P.T. Barnum, the iconic 19th century showman liked to say: “All publicity is good publicity.”
That may be true. But I can’t tell you how many financial professionals contact us wanting to do “PR” for them. “We have such a great XYZ, but no one has heard of us,” they lament, assuming media outlets should be breaking down the door to do stories about them.
In today’s era of shrinking newsrooms, that kind of “earned media” coverage is harder and harder to do. It’s simple math. Newsrooms are shrinking at even the best newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets. The editors and reporters who remain are completely overloaded and don’t have time for coffee, lunch, golf or 15-minute meet-and-greets just to get to know you. They’re under constant pressure to meet tight deadlines with timely, relevant content that will keep the audience engaged and advertisers happy.
And now thanks to crowdsourced pitching services like Qwoted, Source Bottle and HARO (Help a Reporter Out), journalists are receiving more pitches than ever for fewer and fewer coverage opportunities.
That’s why we recommend writing authoritative bylined columns for reputable media outlets cover your industry.
Here are some of the advantages of bylined columns over simply being quoted:
- Recognition and Authority: Publishing establishes you as an expert in your field, whereas a quote often places the spotlight on the person who cited you.
- Control of the narrative: When you publish a bylined article, you control the narrative. When you’re simply quoted in an interview, your comments are just there to fill in the blanks in the reporter’s story – and there’s always the danger of being misquoted or being taken out of context.
- Career Advancement: Peer-reviewed publications directly lead to paid speaking gigs, new clients, podcast guest appearances, job opportunities, and consulting opportunities.
- Professional Development: The process of publishing improves writing and critical thinking skills, forcing the consolidation of complex ideas. After a few articles, you’re presentations and “elevator pitches” will get even better.
- Greater Impact: A published work allows others to build upon your findings, contributing to the broader development of a field.
- Validation: Being published means a publisher or reviewers validated the work’s quality and value. That’s what cements your status as a bona fide thought leader.
- Shelf life. Many of the specialized media outlets we work with build an archive landing page with all of your bylined columns listed, as well as your headshot and professional bio. Most media outlets keep the articles on their archive pages live for several years. You won’t get an archive page just being a source.
But I already have a good journalist relationship
If you can build a good relationship with a top journalist who covers your industry or geographic area, that’s great. Those relationships can be an invaluable source of earned media coverage, and you’ll eventually be considered a thought leader. You’ll likely get quoted several times per year – usually on short notice – for stories they’re working on. Just know that you can’t control when they publish, what the story is about, and most importantly, other experts being quoted in the story.
Most good journalists use multiple sources for their report, and you can’t control the order in which you’re quoted or if you’re quoted in the same story as a competitor, former partner or someone who is generally regarded as unethical in your space.
Again, as a source, you can’t control the narrative like you can as a guest columnist or regular contributor.
Conclusion
All PR is good PR, but the right PR is worth its weight in gold. Let me know what you’re doing to garner earned media coverage. I’d like to hear more.
#thoughtleadership, #bylinedarticles, #mediacoverage, #PR
