A million years ago, in corporate America, I went to my first meeting with a huge, New York-based PR firm.
To be clear, this firm was hired before I was and had more of a social media focus. While I was wearing a suit, they were comfortable in overalls and sneakers. There was no meeting agenda, one of the team members was late, and things were haphazard at best.
I was the new head of marketing, but I didn’t see any rigor around what this firm was doing, so I walked into the meeting and handed them a spreadsheet on how to manage our relationship.
The woman in charge lifted the spreadsheet with two fingers like she was handling a dirty diaper and said, using her best vocal fry, “What. Is. This?”
I politely explained that we were changing things and that I needed two things moving forward:
- A project management plan
- A content calendar
Her response?
“Uh, we don’t operate that way.”
Ever since then, I’ve had a content calendar and plan.
Because getting press coverage, gaining industry cred, and building awareness aren’t random, and approaching them that way is a recipe for disaster.
We like to talk about these things in simple terms, so we use “Share Good News” to define our approach and activities.
There are three big pieces to Share Good News:
1. Analyst Relations (AR)
Analyst Relations refers to your relationship with influential industry analysts like Gartner, Forrester, and MorningStar. In the B2B space, that includes supply chain analysts and those specific to FinTech and MarTech. These folks are all about giving your company credibility.
AR is the unsung hero of great content and marketing campaigns. If the VP of marketing walks into the C-suite office and wants to do something, having a Gartner report that backs up and supports their plans is a massive help in getting approvals.
For some clients—particularly large Enterprise clients— AR is a must-have. In the Enterprise market, the opportunity to build relationships with analysts and brief them appropriately on your company and products is invaluable.
It’s not necessary to have AR, but NOT having it when your competitor does is a definite barrier to your success.
2. PR
Most folks are familiar with public relations, which is earned coverage (as opposed to paid coverage, like an ad). It can be broken down into three areas:
- National news, which includes media outfits the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and CNBC that provide coverage,
- Trade news, which includes industry trade publications that pick up and do a story or mention you, and
- Thought Leadership/Bylines, where your writing is published on a platform like LinkedIn or an industry publication.
Although everyone thinks they want national coverage, you must consider your prospect first. For example, you could get a mention in the Wall Street Journal, but if no one in your ICP pays attention, that’s not necessarily smart coverage.
The biggest bang for most people’s buck comes from trade publications because any of them—even the small ones—have a bigger following and audience than you do. And bonus: they’re highly targeted to a specific audience.
Trade pubs are also staffed by real journalists eager to hear about the latest and greatest in their industry, so they’re always looking for great content for their readers.
Finally, don’t ignore the power of thought leadership content and bylines. Writing a 400- to 800-word article on a topic you’re expert on and then publishing it with your name on it is an easy way to establish your credibility as an industry expert. You can do this by submitting it to a trade publication but also by regularly sharing your content on a professional social media platform like LinkedIn, where your prospects likely reside.
When you share content, always remember to have a specific point of view. Spoiler alert: Yours should be an actual POV, not just a regurgitation of facts. For example, tell people your take on an industry issue, topic, or trend.
Ideally, you’ll want a well-organized POV with the math to back it up. And don’t be afraid to have a contrarian POV—moving away from what everyone says helps you stand out and get more coverage.
Be sure to share your thought leadership content often—more than you think you should—because you need to look like an expert to get strangers to buy from you.
3. Choose the right team to help you
The final piece of the Share Good News trifecta is picking the right partner. No one succeeds in this arena alone, so selecting a firm that aligns with your priorities and uses the right measurement metrics makes sense.
For instance, if a PR firm is trying to sell you on the number of impressions they garnered, run! We don’t believe in vanity metrics, so we use tools like Critical Mention to measure the paid-to-earned ratio of our efforts. And, of course, the right partner also weighs relevant coverage higher; not all coverage is created equal.
Also of importance is working with a company that specializes in your industry. As a firm specializing in the supply chain niche, we have the benefit of industry knowledge and relationships cultivated with industry analysts and publications highly aligned with our clients’ needs.
When choosing a partner, you want someone who knows your space, speaks your language, and has relationships with reporters and editors.
Oh, and a process management plan and content calendar.