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Traditional PR Evolves: What You Need to Know

The fast-paced changes in the world are also affecting today’s traditional public relations and media environment … and the ability to generate coverage, especially for automotive and mobility technology suppliers.

With fewer journalists than ever covering the auto supplier sector, those that are left are being asked to do more, such as putting out stories more frequently across traditional and digital platforms, covering broader beats, and creating content for social media, videos, webinars, and more..

With the increased challenge to score positive coverage, more companies are adopting the integrated PESO model approach popularized and copyrighted by Arment Dietrich CEO and Spin Sucks founder Gini Dietrich. These companies are integrating paid, earned, shared and owned media into a cohesive effort to build authority and position themselves as experts.

As they do, many PR departments are focusing more of their efforts and budget on paid, shared and owned media components. It’s easy to get comfortable with these three areas, as they help PR pros to be in control and have built-in predictability and metrics while eliminating risk.

But implementing the PESO model approach without a strong earned media relations component won’t generate much success. You need all four components to succeed. Maximum success is truly dependent upon including the earned media components, and here’s why:

Increased Credibility: When your subject matter experts are quoted in publications like Automotive News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or Automotive Engineering magazine, the audience infers that your company must be an expert in its field. Media coverage carries the unmatched credibility and authority of an implied endorsement from an objective third party media outlet.

Assets like your website, paid ads, blog posts and videos tend to be perceived as more promotional, so your reader / viewer may subconsciously discount the claims in this content. So, even if the audience should read your content, they may view it from a skeptical eye, unless it incorporates, shares or amplifies the coverage from a media outlet they follow and trust.

Engaged Audience: Media coverage in the right outlets can help you get your message to your key targets, to a qualified and engaged audience. For example, if your company is an automotive and mobility technology supplier, like many of our clients, an article in Automotive News can spread your story to its nearly 63,000 industry subscribers and more who are looking for insights, knowledge and connections to thrive in a rapidly changing industry.

Even with a significant budget, your company would be hard-pressed to build a similar, qualified, engaged audience for your website or blog, and if you could, it would take years.  

Added Reach & SEO: Respected, independent media outlets hold a much higher authority ranking with Google and other search engines, and those articles will turn up in search results for years, well beyond the life of a print issue story.

This means an article in The Wall Street Journal, for example, on your company will typically rank on the first page of search results for some time, while your own self-published content on your website may not show up for a number of search pages after. And we know most people don’t go past that first page or two when looking at Google search results.

This means that authoritative media coverage that boosts your SEO can make a difference in your company being found by a new client or customer. Search has put the customer in control, and customers increasingly use search engines to find potential business partners, and to research and validate recommendations they’ve received.

If you’re looking to reach new potential customers, attract new talent and educate investors, do not look over traditional PR and media relations just because it takes a little more effort and time.

As a main component of the earned media pillar of your PESO approach, media relations is fundamental to your strategy’s success. So, while securing coverage through media relations is a bit more difficult, it’s also more valuable and more effective than ever.

While traditional PR is evolving, those who understand the power of media coverage as part of an integrated communications plan, media relations can help you differentiate yourself and your company — by stepping up to the challenge and doing what your competitors lack the energy, courage or determination to do.

If you need help in harnessing the power and reach of media relations (which has been our forte’ for more than 30 years) and the PESO approach in your automotive, mobility or B2B efforts, email us at bianchipr@bianchipr.com.

NOTE:©PESO is a copyright of Arment Dietrich, Inc. dba Spin Sucks. Click here for more info on the PESO model.

Author: Jaclyn Bussert

Jaclyn is a senior account executive at Bianchi PR with 12 years of B2B PR experience assisting and supporting our account teams in a variety of public relations activities.

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