Securing authoritative editorial coverage is a great way to get your business in front of new audiences, who may be interested in your products or services.
By positioning your brand as an authority on a particular topic, and using storytelling to make it memorable, through editorial coverage you can build trust in your credibility. That trust is key for potential customers looking to make a purchase decision.
But with what gets published – and what doesn’t – at the hands of the editor, how can you persuade them and secure editorial coverage for your brand? In this blog, we share our five top tips for securing editorial coverage, boosting your brand reach and relationships with the media.
1. Select the right spokesperson…
Often, editorial pieces will be positioned as ‘bylined articles’. That is, an article with an attribution to a specific author at a company. Often this will be included at the top of the piece, in a sentence similar to:
Joe Bloggs, Managing Director, Company, says…
Often your ‘sales’ team can give the wrong impression – with content bylined to sales representatives often seen as a ‘sales pitch’ in disguise by eagle-eyed readers. Remember, the purpose of your content isn’t to sell – it’s to be helpful and practically relevant (and this can increase shares too!).
Whoever you pick is going to be representing your business to the outside world. The ideal would be an MD, director, founder, or similar.
2. Come with a compelling angle
What you’re offering doesn’t need to be entirely new, but if it’s about a trending topic, it’s important you’re able to offer a new take or perspective.
Take time to research your angle, keeping it fresh and relevant to the audience you’re targeting. Consider using tools like Answer the Public to look at the kinds of questions your audience are asking and frame your content around these.
When you’ve got the topics – consider how you can weave it into a story, so it’s easy to follow and remember for your audience.
3. Do your research
The number one tool for securing editorial coverage is research. Know who you’re pitching to and tailor your angle to suit their readership and editorial style.
Spend some time developing a media list, so you know which outlets are right for you. You don’t want to invest time and energy into pitching for media outlets that your audience don’t read.
Editors are much more likely to agree to cover your story when you project how you know and have read their title. It needs to be directly relevant for them.
4. Prepare bespoke content for each opportunity
Don’t use the same piece of content for multiple media opportunities. Not only will it frustrate editors, as they’ll know the content isn’t unique, it will also be marked as ‘plagiarism’ in the eyes of Google, diminishing its value towards your website search rankings.
Take the time to tailor your content to each media outlet’s readership and editorial style. Have a look at other pieces they’ve published recently, get a feel for their usual tone of voice and try and replicate this in your content – while still injecting your own brand personality into the piece.
5. Make sure it’s nice and easy to read
We’re in a scrolling generation, where often we’ll access and skim content online using our smartphones.
To keep your audience engaged, try to break up large blocks of texts with box outs and bullet points, so it’s easier to scan and digest. Again, have a look at previous pieces of content to see how it’s usually done in that particular media outlet.
Taking the leap… and reaping the rewards
Taking the plunge to ‘sell in’ your content ideas to the media can be daunting – but it can be incredibly powerful in building your brand authority, credibility and trust.
If you’re unsure how editorial could work for your business, book your free communications review with Kinetic here:
Alternatively, fill out the form below and one of the team will reach out to you:
