When it comes to marketing, you always want to generate more with less. Why try to duplicate efforts if you can get a 2-for-1 or better yet a 10-1? There are very few strategies that deliver better than generating PR articles in trade publications. These articles are consumed by hundreds of thousands of your potential customers upon first run, and one of the greatest benefits for any B2B is their lasting residual value.
There is almost no end to the possible ways your published PR articles can be repurposed and leveraged for an even bigger impact. While only limited by creativity, here are some ways to get the most out of a successful feature article PR campaign.
How does a B2B get a PR article?
Let’s back up a bit. Before we jump into how PR articles can be utilized to build out your marketing ecosystem, let’s first delve into how a B2B would get PR articles in the first place. Traditionally, PR agencies had two avenues for generating earned media. There was the pitch and the press release.
With a pitch, an agency was asking a publication to generate a story and utilize the agency’s client (Company) as part of that story. This could leave the Company’s marketing department with something they could utilize but it was likely copywritten by the publication and therefore limited in its residual value. Plus, without controlling the narrative, there is no way of guaranteeing the article would even present enough compelling points to be utilized for marketing purposes.
The goal of the press release is very similar. In an ideal world, the agency would send out a press release and the media would jump at the chance to turn that into a news story. While great in theory, most press releases are published as is. If you ever read a press release, then you would know that there is not a whole lot of content there for residual value. Even if the press release were utilized to build out a feature story, you would still run into the same issues as that with the pitch – it being copywritten information.
Modern PR has changed that.
With Modern PR, You Own the Content
By writing the articles and then pitching the full feature story to the publications, the company retains the copyright and can also generate that 10-1 opportunity by getting one story published a dozen times more.
Then the company could leverage that content across every possible channel as often as they wanted to. For example, the article could be used in email campaigns, on social media platforms, in white papers, on the company website, and more.
Integrating PR articles into mass email campaigns
The key to any email marketing campaign is what we call the “send-back item.” This is the item of value that you are giving away to make people “reach out for more information.” With a response from the people on your email list you can now start to develop that into a marketing or sales lead. The PR article makes a great “send back” item. This is because it’s not only about you but tackles a pressing issue within the industry.
Mass email campaigns also allow you to measure the impact of your content by tracking article engagement, such as click-through rates.
Sharing them on LinkedIn and other social media platforms
Speaking of engagement, LinkedIn is a great way to get the word out about your business and its product. Post your article and foster conversation in the comments. Leverage your audience and their connections to get your article in front of new, prospective customers. Like email marketing, there are many benefits to utilizing LinkedIn. One of those includes the ability to track analytics and calibrate the success of your content.
Beyond just posting the entire article, you can also break up the content into 5, 10, or even 15 or more separate posts that are strategically laid out as a journey.
In addition to LinkedIn, you can share a link to your article on X, formerly Twitter. X is another social tool that’s useful for staying engaged, informed, and agile in your PR strategy.
Showcasing them on your website and blog
You can also showcase PR articles on your homepage or link to them in your blog. This positions your content as a focal point and makes your blog and website more dynamic. However, there’s an even bigger plus to this strategy… It can do wonders for your SEO ranking. Quality, authoritative, genuine, and even disruptive content is the number-one driver of search engine rankings. After all, there is no substitute for great content! Quality content created specifically for your intended audience increases site traffic, which improves your site’s authority and relevance.
Showcasing PR articles on your homepage, adding them to the news sections, and using them to supplement your blog content doesn’t just position you as an authority in your industry, but helps you rise to the top of the search results.
Excerpting testimonial quotes from your PR articles
There are many types of articles that a modern PR agency can develop. However, one of them that is a consistent top performer includes using your customer to do the talking for you. This type of article is not only great when it is published, but now you have approved testimonials that are an authentic and genuine way to build trust with both current and prospective customers.
In fact, according to Semrush, 90% of people report being more likely to trust a recommended brand. This is why it’s smart to include your customer’s feedback in your PR articles. In addition, you could also excerpt them and utilize them across your marketing platforms. From social media to your company homepage, word-of-mouth testimonials can result in five times more sales than paid ads.
Including your PR articles in sales collateral
If you are looking to make your sales department happy, then give them some incredible sales collateral. Include the entire article, or parts (including testimonials). Print them in brochures and tri-folds, or use them to beef up your one-pagers and products-in-action. You could even print them out for display at trade show booths or as handouts. Another way to use them is by compiling the clippings into an impressive media report.
Now that you’ve included PR articles in your collateral, hand them to your salespeople! After all, your salespeople are at the frontlines of your business. Arm them with collateral to give them even more clout. They can email them out to leads or take them into meetings as a handout. Pulling PR article excerpts for sales presentations is also a pro move!
Bonus tip: You can also frame the magazines to hang around the office! This can be great for company morale as well as visitors.
Incorporating PR articles in corporate communications
Be sure to share your PR articles with stockholders, investors, and key players. Add an extra special touch by including a personal note — it’s sure to make you and your business stand out.
From their lasting residual value to the dozens of ways you can repurpose them to leverage leads, PR articles are by far one of the best investments a B2B company can make to ultimately increase revenue. Looking for more guidance on how to best leverage PR articles? Or perhaps you’d like some help writing them? Reach out to Rankin PR — we’re happy to assist.