Need Press Coverage? PR is a Waste of Time and Money.Businesses looking for press coverage need to change up their strategy.

Getting press coverage is never easy. For startups and small businesses, it can mean the difference between floundering in obscurity and becoming an overnight success.

Traditionally, companies have turned to public relations (PR) to get the word out--however, in today's changing media landscape, this tactic is no longer the most effective. As Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, one of the world's largest PR agencies,saidin an interview with Digiday, "We are in a massive evolution period for PR. Historically, I would call a reporter and pitch a story because I know what you're looking for, [but] the journalism platform is halved."

I saw this first-hand when I formed my last company, Gauge Mobile, back in 2010. At the time, we were hoping to raise awareness of our business with two audiences: investors and potential customers.

After months of work with PR firms and consultants and thousands of dollars' worth of investments, I came away with a handful of stories posted on little-known blogs, and no improvement to my brand recognition. Major companies have the star power to attract media attention, but small companies just don't have that kind of leverage.

I wish I'd known then what I know now: that there's a better way to invest your money if you want to land on some of the biggest publications out there.

Sponsored content lets you get coverage on the sites you want, when you want it. The content is created in collaboration between a brand and publisher, so you can ensure the right message is communicated to readers.

One of the biggest PR challenges facing young companies is that there's no guarantee the money you've invested will return anything. If you shift your budget to sponsored content, the same $12,000 retainer fee you're paying your PR agency could be used instead to get your story written, published and shared on a publication of your choice in a matter of weeks.

The costs of sponsored content aren't negligible; placement on a regional site will run you several thousand dollars, while a national placement could cost upwards of $15,000. But unlike hiring a PR agency, your entire budget can go toward the placement--no retainer required. You can also be selective about when you use sponsored content, placing stories only when you have a major announcement or new product launch.

If your company is ready to try sponsored content, there are a few key things you should keep in mind before you begin the process.

1. Tell a great story.

即使你买位置,这个故事you tell still needs to matter to the publisher's audience--otherwise, no one will read it. When evaluating your content, ask yourself the following three questions: does it entertain, does it educate and does it inspire? If the answer to even one of those questions is yes, then what you've created will likely be effective. Your publisher partner can also advise you about the kind of content that performs well with their audience.

Readers don't mind if content is sponsored, as long as the sponsorship is properly disclosed and the content is ofhigh quality. Just remember that it's about helping the reader, not selling a product.

2. Put your story to work.

A sponsored content campaign doesn't end when someone hits the publish button. This is when you have the most opportunity to further target and speak to your ideal audience. Share the published content across your social media accounts and promote it to maximize its reach. Better yet, your publisher partner can let you put dollars behind promoting the publisher's original Facebook post and reap the credibility that comes from thousands of people seeing your story next to a publisher's brand like狗万官方.

Many publishers now accept third-party tracking tags, too. These tags allow your company to collect anonymous data on the users who are engaging with your content so that you can market to them later.

This is an especially valuable audience because their members have already demonstrated interest in a topic related to your business. NewsCred suggests that young readers in particular aremore likely to buyfrom a brand that has delivered them useful content. Following up with such a qualified group of leads is what marketers dream of, and a great chance for you to use other tactics to push this group further down the sales funnel.

3. Apply what you learn to future content.

The largest advantage sponsored content has over traditional PR is that it gives you insight into how your brand's story is performing. If you're putting content out there with no understanding of how it performs, you're losing out on a major opportunity. During a sponsored content campaign, ask for weekly reports from your publisher partner or usethird-party reporting softwarelike Pressboard's to get fully transparent insights into who's reading your content and how they're engaging with it.

The results of this analysis should guide your next marketing strategy. Are people clicking through links to learn more about a certain product? You may want to retarget them with more information about it. Do people keep exiting the article at a certain point? Review the article to determine what might be turning them off and keep this in mind when writing your next piece. Not only will this help you learn more about your audience, but it will empower your company to write better, more engaging and more useful stories in the future.

Let us show you how to get the press coverage you want on the publications you choose.

We are a team of experts who believe stories are better than ads. Reach out to us athttps://www.pressboardmedia.com, we are ready to assist you with strategy, content creation and placement.

If you prefer, we have collected a fewcase studies, reports and eBooksyou can use to ensure your next content marketing campaign is a success.