How to Maximize your Content

Are your news releases sent to the news media and nowhere else?

Every piece of content has multiple uses, and you should be making good use of all of them. This is what is known as the PESO model of communications and it can help you maximize your Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned media.

Owned media may be last in the PESO acronym, but it is, by far, the most important component of this integrated approach to communications. That is why we begin this effort to broaden your thinking there.

Owned media — the news releases, website, thought leadership pieces, blog posts, videos and everything else produced in-house — can be used as the basis for paid ads, to pitch for earned media and shared on social media.

Earned media — the news coverage you are lucky enough to obtain — can also be your paid, owned and shared media. Put those media clips on your website, in your newsletter and on your social media platforms. They need to be anywhere and everywhere they can be seen by your potential customers and stakeholders.

Shared media — the third-party endorsements, social media posts, videos and other shared content — can be part of your paid and owned media. And it just might lead to some earned media. More and more reporters are using social media for leads these days. Make sure to follow journalists on social media. Don’t be afraid to respond when you see them asking for people who can supply insight for their stories.

Paid media — the ads you buy — can and should incorporate your shared, earned and owned media. Take any earned media and post it on your social channels with a paid boost to get it in front of more eyes. If you bought TV time or a spot in a local newspaper, make sure to share the ad with your email distribution list.

Do you see the pattern here?

Think of that news release as a starting point. Then map out all the other different ways you can use it to let others know about your big announcement.