Nine Ways to Get More Mileage Out of Media Coverage
Having a reporter tell your story from an editorial perspective is one of the best ways to share information about your business and to position yourself as an expert in your field. It is an unbiased report of your services that tells readers you have something important and unique enough to be shared en masse.
One of the biggest mistakes that a business can make is letting great media coverage get laid to rest by the time the next edition hits the newsstand. That’s why I create a tear sheet of the coverage, so clients can make good use of their media expertise long after today’s news becomes old news.
Tear sheet is a term long used by advertising agencies. It refers to a page torn, or ripped, from a publication which commonly is used to show clients their published ad. Writers and reporters also use tear sheets to share samples of their work.
The news industry has carved a nice income stream offering “reprint” services to businesses showcased in the media. Of course, this service often comes with a hefty price tag, as it is designed to fit a standard sheet of paper and includes any photos and the publication’s masthead. Some go as far as selling professional framed layouts to hang in public areas of your business. To prevent copyright infringement, contact the publisher to confirm whether reprint permission is required to republish the content and what is involved to obtain it. You will find that some outlets are more lenient than others.
Once you are over the “reprint permission” hurdle, you can leverage this tear sheet as a marketing tool to promote your business. In fact, I consider a tear sheet a must-have in any marketing portfolio. Here are nine ways that a tear sheet can spread your words of wisdom to your target market:
The Virtual Tear Sheet: Spread the News via the Worldwide Web
- Post a link of your coverage to your website. ¨Place the link on your home page and in the newsroom. If you do not have a newsroom, post the link another page on your website. ¨
- Share the article in your next ezine.¨ A great way to share your media wisdom is to give it to your distribution list. If you include a link within the ezine, readers can click on it to be sent to your website to help drive traffic.¨
- Get social with it!¨ Share your link with family, friends and colleagues on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and the rest of them. Post a simple update and a link to the article that leads your followers to your website.¨
- Be “blogful” about it!¨ Boast about your media coverage in your next blog; drop the link into your next blog post.
The Traditional Tear Sheet: Create a Paper Trail
- Tuck a copy of your tear sheet into your kits.¨ Make your tear sheet more portable by adding copies to your media kit and corporate overview kits.¨
- Beef up your bio. ¨Include a list of any media mentions in your professional bio. It demonstrates your expertise to others.¨
- Pass along your words of wisdom.¨ Mail a copy of the article with a short cover letter to prospective and existing clients.¨
- Use it as a handout at tradeshows.¨ Tradeshows are a great way to drum up business. Leave a lasting impression by offering some words of advise to prospects by offering them a copy of your article to take with them.¨
- Frame it. ¨Place a clean copy of the article into a matted frame and prominently hang it in a public area of your business.