When most prospective clients talk to us about their aspirations for media coverage, they have big goals. A few of the most common refrains include:
“We’d like to be profiled in the New York Times.”
“Can you get us covered by the Wall Street Journal?”
“TechCrunch wrote about one of our competitors but hasn’t written about us.”
While these (and similar publications) are certainly the cream of the media crop – and we’re glad to assist clients get coverage there – the question we always ask clients before proceeding with the necessary efforts are:
What are the primary goals of your PR program?
Does coverage in these publications significantly impact achieving those goals?
If the answers are “reaching business and technology executives” and “yes,” then we’re glad to get to work researching and building relationships with the right reporters at these extremely high-profile publications to secure coverage.
If the answer to the first question is “increase sales leads,” “educate industry professionals,” or “establish our spokespeople as industry thought leaders,” (or similar) then the answer to the second is likely “maybe; maybe not.” In this case, PReturn suggests a different approach: own the trades.
Owning the Trades
Trade publications cater to members of specific professions or industries. For example, Multichannel Merchant or Internet Retailer focuses its coverage to topics that impact retail and e-commerce professionals, while Supply Chain Brain or Supply Chain Dive focus on the issues that are important to supply chain professionals. Every industry imaginable likely has a dedicated media set that’s covering the issues, opportunities and advancements of the industry.
For PR programs with goals of increasing sales leads or engaging with industry professionals, trade publications present a golden opportunity, since their highly-targeted audience likely aligns neatly with those whom companies are trying to reach. Often, the professionals reading these trade publications are the ones researching products and solutions, shaping processes and procedures, or influencing buying decisions within their organizations.
The trades can often offer a greater level of media relations efficiency for clients as well. Because of their laser-focus on a particular industry, reporters for trades often have a lower profile than their large consumer publication counterparts, which can result in a fewer emails and phone calls to sort through (that’s not to say they aren’t still deluged). Similarly, their industry-focus often results in a much more intimate knowledge of the industry and its players requiring less education to get up-to-speed on topics important to client PR programs.
These factors can increase the likelihood that these reporters will be receptive to media relations efforts, simplifying the relationship building process, which is a critical component in securing coverage and achieving the goals of any PR program.
Contact us today to see if owning the trades can further your PR agenda.