The road to coverage is paved with…

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” In public relations, it’s both.

We exist to help good companies achieve their business goal through communications. The destination, very often, is favorable coverage in a prominent (read national) media outlet that reaches the company’s most important stakeholders.

The journey to that shining piece of coverage – the one that generates significant SEO, positions you for acquisition or revenue growth or (insert your business goal here), is made up of the local, trade and product coverage along the way.

Brands have a greater chance of getting picked up by national outlets if they have already gained some local traction. The same goes for product roundups and features. National editors look to local and trade outlets to tap into trends, innovators, and up and comers. The stops along the journey are where you gain credibility – and customers.

Corporate coverage for private companies is very hard to get, unless the public profile of the company’s product or service is high. Which is why we often don’t start corporate profile work until we’ve laid the groundwork through product awareness in media coverage and social media. Private companies that just want company coverage, have fewer options because they are private, and therefore don’t have the type of The Street-relevant news that drives coverage (think earnings, material announcements, etc.) So, while corporate/executive awareness work is very different from product awareness work, the first is aided by the second.

That’s why we counsel our clients to own their own backyard. Write the op-ed for the local outlet. You’d be surprised how often those opinion pieces get syndicated. Pursue the product round ups. Your absence from them could speak volumes. Cultivate the relationships, the conversations and the customers along the way. Nothing carries the same credibility as earned media. Let us guide you on the that journey to the right editorial outlets, at the right time, for the right results.