Marketing Profs

Earned media. Free press. Whatever you call it, it's the stuff that people hear and read about your business—the stuff you don't buy.

It's earned because you work for it. You work to do something newsworthy, you work to package it for the media, and you work to deliver it.

Experts say that free press is worth more, inch for inch, than paid advertising. That's because free press has the appearance of being a third-party endorsement of what you and your business have to say.

So what are the dos and don'ts? What can you do to enhance your chances of getting what you want... and avoiding or minimizing what you don't?

No Promises

First, beware of agencies or consultants that promise to get you a story, get one killed or get you one that says such-and-such. While the chances of getting covered get better every day (see "The News Hole," below), there are way too many imponderables for such a guarantee to be worth much.

Don't Try This Alone

As with most things, two heads are better than one. Some businesses recognize this by convening standing communication groups... or somehow otherwise staying intentional about the media.

A lot of corporate communication groups meet routinely. This helps keep you ahead of stories, looking for opportunities, serving as a reality check, shaping up messages, and more.

A word about routine. When communication groups meet routinely, a lot less falls through the cracks. Maybe more important, the inevitable crisis or bad news has less energy when you're looking at it as a group, with intention and some context.

The News Hole

It's huge. And getting even bigger.

I don't need to repeat what just about everybody already knows. That content-hungry blogs and podcasts and cable and specialty print and electronic media have created a practically bottomless, international demand for whatever sometimes remotely passes as news.

So, the chances are excellent that you'll get your 15 minutes. The question is, Where will a story do you the most good?

Scratch Where There's an Itch When you're planning your story, think about who should hear it, when and where. That'll make a difference all the way around... from when you release your news, to whom, and so on.