PR ON THE GO February 26, 2023

The Importance Of Owned Media In PR

Entrepreneur Advice

As an entrepreneur, you know that public relations (PR) is a crucial element of your business success. It can help you reach new audiences, generate interest in your products or services, and build brand awareness. And when it comes to PR, there's no denying the importance of owned media.

What is owned media, you might be wondering? Essentially, it's any content that you create and control, such as your company blog, social media channels, podcasts, videos, and infographics. Unlike earned media, which is coverage gained through external sources, owned media is entirely under your control. This means you have the opportunity to shape your message, tell your story, and showcase your expertise. By focusing on creating top-notch owned media content, you can reap a number of benefits for your business.

What the PRontheGO experts say about Owned Media:

Show Your Expertise

Julia Voloshchenko, PR Manager at Usetech: "According to a study by Social Media Today, companies with a blog have 55% more traffic and 97% more backlinks, and 70% of customers learn about the company through articles." That's a pretty compelling reason to start creating content for your own media channels!

Julia adds: "Now your own media is a great opportunity to talk about yourself or your services and products, as well as a great opportunity to show your expertise and develop your personal brand. By working with keywords and SEO optimization, you can get your blog into the top 10 positions in search engines, which will allow you to attract additional traffic and attendance. Your articles can be cited by major media outlets. For example, if it is research or analytics. A great example of blogging is Neil Patel, whose articles are published by the big media, because he demonstrates his expertise through his texts."

So it's not just about showcasing your expertise. Owned media content can also help boost your press coverage opportunities.

Shape The Narrative

As Trenice Brinkley, Chief Communications Officer and Publicist at Two Queens Media, explains, "Owned media is one of the most powerful PR tools entrepreneurs have to make their message stand out. Leveraging this opportunity helps shape the narrative, show your expertise, and open up larger target segments. Owned media content allows you to control the message and its delivery, meaning you can make sure your message is seen by the right people. Focusing on top-notch owned media content can boost press coverage, increase brand awareness, and improve SEO. What I love about owned media content is that it is often more shareable than traditional PR activities. This means that it can reach a wider audience and increase the visibility of your brand. For example, owned media content that can be used for PR outreach includes blogs, podcasts, videos, infographics, and e-books."

Invest In Quality Content

Andrea Sok, Owner of SOK Influencer PR, recommends: "Owned media is the only media where you completely control the narrative so make it count! Invest in quality content across your owned channels such as your blog and social handles. These messages play an important role in reinforcing your brand identity. Also, your customers are not the only eyes viewing this content. Journalists can access your content and leverage your data and insights. Owned content can also give you great insight into what your audience is most interested in."

Have Full Control Over Your Content

Emily Reynolds-Bergh, Owner at R Public Relations, highlights the importance of having full control over your owned media content: "Owned media is the only type of media you as an entrepreneur have full control over. Interviews, broadcast segments, and even publications running press releases can make adjustments or leave information out in whichever ways they think best serve their audiences. Owned media like newsletters, blogs, and social media channels give business owners a chance to thell their full story exactly the way they want. You can go crazy with long-format content on LinkedIn or tell your story in video form on TikTok." Emily also agrees on the press coverage opportunities owned media can open up: "Best of all, exceptional owned media content can translate into future media opportunities and partnerships down the line!"

In conclusion, as an entrepreneur, it's essential to recognize the importance of owned media in boosting your brand's visibility and credibility. By creating top-notch content that showcases your expertise, you can increase your chances of getting press coverage opportunities.

Great example for owned media: WePresent by WeTransfer

Take inspiration from WeTransfer's art blog, WePresent. WeTransfer is a simple yet effective tool to send your files around the world. The team realized that most of their users are in the creative industry, sharing their work. With WePresent, the team leveraged on the potential of showcasing artists' work with a blog. Over time, they collaborated with renowned artists to create bigger projects and developed a specially-designed platform that tells weird, wonderful, and unexpected stories about creativity. By doing so, WePresent transformed into a digital arts platform that has worked with more than 1000 artists from over 100 countries, spanning diverse communities.

As an entrepreneur, you can learn from WePresent's journey and create an owned media platform that represents your brand's community, values and mission. You can share your industry knowledge, offer solutions to common problems, and create content that resonates with your target audience. With dedication, creativity, and consistency, you can build a successful owned media platform that sets you apart from the competition.

To Summarize

Realize that your owned media can take many forms, and remember that owned media isn't just about promoting your products or services; it's about building a community around your brand. By consistently producing high-quality content, you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry and create a loyal following. You can also use your owned media to collaborate with other brands, influencers, and thought leaders to expand your reach and build partnerships.

#PRontheGO