November 15, 2024
There is a growing focus in the media relations field on securing media placements and positioning thought leaders in the media because it establishes subject matter experts (SMEs) as credible sources and grows visibility of SMEs’ expertise. This trend continues to become more prevalent – MuckRack noted in its 2024 “The State of PR” report that “more than 50% of PR pros at agencies are focusing on developing thought leadership.”
Once you sort through your thought leadership strategy and land key placements, you can then work on amplifying placements and establishing thought leadership. But, how can you further amplify those published pieces? How can you use your owned channels to position your thought leaders as the SME outlets should interview?
Leveraging media placements across your owned channels is a key part of establishing your SMEs as credible thought leaders. Below are a few ways to maximize placements for your SMEs:
1. Share media placements on social media channels
After your placement is published, be sure to share the link to the article or segment on your company’s social media platforms. Sharing earned media pieces on social platforms can grow readership and viewership, as well as establish thought leadership with your social connections.
LinkedIn’s social media algorithm can also help increase media placement amplification in two particular ways:
- When users comment and repost content from your company’s LinkedIn account, the piece will be shared to their personal followers, increasing the reach of your placement.
- By including tags in your social copy, you are expressing appreciation to the outlets that covered your story, while also encouraging the media professionals to interact with the content. If the media professionals interact with it, it will then reach their social followers as well.
2. Create a library of quotes to use for reactive pitching
We leverage a number of media relations platforms to establish thought leadership on a national scale. One example is Qwoted, a platform that connects media and PR professionals through an online posting board for reactive pitching opportunities.
One way for you to boost interaction with your SMEs’ profiles is to add quotes from recent placements they were featured in. Updating quotes regularly can help reporters understand how and what your SMEs can speak to when looking for sources for upcoming stories. Having examples of previous thought leadership insights helps establish credibility with reporters.
3. Use your website to promote thought leadership
Company blogs and newsrooms can be a central hub for showcasing thought leadership pieces and topics your SMEs can speak to. Whether you’re posting blog content to your website as original content, or posting teasers to earned coverage in your newsroom, it will help increase viewership of SMEs’ thought leadership.
Continuing to add blog pieces to your company’s webpage will help it evolve into a portfolio for outlets and other organizations that are researching SMEs for speaking opportunities or article requests. Be sure to highlight these articles on social media and link to your webpage to further the reach of your thought leadership, secure media opportunities and increase website traction.
Leveraging your owned channels to amplify your thought leadership program can be powerful and further your reach. If you’re interested in learning more about building out your amplification process, feel free to send me an email!
