4 rules: how can a brand get media mentions for free? Part 2

How can a brand get media mention? Why does a brand need media mentions? In what media should the company publish? Can I get a mention in the media for free? Natalya Venerova, General Director of the Perspektiva Center for Business and Career Development, will tell.

The Perspektiva company was founded by me in 2007. At that time, great hopes were placed on the word-of-mouth effect. This method of promotion worked productively, but we decided that it was an unreliable and insufficient “tool” for promotion.

Read the first part of the article: How can a business get a publication in the media? Part 1

Brand mentions in the media: an expert’s personal experience

Since 2008, I have been purposefully publishing expert articles in the media. At first, these were narrow-profile publications for HR, where materials were sent on their own, suggesting possible topics. Then they added the blog of the business school of the Russian School of Management, where I teach. I offered articles either directly to the editors, or after talking with journalists at a business event, having discussed a topic suitable for publication.

Over time, a pool of journalists has developed, who themselves turn to me for “burning” comments or articles (by phone, in social networks, instant messengers, mail). The emergence of the Pressfeed resource has simplified communication with journalists. With it, I can send comments to top business and specialized publications.

In a month, up to 10 comments and 3-5 articles with my authorship are published in the media. For example, in April-May 2021, small comments were published in RBC PRO (employment of people 45+), RBC Chernozemye (how business was reorganized during a pandemic), General Director (review of the book Business Witches), HR Director” (what trends should an HR director take into account today), “Izvestia” (dress code at work), “Kontur” (how to motivate employees remotely), “Economy Today” (what specialties are replacing robots), “Business world” (how to fire an employee who does not want to leave) and others.

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I publish articles in industry and business publications, I also send comments to social, economic and other popular media with a large audience coverage (for example, The Village, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Mir 24, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Lifehacker ” and others). This allows you to keep a balance: popular sites have a different and extensive audience, specialized publications may have fewer readers, but they are experts or our future customers.

In addition, as an expert, I participate in round tables, forums, online seminars. I post links to events, materials in the media on social networks – my own and the company’s. This allows you to remind customers subscribed to our pages, and potential partners to prove their expertise.

We can say that Perspektiva already has a recognizable brand in the media, a reputation in the market. It took more than 10 years of painstaking work, hundreds of comments, broadcasts and articles in the federal, industry media, and the publication of two books. Yes, this is a long work, but the result is obvious: “warmed up” clients come to us, who already know about the company, about our working methods. And with old partners, this allows me to maintain relationships – they read, comment on published materials, often discuss the topics of articles with me.

There were also broadcasts on radio Moskva.fm (reduction in the number of young employees), television on RBC (retraining of specialists), a session at the BreakPoint forum (IT market 2021. How to find a job and develop a career), etc.

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Brand promotion in the media not only helps to make the company recognizable and increase the loyalty of existing customers. I also consider publications as part of some educational work. For example, I publish a lot of articles and comments with practical advice. For managers, how to hire and fire staff, where to look for the right candidates, how to conduct interviews and manage a team. For applicants – how to write a resume, pass an interview, join a new team, etc.

Four Rules for Getting Mentioned in the Media for a Brand

It can be said that social networks and instant messengers, communication platforms for journalists and speakers have simplified communication. But in order to be published in the media, you need to follow certain rules.

• Useful. The material should decide the question of the reader (and, accordingly, the journalist). How to find a job? How to fire an employee who constantly violates the company’s internal regulations? Is a dress code required at work? The answer must correspond to the request – without water, unnecessary information, be of practical use.
• Cases. In particular, real methods, situations and their consequences, etc. are valued. Journalists respond to cases with the words “Everything we love.” And I illustrate all the comments with cases from my business practice or with our partners and colleagues. In the latter case, for ethical reasons, I do not mention the name of the company, the city of its location, the names of the heroes of the case – only general information (field of activity, number of employees, etc.).

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• Format. Each publication has its own format for presenting information – and it needs to be consistent. In some places, stories are valued, in others, dry facts and figures. Of course, each author has “his own” publication language, but it should be adapted to each specific publication.
• Deadline and scope. If a journalist asks for a comment “up to 2,000 characters” – you do not need to send material for 5 pages. There’s a good chance they won’t even read it. If he asks for an interview by phone, you should not write to him on all social networks and offer to draft abstracts in writing. Be respectful of your time and the time of journalists.

Publications in the media are part of a global effort to build reputation and set yourself apart from competitors. Of course, speeches and articles should work in tandem with exemplary work – then the result will come in the form of new customers, sales, a positive company image, the status of an industry expert. You just need to be patient and work on the cumulative effect consistently and systematically. The strategy is not too bright, but in our case, it worked.

If you still have questions, you can ask from below in the comments or in the chat on the right to our specialist. To learn more about publishing in the media, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with our “PR” service.

Author: Natalia Venerova, General Director of the Perspektiva Center for Business and Career Development