Never use your content marketing platforms as bully pulpits. (Image by Tarik Browne via Flickr.)
A muckraking reporter calls with some pointed questions that could lead to potentially negative coverage. Do you preempt the article and control the message by posting to your blog? Do you wait until the news breaks, and then take it up on your blog and social networks?
As a content marketer and publisher, you now have the power to use your content platforms for PR. There are, of course, opportunities and pitfalls to consider. Here are some simple Do’s and Don’ts:
Do
- Use content marketing to make announcements, such as new hires, new products/services, awards, positive press, expansion, etc.
- Respond to customer feedback. And not just the good stuff! If there are common complaints, address them.
- Give more details or insights to press coverage. If it’s negative, show how you are addressing the issues without referencing back to the bad coverage. If it’s positive, keep the story alive with supplementary content.
Don’t
- Use content marketing at the exclusion of talking to media outlets in general. Resist the urge to hide behind the story you can control.
- Publish news of exceptional value (aka, break big news). If it’s a hot story, bigger media outlets, and even smaller ones with which you’d like to build and maintain regular relationships, will want a “scoop”—and will likely reach a broader audience. Those outlets might not cover your news if you already have.
- Use your content marketing platforms as a bully pulpit. If you feel the need to fire back or retort, use op-ed pages or guest-posting options. And always resist being nasty or mean. That’s not good PR in any situation.