Today, many PR agencies and firms offer media placement services to brands to help them achieve their marketing and PR objectives. Let’s take a look at some misconceptions surrounding the subject and debunk them.
Today, many PR agencies and firms offer media placement services to brands to help them achieve their marketing and PR objectives. But what exactly do ‘guaranteed media placement services’ mean, and what can they help brands accomplish? Let’s take a look at some misconceptions surrounding the subject and debunk them.
Guaranteed Media Placements Directly Lead to Increased Revenues
Although sales and revenue can increase as a result of guaranteed media placements, this is not the main objective of the PR strategy. Brands can experience a surge of publicity due to media placements, increasing their brand awareness and boosting credibility. Guaranteed media placements strengthen your brand presence and reputation, which helps your target audience build trust in your brand. This can generate more leads but not necessarily translate into increased sales right away.
A Press Release will Provide you with Coverage
Many make the mistake of assuming that simply submitting a press release to a wide distribution network will do the job of grabbing media attention and getting your story picked up. However, the truth is that most journalists rarely read press releases. Unless the press release is published in a major publication, it will not get any traction. There will be no backlinks to your website, which will neither help your SEO nor improve your click-through rate. Media placements must have an effective strategy behind them for your brand to truly benefit from them. You can consult a reputed agency for guaranteed media placements to avail professional media placement services.
Your Brand Needs Media Coverage Only During Certain Events
Contrary to what many believe, media coverage is important for occasions other than just product launches and fundings. These have become run-of-the-mill occurrences, with almost every startup or company doing only this. Sharing something unique about your brand, its values, and industry sights may make for more newsworthy material that strikes a chord with your audience and generates attention. This way, your brand could use the media coverage to position itself even better.
All Publicity is Good Publicity
That there is no such thing as bad publicity is a myth. Negative press can be extremely damaging to your brand and its reputation, with far-reaching consequences. Revenues may take a hit, and recovering from it may be difficult. To avoid this from happening or mitigating such a situation, you can consult an online PR agency that offers online reputation management (ORM) services.
All PR Firms have Strong Media Connections
A common assumption when hiring a PR firm is that they possess all the strong media connections to get you media coverage easily. However, you should do your research and make sure that your expectations are aligned with what the agency can actually offer. Not all PR professionals have ties to legacy media outlets or can provide guaranteed media placements. It may also be the case that the individual working directly on your brand is a junior and does not have the particular connections that the agency has advertised. While this may not be an issue, it can help to be aware of the reality of the situation before finalizing a deal.
Major Publications are the only Relevant Ones
While major publications may have a legacy and an enormous reach, they are not the only ones that count. Smaller independent creators with less reach, who have an engaged audience in a space related to your niche, may get your brand a lot of targeted attention. Moreover, a smaller creator is more likely to be able to offer you a stand-alone interview, which a national channel may not unless your brand has already managed to garner significant attention in the media.
Knowing how to navigate guaranteed media placements in the world of digital PR is half the battle won. So, make sure to make the most of this service and secure the right kind of media coverage for your brand. You can always take the help of a trusted PR agency to get the best results.
