What is media coverage?

Media coverage

Media coverage is the attention your brand, product, or announcement receives from journalists, publications, and broadcast outlets. It includes news articles, interviews, features, reviews, and mentions across print, digital, radio, and television platforms.

When a trusted outlet covers your story, you gain something advertising can't buy: third-party credibility. That mention signals to potential customers, partners, and investors that your brand is worth paying attention to.

Why media coverage matters for your business

Coverage in respected outlets builds trust faster than self-promotion. When a journalist writes about your company, readers perceive it as an endorsement rather than a sales pitch.

Beyond credibility, media coverage expands your reach. A single feature in the right publication introduces your brand to audiences who might never encounter your marketing campaigns otherwise. Those readers arrive already primed to trust you.

Media mentions also support your digital presence. Backlinks from news sites improve search rankings, driving organic traffic long after the initial story runs.

Earned vs. paid vs. owned media

Understanding the three types of media helps you build a balanced strategy.

• Earned media is coverage you don't pay for. A journalist writes about your product launch, a blogger reviews your service, or customers share their experiences. It carries the most credibility because it comes from independent sources.
• Paid media includes advertising, sponsored content, and promoted posts. You control the message completely, but audiences know you paid for placement.
• Owned media covers channels you control directly: your website, blog, email newsletters, and social profiles. You set the narrative, but reach depends on your existing audience.

The strongest brands combine all three. Earned coverage builds trust, paid amplifies reach, and owned channels nurture relationships over time.

How to secure media coverage

Getting journalists to cover your story requires preparation, relevance, and persistence.

1. Find your newsworthy angle. Reporters don't cover companies; they cover stories. Ask yourself what makes your announcement timely, unusual, or relevant to their readers. A product launch alone isn't news, but a product that solves a problem their audience cares about is.
2. Build a targeted media list. Research journalists who cover your industry and read their recent work. Note what topics interest them and how they prefer to receive pitches. Quality beats quantity here.
3. Craft a compelling pitch. Lead with the story, not your company. Your subject line should make the value immediately clear. Keep the body concise: what's the news, why it matters now, and why their audience should care.
4. Follow up thoughtfully. Journalists receive hundreds of pitches daily. A polite follow-up a few days later shows persistence without becoming a nuisance. If you don't hear back, move on to the next contact.
5. Make their job easy. Provide everything they need: quotes, images, data, and background information. The less work required to write the story, the more likely it gets written.

Common mistakes that kill your chances

Sending generic pitches to every reporter on your list signals you haven't done your homework. Journalists notice immediately.

Burying the news under company history wastes their time. Lead with what matters and save the background for later paragraphs or a separate press kit.

Pitching stories that aren't actually newsworthy damages your credibility for future outreach. Before sending anything, ask yourself: would I read this if I weren't involved?

Following up too aggressively burns bridges. One or two follow-ups is appropriate; daily emails is harassment.

How to maximize coverage once you get it

Securing the story is only half the work. What you do afterward determines how much value you extract from it.

Share the coverage across your social channels, tagging the journalist and publication. Include highlights in your email newsletters to keep subscribers informed, and add the mention to your website's press section as social proof for future visitors.

Repurpose the content internally too. Share wins with your team to build morale, and reference coverage in sales conversations and investor presentations. A credible third-party mention often carries more weight than your own marketing reports.

FAQs

What counts as media coverage?
Any mention of your brand in external media outlets: news articles, TV segments, podcast interviews, blog features, and reviews. Social media mentions from journalists or influencers also qualify.

How is media coverage different from advertising?
Advertising is paid placement where you control the message. Media coverage is earned through newsworthiness, and the journalist controls the narrative. Coverage typically carries more credibility because it comes from an independent source.

How do I measure the value of media coverage?
Track metrics like referral traffic, backlink quality, social shares, and brand mention volume. Some teams calculate advertising value equivalency, though this metric has limitations since earned coverage often outperforms paid placement in trust and engagement.

Do I need a PR agency to get coverage?
Not necessarily. Small businesses and startups regularly secure coverage through direct outreach. Agencies help when you need established journalist relationships, strategic guidance, or bandwidth you don't have internally.

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