Securing coverage for clients in major and/or quality publications is more often than not a crucial element of any successful PR or digital PR campaign. However, gaining such coverage won’t have as much value if the story isn’t featured in an appropriate place and subsequently doesn't reach your target audience.
For this reason, it’s vital to land features in relevant publications.
With this in mind, we’ll explore how you can identify and secure opportunities in publications that are relevant to your or your client’s sector, so you can enhance your results and get your brand in front of the right people.
The success of a PR campaign shouldn’t be measured purely by the number of publications you appear in, but by the quality and relevance of the coverage.
For instance, a spammy PR news wire might get your press release on 50-100 websites (as an example), but they won’t all be relevant sites, it will be the same release copied and pasted across them all and ultimately there’ll be no real readership. Google also doesn’t particularly like such PR practices and is unlikely to recognise these placements as genuine coverage, links and/or mentions.
But, when you appear in an appropriate publication that speaks directly to your target audiences, and by using the right language and covering the right topics, there are numerous benefits. These include:
Coverage in industry-specific publications helps position you as a thought leader in your sector.
Industry-focused publications attract readers who are already interested in your sector, increasing the likelihood of converting your coverage into actual business opportunities.
According to research, relevance is the most important factor journalists consider when looking at a pitch.
Without carefully planning your outreach (as in deciding on your chosen publications, journalists and also how you pitch your email/comms), your reply rates might be low. But, by strategically targeting relevant outlets, you’re more likely to achieve a positive result.
When Google is determining the strength of a backlink or brand mention, it looks at relevance. This means that any backlinks or mentions you may get from your online coverage in industry-specific media will be more valuable.
Find out who your direct competitors are, who’s dominating the market, if there are any overlapping sectors, and what the current news in your industry looks like.
This broad view will help you identify publications you might otherwise have missed, and allow you to spot more outreach opportunities.
Make use of media databases like Cision, Qwoted or Roxhill to research publications and their audience demographics. These platforms often provide detailed information about editorial calendars, journalist preferences, and audience reach. They can also allow you to get alerts for any information requests from journalists/publications related to your sector.
However, it’s important not to rely solely on these tools – they should be used alongside manual online and offline research, rather than replacing them completely.
Track where your competitors are getting coverage, both now and in the past. This will reveal valuable insights about which publications are actively covering your sector. Pay attention to the types of stories these publications run and how these might align with your news and outreach angles.
Websites and publications themselves are only half the story. Individual journalists will have sector-specific specialisms and can offer coverage. By following journalists on social media, you will find new publications where you could receive coverage and build genuine relationships with journalists in your industry.
One of the best ways of finding opportunities is to review any outlets you have already been featured in. Whilst it’s important to identify new opportunities, consistent appearances in industry-specific publications is incredibly valuable.
Finding the right publications is an ongoing process. Markets evolve, new publications emerge, and existing ones change their focus.
Here are a few tips for staying current and relevant:
Securing relevant coverage in the right publications takes patience, research, and time. By taking a strategic approach to identifying and securing coverage in relevant publications, you can create a more effective PR campaign that will deliver valuable results.
If you’d like expert help gaining top-tier coverage, get in touch with us today.
