How to Make Earned Media Work Harder for Your Brand
Earned media isn’t just a nice shout-out from the press or a camera rolling at your event —it’s one of the most powerful tools you’ve got for building your brand’s reputation and getting in front of new audiences. PR teams are leaning more and more on earned media, often making it a focus of their strategies. Landing earned media coverage is great, but great is not enough if you don’t do anything with that coverage.
Here are some ways to stretch the value of your earned media and make it go the extra mile:
- Share it!
Social media should be one of your go-to tools for getting more eyes on your earned media. Don’t just post a link and call it a day—bring the coverage to life. Pull quotes, create visuals, share videos, or screenshots of key moments. And be sure to tailor your content to each platform and its audience: post quick hits and highlights across X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram over a few days, but go deeper on LinkedIn or Facebook with more context. Images, videos and infographics can really boost engagement – people would rather see some type of imagery than just read a post. Also, be sure to monitor any brand mentions and jump into conversations where it makes sense, to help keep the brand buzz going!
If you aren’t sure where to start, focus on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn—PR pros tend to view these platforms as the most valuable for comms strategies.
- Put It in Front of Your Prospects and Customers
Your customers and prospective customers may not see every piece of media coverage out there—so bring it straight to them. Add your earned media wins to your email newsletters or promotional emails and provide links to articles, interviews, or shout-outs to reinforce your credibility and remind them of why your brand stands out. This isn’t just about showing off—it’s also a smart move for driving customer engagement and acquisition.
- Feature It on Your Owned Channels
Your website and blog are great places to showcase your earned media. You can quote media coverage on your product pages, blog posts, or your website. You can also republish guest content (with permission and attribution) or excerpt media mentions, adding your own commentary to tie it back to your brand’s story. A News page or “Media” section on your site is a great way to compile and spotlight your media mentions—and it’s good for SEO too. Be sure to link back to original sources; it builds credibility for everyone involved.
- Amplify It Through Paid Media
Earned media already carries weight. But layering paid promotion on top can help you scale its impact and reach new audiences. You might run targeted social media ads featuring a quote or highlight from your coverage. Or create sponsored content that builds on the themes from that coverage. Paid promotion doesn’t dilute earned media’s value—it expands it, letting you control where and how your message shows up.
- Weave It Into Your Sales and Marketing Materials
Earned media can be a powerful trust signal. It provides 3rd-party validation of your brand, product, service, etc. Use it to your advantage in your marketing materials, press kits, and even email signatures. A well-placed media quote or logo from a reputable news outlet can go a long way toward building your organization’s credibility.
- Repurpose It Into Fresh Formats
Don’t let great coverage live and die in one format. Turn it into something new:
- Convert a media interview into a short video or podcast segment
- Turn an article into an infographic or LinkedIn carousel
- Write a blog post with added insights or commentary
- Recap coverage in a YouTube video or webinar
When you reimagine content for different platforms and audiences, you extend its life and deepen its impact.
- Use It to Build Media Relationships
Every earned media hit is also an opportunity to strengthen ties with the journalist, blogger, or influencer who wrote about you or your brand. You can thank them publicly, tag them on social media, comment on their stories, or repost. Be sure to keep the relationship going by sending them relevant updates, resources, or story ideas down the road. Nurturing your media connections makes it easier to secure coverage in the future, as you become a trusted source for good stories.
- Track and Measure the Impact
Measuring earned media impact is challenging, but important for understanding outcomes and refining comms strategies. Media monitoring tools can be very useful for tracking impressions, engagement, leads, and other KPIs tied to your news coverage. Knowing what resonates helps you prove the value of your PR efforts and can help you craft stronger pitches that earn even more coverage next time.
- Celebrate Wins Internally
Earned media wins should be shared with employees, leadership, and investors to build excitement and pride. Celebrating these wins fuels a culture of excellence for your organization. Encouraging employees to share earned media on their own social networks can expand the reach of your news.
Summary
Earned media is a powerful way to build visibility, credibility, and trust. But don’t stop at landing coverage—be intentional about how you repurpose and amplify it across all of your comms channels. The more ways you extend its reach, the more impact it’ll have on your brand’s growth and reputation.