When it comes to branding, businesses cannot expect to achieve results with the same old strategies in the current, competitive scenario. Marketers need to think outside the box to extend the reach and visibility of the brand. Leveraging earned media coverage is a smart idea as it has huge potential but costs significantly less than the conventional branding tactics. Earned media refers to the unpaid content published by influencers, reviewers, journalists, and organizations with positive opinions about your brand.

The content fetches mention and link shares for your brand, which can get you positive brand exposure because these come from reputed websites and high-profile social media accounts. Most importantly, the positive mentions come from an accredited person, which can boost your audience numbers and build credibility for your brand. However, you need to take the right approach for turning earned media into brand endorsements. Let us explain how you can do it.

Start by getting earned media

The first step obviously is to get earned media for your brand and you may need to invest some effort into it. The fact that earned media comes from neutral sources makes it all the more impactful. So you need to create a foundation for communication and mention opportunities, best done by producing the right content. Such content would naturally attract people to interact with your brand.

Consider publishing newsworthy articles, informative press releases, and compelling blog posts. Sharing company announcements and communicating changes to your products or services is a good idea. Apart from attracting the audience to share the content on their own, you can take a proactive approach by pitching to journalists who cover your niche.

Monitor your earned media consistently

For brands that genuinely want to convert earned media into an endorsement, it is vital to keep an eye on them consistently. If you ask what is earned media, it is much more than positive mentions, rather it is also about locating these mentions quickly so that you can capitalize on them. This will enable you to identify exactly the right ones you can utilize for promotion. Moreover, you will also be able to pinpoint any potential negative feedback and address them effectively. Take it as an opportunity to connect with unhappy customers directly or make changes in your products and services to ensure that people have only good things to say about your brand in the future.

Use positive media coverage to your advantage

Once you identify the best things said about your brand, it is time to capitalize on them. It is as simple as blending this positive coverage in your content marketing strategy and presenting it to your audience. You can think of it as a subtle form of advertising where real and genuine people, along with celebrities, endorse your brand through word-of-mouth recommendations. Be sure to share these positive mentions so that they reach your target audience. Using them for testimonials is a smart idea, while you can go one step ahead by building relationships with people who positively mention your brand. Similarly, you can also invest in influencer collaborations for extending your reach and visibility.

Earned media opens a great opportunity for your brand, much more than getting positive words but rather using them for a greater good. So it becomes important to keep a close track so that you can leverage these opportunities as and when they come.