It might seem ironic that in an age of coronavirus-related budget and personnel cuts, paying for supplemental exposure is even on the table. But, given the skeleton crews many media outlets are operating on, earned coverage is naturally waning along with journalists who would typically cover a given brand.
On top of that, organic reach on social media has fallen in recent years, forcing the hands of brands who want to reach large swaths of their followers and others. To do so, businesses often invest in promoted posts, further extending their messages and communications.
While many companies may be hesitant to embrace this and other pay-to-play opportunities, new ways to cost-effectively amplify credible media coverage have emerged in recent years that deserve some consideration. Asking the right questions can help ensure any pay-to-play promotions you take part in add value to your organization and put you in front of your target audience in meaningful ways that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
Separate the Wheat from the Chaff
Countless pay-to-play opportunities exist, with good options, bad options and everything in between. Deciding which to pursue should be done on a case-by-case basis. For starters, ask yourself these questions to see if an opportunity might be worth pursuing:
Is the audience a match?
What are the promised deliverables?
A certain number of qualified leads?
A captive audience?
A strong third-party endorsement?
Extended reach of promotions or editorial
coverage?
What is the cost?
If you’re unhappy with the answers to any of these questions, keep looking. Insist on only pursuing opportunities that provide clear value for your brand relative to their cost.
Embrace New Opportunities
If you’re new to the idea of pay-to-play, here are a few examples to explore:
Leadership Councils: Forbes Councils offer publishing and networking opportunities from a high-profile business media outlet
Conference Speaking Slots: Thought leadership and a strong presence at an important event often prove to be worth the price
Sponsored webinars: Especially in the age of COVID-19, conducting a webinar with a trusted third-party outlet offers a great alternative to in-person events
Sponsored white papers: Similar to sponsored webinars, sponsored research and white papers establish your credibility on a specific topic and can bring a windfall of actionable leads
Promoted posts: Facebook typically only shows organic marketing posts to a fraction of a brand’s followers, but promoting social posts can significantly boost a post’s reach among brands’ existing audiences or help them reach new “lookalike” audiences. We recommend promoting credible media coverage and other high-priority content
Keep an open mind when exploring opportunities that can help increase brand awareness, executive visibility, new leads, credibility and more.
Need help deciding (or finding) the right PR opportunities for your brand? Drop PR Return a line.