How to Earn Millions in Media Reach

Like all communicators, your management team wants to see results. They'll expect you to increase the brand's share of voice, visibility in the marketplace, and demonstrate your contribution to increased sales.

Where to begin?

First things first, you need to get the brand to stand out from the crowd, clutter and noise. But how? Management screams: "Do more product promotion! But don't spend too much!"

However, as every communicator knows, product-centric comms will flop with your earned media efforts. Unless of course, it's something revolutionary, new and will affect people's lives – that's a story worth reporting. But you've got the same product to promote, one that journalists already know about. So what do you do?

Would you like to hear a story? One of a small to medium sized company that succeeded in reaching 100 million people solely through earned media? Let me tell you...

The 100 Million Reach Challenge

Watch the story behind the 100 Million Reach Challenge and be inspired...

Now, you might think this company is unique, has an innovative product – which it does – and that this campaign must have cost a fortune to execute – which it didn't. Even if the airbag bicycle helmet is incredible, it's still old news, and product PR can only go so far.

We needed to do something more, which we did with our “Give a Beep!” initiative. And the best thing of all is that we fulfilled Mynewsdesk’s core purpose: “To release the full power of stories to inspire and spark positive change.” How?

By empowering cyclists with the digital bike bell, we enabled them to indicate dangerous cycling areas in London and voice their frustrations. With 5,000 shared locations, we got enough data to make a real change for the:

• Infrastructure, by using information to highlight dangerous spots in London.
• Cyclists, by informing them on which locations to avoid.
• Politicians, by encouraging them to take action to improve cycling safety.
• People and authorities around the world who’ve asked us to make their cities “Give a beep!” too.

And finally, all of this has resulted in Edelman Deportivo, Mynewsdesk, and Hövding winning the D&AD Impact Award for “Creativity that contributes to a better world.” Enough said!

"But how does this apply to me?", you wonder.

Eight steps to win 'Earned' attention

By challenging ourselves, the team at Mynewsdesk learned that these principles, tried and tested, work and that you can do the same. They are:

1. Set objectives.

2. Deliver value to the people that matter.

3. Use the power of storytelling.

4. Initiate a grassroots initiative.

5. Find and engage your 'alpha audience.'

6. Make your 'alpha audience' execute your communication.

7. Involve other relevant stakeholders, e.g. government officials, local authorities, institutions, etc.

8. Use innovative technology and solutions for disseminating your message, tracking, and measuring.

Easier said than done? Probably!

But by asking yourself the right questions, and implementing the steps above, you should have a good shot at achieving something great. We believed it – and you should too!