The Colab Brief - 135: Finding Media Value 💎

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Author

Ash + Lizzy
September 14, 2024

In partnership with

You’d have a hard time arguing the perceived value of Tier 1 media. It doesn’t matter if the pub hits your ICP or not; a hit in The New York Times is enough to justify that retainer (at least for a quarter). 

Everyone wants the big outlets. But often, it’s the smaller, more niche articles that really move the needle, especially in complex industries. Justifying the time spent securing these pieces is where things get tricky. 

Today, we’re discussing the value of a strong vertical program and how lower-tier pieces may be the key to landing business press.

Read Time: 3 Minutes

Walk Before You Run 🏃

Working with niche pubs is a great way to establish credibility in your industry. It signals that your business is validated by those with deep vertical knowledge. It’s a great place to begin building a reputation as a thought leader and seek feedback on your positioning. After all, those who know the industry best are the most qualified to poke holes in any shoddy messaging. 

Journalists - They’re Just Like Us! ⭐

Guess where journalists go to research their stories? Google! Just like the rest of us. If diving into an industry, they’ll often check the vertical pubs for relevant companies, story angles, and trends. Having your company and executives prominently featured in these pubs can be a great way to garner top-tier media attention - especially when you couple it with a great proactive pitching strategy. 

Relationship Building 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

Vertical reporters tend to stay at their publications longer than those in the business press. Building relationships with them early often pays dividends when securing ongoing mentions. These journalists also usually dive deeper when writing pieces; they can really dig into a company and tell a much more comprehensive story than someone who writes on a more general beat. Don’t underestimate the power of a detailed vertical hit.

Driving Traffic 🏎️

Every piece counts when ranking higher with your industry keywords, and a healthy list of recent articles looks great when a customer clicks the “News” tab on Google. They provide great fodder to arm your sales staff, populate your LinkedIn page with hits, and put on the website. 

More is More 🙏

Press begets press. The more pieces you’re actively pursuing (no matter the tier), the more articles you’re likely to get later. At the end of the day, the performance of any piece of press is one part the intiial awareness driven by the publication and 99 parts what you do with it after the fact. By having a strong vertical strategy in addition to shooting for those keystone pieces, you can establish cadence, build credibility for your solution and gain greater awareness. 

Happy pitching!

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