๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ: The Free Marketing ‘๐ ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ’ you should try to leverage.
Unlike paid ads, you canโt buy earned media. You have to EARN it. And thatโs exactly why itโs very powerful.
When people hear about your brand from a trusted source (like a media outlet, a 5-star review, or a customer testimonial), they LISTEN.
In fact, 90% of consumers trust earned media over traditional ads.
Hereโs why earned media is important for your brand:
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ข๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ๐
When your brand is featured in the media, people believe it. It’s authentic, unbiased, and far more credible than a paid ad. Mainstream media comes with a special kind of ‘kudos’.
Itโs like getting a personal recommendation from a trusted friend โ only now, that friend is a journalist, a major publication, or a well-known influencer.
๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ยฃ๐ฌ
Earned media can spread like wildfire. Sometimes. Positive mentions, third-party reviews, and PR coverage bring your brand to audiences you never even targeted. No ad budget required.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ
Of all the media types (paid, owned, and earned), earned media builds the most trust. When people see others raving about your brand, theyโre more likely to follow suit. Itโs human nature.
๐๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ & ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
People buy from brands they trust. Earned media is the ultimate form of social proof. If your product gets featured on a respected site or gets glowing reviews, it can directly impact conversions.
Think about it: How many times have you bought something just because it had a ton of 5-star reviews?
๐๐ผ๐๐-๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ต
Paid ads cost money. Earned media costs effort.
You canโt “pause” earned media like a paid ad. Itโs there, building trust and driving awareness.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐?
Formula in carousel below.
This helps you put a pound value on that free media exposure so you can compare it to your paid campaigns.
And spoiler alert: Itโs almost always higher. If you can attach value to earned media you can use it to offset from your overall cost per acquisition metrics.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐?
1๏ธโฃ Pitch your story to relevant media outlets.
2๏ธโฃ Focus on customer reviews and testimonials.
3๏ธโฃ Leverage influencer collaborations for authentic exposure.
Donโt just rely on ads. Earn it. Own it.
If there happenned to be AI that helped increase your chances of securing earned media?
I think that would be handy ๐
Want to Get Featured in Mainstream Media? Hereโs How I Scale My Chances of Getting Media Coverage for my personal or company brand.
Getting your name or brand into big media outlets isnโt easy. Journalists are swamped with pitches, and standing out feels impossible.
Without a PR agency, responding to journalist requests can feel overwhelming โ especially when 100s of opportunities land in your inbox daily. Itโs easy to miss deadlines or submit rushed pitches that donโt get picked.
Hereโs how Iโve changed that and massively increased my chances of getting featured:
๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น-๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐
Register on these platforms where journalists actively look for sources:
Connectively (HARO)
PRRequest & JournoRequest on X (Twitter)
Qwoted
Featured
Sourcebottle
And more (Editorielle, Press Plugs, Help a B2B Writer, Dot Star Media, ResponseSource, Press Loft, Pitchresponse)
Instead of cold-pitching, youโre responding to direct requests from journalists at outlets like CNN, BBC, CNBC, The Guardian and HubSpot.
๐ฃ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ
In the past, Iโd manually write pitches โ often too late or not strong enough. Now, I use an AI tool Iโve built to automate and speed up the pitch-writing process. Hereโs my process:
– I copy the journalistโs request into my tool.
– I choose the ๐ฃ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐๐ฝ๐ฒ, ๐ง๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐๐น๐ฒ.
– The AI generates a strong draft pitch. [The AI was trained on actual expertise requests]
– I add my personal insights to make it more authentic.
– This lets me submit multiple pitches daily instead of 1-2 a month, increasing my odds of success.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐
Journalists have a need. I have the information. If I donโt pitch, I miss the chance entirely.
In the meantime, register on those media request portals and start seizing media opportunities as they come.
Your story deserves to be seen!
5 reasons why landing a SEO backlink from a major media site should be part of your strategy.
Backlinks from big media sites like CNN, BBC, Forbes etc are super valuable:
1. ๐๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐๐
When a high-domain authority (DA) site links to you, itโs akin to a public endorsement from a celebrity. Suddenly, your siteโs credibility skyrockets. Google takes notice. If CNN trusts you, why shouldn’t Google?
2. ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ (๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ฎ๐น)
Googleโs algorithm treats backlinks from major sites as “votes of confidence.” More votes = higher rankings.
3. ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ, ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐
When a major media site mentions you, people click. This means instant traffic to your site, more visibility, and more leads. Itโs like tapping into a never-ending source of new visitors.
The dailymail .co .uk site received ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฒ.๐ญ๐ด ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ข๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ!
4. ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ
Backlinks from reputable sources donโt just help you globally, they also give you a local SEO boost. If youโre a local business, this could mean higher rankings in your community for relevant searches.
5. ๐ฆ๐๐ข + ๐ฃ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐
This is where SEO meets PR magic. Getting featured in news articles gives you clout in front of potential clients AND search engines. Itโs a two-for-one deal on visibility and trust.
๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒโ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐:
Every backlink isnโt created equal. You could get 50 backlinks from random blogs OR one link from CNN and that one link would likely be more powerful than all 50 combined.
Pro tip: Start with media outreach, pitch journalists with a compelling story, use tools like my new AI JournoPitch https://journopitch.co.uk/ย to craft your story, and position yourself as an expert source.
If you’re serious about growing your online presence, aim for backlinks from the big leagues.
How to Pitch Journalists and Earn Media And gain valuable SEO backlinks
as part of the process
Craft Pitches Like a Story, Not a Sales Pitch
Most people make one big mistake: They pitch their brand, not their story. Journalists donโt care about your product or service. They care about what’s new, what’s timely, whatโs relatable and what is NEWS.
My approach:
I structure my pitch like a mini-story:
Hook (attention-grabbing first line)
Key Insight (the “so what” or unique angle)
Proof (social proof, expertise, or a strong
quote)
I keep it brief and skimmable. No walls of text.
Pro Tip: Before pitching, I ask myself, “If I were
scrolling online, would I stop to read this?” If the
answer is no, I rewrite it.
Position Yourself as an “Expert Source” (Not Just a Founder or CEO)
Journalists donโt just want โbusiness peopleโ to
interview โ they want experts.
If you position yourself as a subject-matter expert
(instead of just “CEO of XYZ Co.”), youโre far more
likely to be featured.
My approach:
In my pitches, I highlight my expertise on the
topic, not just my title.
I mention past media appearances, key
insights, or original research I can share.
I offer to be available for follow-ups, live
interviews, or last-minute quotes.
Try This: Add “Media-Ready Expert on [your
topic]” to your LinkedIn headline. You’d be
surprised how many journalists are already lurking
on LinkedIn looking for sources.
Be Quick, But Be Relevant (Donโt Pitch Blindly)
Journalists are on tight deadlines, and speed
matters. But pitching something off-topic is a
probably a way to get ignored.
My approach:
I only pitch if I have a relevant insight or
perspective. If I can’t add value, I don’t waste
the journalist’s time (or mine).
If I canโt provide the exact story theyโre
looking for, Iโll pitch an alternative angle that
still fits their brief. This “pivot pitch” has
worked for me a few times!
Build Journalist Relationships (Don’t Pitch, THEN Vanish)
One pitch is not a relationship. I focus on trying to
nurture connections with key journalists in my
industry.
How?
After a successful placement, I follow up with a
quick “thank you” message.
I offer to be a resource for future stories.
I connect with them on LinkedIn and engage
with their content.
Itโs not just about landing one feature โ itโs about
becoming a go-to source.
Some may not want an ongoing relationship. Thats
also cool.
Its not just about the Big Guns. Think SEO as a secondary objective
Of course we all want to get featured in Big Media.
The popular TV shows or the most read publications. But donโt forget about smaller publications. Local
papers. Trade journals.
Youโre still going to get a media backlink.
Golddust for SEO. The backlink from any media
is Golddust btw.
Your ICP might be reading those publications
or watching that channel.
With your pitch, always include a link
