that can drive citations, mentions, interview requests, and thought leadership. Incorporating this content strategy is a great way to drive your brand’s overall authority and create a well-rounded coverage profile that goes beyond product launches and reviews.
Need help implementing PR Magnet content into your brand’s content strategy?
Verde can help. Learn more about our content services, or reach out and get the conversation started!