Great, you've made all of your competitors jealous and have secured the interview, are quoted as an expert, will be a featured blogger or landed the next cover issue! Congratulations!!.... now what?
You've put a lot of effort into getting this, let's not waste it.
If you're lucky enough to land the attention of an editor or reporter in a home run publication - Grab it! and when it's published - take advantage!
The problem is, after a company has achieved a great piece of media coverage, most don't know what to do with it once it hits the news stands.
No matter if it's a small quote, a guest blog post or a major article - Here are three great ways to maximize your secured Media Coverage that you may be missing:
1. THANKS GOES A LONG WAY. It goes without saying - when you're positioned as an expert, no matter how humble or shy you are, you should be telling it to the mountains. There are just so many ways to share good news; newsletters, social channels, blog posts and don't forget your employee networks. The first thing most people do is post on Facebook or Twitter - but why not take your social post further and THANK the individuals who were involved. (No, I don't mean your PR firm - although that would be a welcome surprise) I mean the reporter who you may have connected with on Twitter or a shout out to the publication's Facebook page. Thank them, sincerely, for a great feature and that you look forward to working with them in the future. The benefit here is that you get yourself onto their radar and hopefully the radar of their juicy follower list.
2. WOO SOME INVESTORS. Are you needing to convince portfolio companies or 'angels' that you are worth investing in and are the 'real deal'? Many early-stage businesses miscalculate the importance of PR and the value of credible coverage/word of mouth. Human psychology dictates that we're all a little influenced by what we read in the press - and having a quote or being a case study in a leading industry rag could be the intangible glue that seals the deal. Lastly, let's face it, the first thing people do when considering investing money in you or your company... is GOOGLE!
Of course your wonderful PR firm has printed some beautiful PDFs to take to your next portfolio meeting.
3. AS SEEN ON... Now, if you've been at this a long time (or your PR firm has done a particularly stellar job in a very short time) you could manage to rack up an impressive media list with some heavy hitting industry or national outlets. Why not take it the extra step and print a special run of business cards with a banner across the bottom that says "As Featured In" or "As Seen On" with their logos? Makes for a killer first impression at a networking event, conference or trade show, not to mention a great conversation starter!
Bottom line - Press Matters. Be The Expert. Be Proud.