The Public Relations Blog

A guide to the five types of media your company needs

 

Before diving head-first into the different types of media, it’s important to first dip your toes in the water and learn what media is. Media is a communication tool used to deliver information. The three types of media are commonly known as news media, social media, and web media, but you might also see them referred to as earned media, shared media, and owned media. 

 

Some other forms of modern media are print media, television, movies, and video games. 

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Learn what makes a story newsworthy with our host, Jason Mudd. Jason is the managing partner of Axia Public Relations.

 

Guest:

Jason Mudd, On Top of PR host, helps companies get on Undercover Boss. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002.

 

Topic: 

The one with Jason Mudd on how to make sure your story is newsworthy.

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Earned media coverage should be important to your company

 

Pitching the media can be daunting, especially if it isn’t something your employees do regularly as part of their job. As a PR firm, this is something our team does daily for companies. The dirty little secret that no one in corporate america – no one in your company – wants to talk about is how much corporate marketers hate pitching to the media. It’s a combination of fear, of rejection, of insecurity, of making a cold call, and of not having newsworthy content to share. 

 

Earned media coverage should be important to your company because it builds a brand while advertising supports it. As a company executive, it’s not your job to micromanage, but it is your job to ensure your company sees success by building credibility and awareness. Give your marketing team the resources it needs to be as successful as possible. 

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A key component of the PESO model

 

News media is a major component of the Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned model. In fact for me, it’s my favorite part of public relations – assisting clients and companies in gaining news media. News media is often referred to as earned media, and it’s the content that third-party entities (namely media outlets) create about your company and your brand, its products, and its services. 

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Know the best way to connect with reporters

 

Pitching to the media can be difficult, especially if your PR and marketing departments aren’t used to reaching out and connecting with the media on you and your company’s behalf. It can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s why we created the 21 mistakes you’re making when you pitch the news media – to help your team feel more comfortable and confident as they reach out to journalists. 

 

One mistake we often hear from companies is their teams are sending more than one email to a single outlet. This is number 12 in our list of 21 mistakes. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. 

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As marketers and public relations pros, we’ve likely all wanted to have an amazing April Fools’ Day prank as a fun way to bring attention to our brand.

 

In the right circumstances, April Fools’ Day pranks can make for great PR.

 

In the wrong circumstances, April Fools’ Day pranks can make for really bad PR.

 

Even the least experienced PR professionals know, as with any joke, there are many potential April Fools’ Day pitfalls to consider. Avoiding backlash should be a top priority.

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Know how to best share your company’s message

 

Earned media coverage is built awareness about your company through efforts like media relations (connecting with reporters), blogger relations, influencers, and word-of-mouth. It’s counterpart is paid media, which is advertisements that you or your company creates or pays for about itself. We have many clients ask us the difference between earned and paid media, and in the same breath, they also ask us to create a press release to earn media coverage.

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Clear up some issues that could arise after getting a TV story

 

Having your company’s story on TV is an exciting time. You’ll be getting a lot more eyes on your company and putting your name out there. However, during the process, there are some questions you might have related to the online version of the story, such as the video not appearing or if they’ll post the story online at all.

 

At Axia Public Relations, we’ve noticed our clients ask these main questions. To help people navigate the process, we’re answering these questions, so people can go through the news process more smoothly.

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What to do if your executive/spokesperson/client isn’t fit to be the face of the organization

 

As public relations professionals, we’ve worked with a plethora of companies, clients, and spokespeople. Some are perfect spokespeople while others need a few spokesperson training sessions, and then there are the ones that shouldn’t or can’t be the face of the company. 

 

Finding a spokesperson for your company can be a daunting task, and having a conversation with a spokesperson who truly isn’t the best fit to represent your company is even more difficult. As an outside PR firm, having the conversation with a client about who the best spokesperson is can be easier than having the conversation internally with a superior. So how do you navigate that difficult conversation? 

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Be a better resource for the media

 

As newsrooms continue to shrink, they rely more and more on their reporters to write for print and online as well as take their own photos and videos. With reporters doing more, newspapers also rely on PR professionals and a company’s PR and marketing department to submit stories – in an inverted pyramid style – and images for publication. 

 

Story ideas and submissions are relatively easy to provide to a media outlet. Many companies struggle with submitting photos that newspapers and magazines will and can use. Here are some tips that will help you and your team submit quality photos the media will use. 

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