Irresistible Content: How to Make it Happen

By Stacia Goodman

Passively waiting for media to showcase your business or organization can be like waiting to win the lottery. Don’t hold your breath.

But you can greatly increase your odds of capturing media attention. How? By proactively generating content from a topic expert (you!) that is relevant, timely and effortless for media to use. Activated Growth (AG) recommends creating a client-authored article – or series of articles.

AG recently used this marketing strategy for a client whose business provides a highly specialized service. Growing that business requires, in part, reminding target audiences of the client’s unique expertise. The client was already using paid advertising. Pitching an authored article to media would be a great supplement.

A Strategic, Four-Step Process

While there are never guarantees media will pick up your content, AG gave its client the best possible chance. We oversaw the process to:

1.) Select a newsworthy story angle

2.) Create high quality, professionally written content (with the client’s byline and headshot) that was not overtly promotional

3.) Use professional media relations skills to pitch the story, and

4.) Conveniently edit content to media outlets’ specifications, at no cost to them.

Keep in mind, going this route means you’ll have to relinquish some editorial control. To maintain objectivity, media will almost always strip out advertorial-type content. But the implied endorsement of third-party media is worth the trade-off.

The Results – and Leveraging Them

From the client’s investment in one authored article and some savvy media relations skills, AG was able to secure great results. That included two print feature stories and one e-newsletter story in media highly relevant to target audiences.

AG then helped the client leverage its media attention among multiple marketing channels, like social media. For this particular client, the article became – and will continue to be – a powerful marketing tool. Some would even say it’s a literal stamp of approval from respected media.

If you have a unique area of expertise and a story to tell, let us know. We’re here to help make your content irresistible, too.