Can you share an example of how you've used data or analytics to inform your earned media strategy? What insights have been most helpful?

Question

Navigating the complex landscape of earned media strategy requires more than just a keen sense of the market—it demands a data-driven approach. This article delves into actionable strategies backed by industry experts to elevate brand visibility and engagement. Discover the transformative power of data as it shapes the future of media outreach and storytelling.

Georgi Petrov · Answer

One example of how I've used data to inform our earned media strategy was during a campaign for a client in the health and wellness space. We wanted to boost their brand visibility through earned media, but we needed to be strategic about where we focused our efforts. I used Google Analytics and social media insights to identify which platforms and topics were driving the most organic traffic to the client's website.
By analyzing traffic sources and user behavior, I found that a significant portion of the audience was engaging with content related to mental health on both the website and social media.
This insight led us to pivot our earned media efforts toward securing coverage in health and wellness publications that were already discussing mental health topics. We reached out to journalists and bloggers who had recently written about similar subjects and offered expert insights from our client's team.
The most helpful insights were the user behavior metrics, which showed us what content resonated with the audience and what drove conversions. By focusing on topics that were already attracting attention, we were able to craft more relevant pitches and increase our chances of media coverage. We ended up securing placements in a few high-authority publications, which led to a noticeable increase in traffic and brand credibility.
This experience reinforced the importance of data-driven decision-making in earned media. The key takeaway for me was that understanding your audience's interests and behaviors can guide your outreach and ensure your pitches land with the right journalists and publications.

Justin Mauldin · Answer

I recently used Meltwater data to track which journalists were consistently covering AI in PR, which helped us land coverage in TechCrunch for a client's automation tool. By analyzing engagement metrics from past coverage, I noticed stories with specific ROI stats got 3x more shares, so now I always include those data points in our pitches.

Robert Portillo · Answer

At 12AM Agency, I've leveraged data to improve our strategies significantly. For instance, we used Google Analytics to track visitor behavior on our clients' websites. By drilling down into metrics like bounce rates and session duration, we identified underperforming pages and optimized them by tweaking content and design. This led to a 35% increase in user engagement within just a few months.
Additionally, our backlink gap analysis revealed opportunities for outreach by showing us where competitors were gaining links. We targeted these websites with personalized content pitches, which improved our clients' backlink profiles and search engine rankings. This strategic use of data has not only boosted organic traffic but also informed our future content strategies in ways that deliver measurable results consistently.

Josh Hook · Answer

In over 10 years of working with Hook'd IT Up, I've found that leveraging data to inform earned media strategies can truly lift a brand's online presence. One example is our collaboration with Heber Valley Serves, where we used our advanced reporting software to analyze audience engagement across over 60 business review sites. This data helped identify which social media platforms drove the highest community interaction and enabled us to tailor our storytelling to improve brand visibility significantly.
Another instance was with SWAGS Detailing, where we tracked real-time customer feedback on social media and review sites. By analyzing sentiment, we adjusted the timing and content of our campaigns to reflect customer desires better. This strategy resulted in a boost in positive reviews and an online reputation improvement, directly contributing to an increased customer inquiry rate.

Kinga Fodor · Answer

LinkedIn has been a cornerstone of our earned media strategy because it's where we see the highest engagement and lead generation as a B2B SaaS company. The platform's professional focus aligns perfectly with our target audience. By analyzing LinkedIn data, we could see which posts drove not just visibility but also actionable results, like demo requests or whitepaper downloads.For example, when we share insights on industry trends or highlight specific challenges, those posts consistently lead to more meaningful interactions. These insights guide our content planning and also help us identify key individuals who engage with our posts. Many of them are decision-makers, which makes LinkedIn a direct bridge to building relationships and securing earned media opportunities.

Lesly Jean-Baptiste · Answer

In my work with Team Genius Marketing, we've effectively used data analytics to transform our earned media strategy. A pivotal example is our Genius Growth System™ for Brooks Electrical Solutions. We focused on analyzing local search trends and customer feedback data, which informed our approach to boost their Google My Business profile. This led to an optimized local search presence and a doubling of their revenue within a year without traditional ads.
We also used AI-driven software to track and predict consumer behavior for Drainflow Plumbing. By tapping into real-time data on local consumer interactions and preferences, we customized their content and promotional strategies, which increased their qualified leads significantly. These insights helped position them as market leaders in Birmingham, Alabama, showcasing the power of targeted data application in media strategies.

Adnan Jiwani · Answer

I've used data to fine-tune my earned media strategy by closely tracking which media outlets and topics generate the most engagement. For instance, I looked at past press mentions and social media shares to identify the stories that got the most attention.
One time, I noticed that articles covering industry trends, rather than product launches, received more media coverage and shares. Based on this insight, I shifted our pitch strategy to focus on thought leadership and trend-driven content. This resulted in securing placements in outlets like Forbes and Business Insider, with a noticeable spike in media coverage.
The key insight here was understanding what resonates with both journalists and their audience, then aligning our strategy to those preferences.

Magee Clegg · Answer

At Cleartail Marketing, we've successfully used data analysis to improve our earned media strategy, particularly through media asset tracking. By monitoring which content assets resonate most with our target audience, we tailor our strategies to create similar high-engagement content. For example, using tracking data, we identified that in-depth case studies on B2B client successes generated considerable media interest, leading to a 5,000% return on investment for specific campaigns.
Another significant insight came from evaluating Google Listing reviews. We managed to generate 170 5-star reviews within two weeks for a client by strategically prompting satisfied customers at optimal points, informed by data analysis on customer journey touchpoints. This increased organic mentions and improved the brand's online reputation, demonstrating the power of integrating data-driven insights to guide media strategies.

Maxwell Mabe · Answer

In my role at Aprimo, data has been at the forefront of shaping effective earned media strategies. For a client like CBS, we used analytics to track audience engagement with content assets across various platforms. We identified that video clips related to upcoming shows generated the most organic traction, particularly when paired with user-generated content. This insight helped craft campaigns that prioritized video formats, boosting viewership and engagement.
When working with Tesla, data showed that timing and content type played crucial roles. We found that posts on cutting-edge technology received higher engagement during specific time slots. This allowed us to optimize our release schedules to align with peak engagement periods, elevating Tesla's visibility in earned media channels. These data-backed strategies have demonstrated how precise analytics can drive significant improvements in media strategy outcomes.

Cameron Rose · Answer

Looking at our keyword data last quarter, I noticed financial advisors were searching more about 'portfolio stress testing' during market volatility. I reorganized our content calendar to create detailed guides on this topic, which ended up getting picked up by three industry publications and drove a 40% increase in organic traffic. Based on this success, I now regularly analyze Google Search Console trends to spot emerging topics that journalists might be interested in covering.

Macy Troyer · Answer

I recently analyzed our social media engagement metrics across 30+ client industries and noticed posts with personal stories got 3x more organic shares than promotional content. This insight helped me reshape our content strategy to focus more on behind-the-scenes glimpses and client success stories, which has naturally attracted more media attention without paid promotion.

Fahad Khan · Answer

Data and analytics play a pivotal role in shaping a successful earned media strategy. In a recent campaign, I reviewed the engagement rate on social media and discovered that UGC under specific hashtags outperformed branded posts. With it in mind, I used it to prompt the followers to post material with our product and promised to gift some of the best posts. What has been identified from the data was that authenticity was a more effective theme to which our audience responded. It was also important to make use of other share rates, mentions, and sentiments in order to maintain an optimal strategy. This kind of decision-making analytics made towards earned media is charted as follows. To make a long story short, by targeting what matters to the audience, I increased organic reach and enhanced brand credibility.

Shane McEvoy · Answer

We monitored organic search trends and referral traffic for an investment services client. This revealed that articles on sustainable investing were gaining traction. We created a PR strategy highlighting the client's expertise in this area, securing media placements in sustainability-focused outlets. This expanded the client's audience and brought in qualified leads.

Nick Campion · Answer

At Make My Freshener, data has been pivotal in shaping our earned media strategy. By analyzing customer orders and social media posts, we noticed a unique trend: many customers were creating custom air fresheners featuring their own faces or their pets'. These designs often sparked conversations and shares online, with people showcasing their personalized creations. This insight helped us focus on highlighting the playful and creative potential of our product. We amplified these customer stories on our social channels, celebrating their originality and encouraging others to do the same. This not only boosted engagement but also positioned our brand as a fun and versatile option for personalization, driving organic growth and inspiring more customers to get creative with their designs.

Devon Mobley · Answer

The challenge of getting healthcare publications interested in our software changed when we started sharing actual usage data from our platform. I recently analyzed how nurses saved an average of 45 minutes per shift using our scheduling tool, which caught the attention of several nursing journals and led to organic coverage. While numbers alone don't tell the whole story, I've found combining data with real user testimonials makes our pitch much more compelling to healthcare reporters.

Clayton Johnson TCM · Answer

At TWINCITY.COM, I leveraged data analytics to optimize our earned media strategy by conducting competitor backlink analysis. We found that industry blogs, often overlooked, played a pivotal role in boosting rankings for top competitors. By targeting these blogs for collaborations, we secured valuable backlinks that lifted our SEO performance, leading to a 30% increase in organic traffic over six months.
I also used AI-driven tools to analyze and streamline content creation. AI helped track and refine content based on audience engagement metrics, allowing us to tailor campaigns that resonated more effectively with our audience. This approach not only improved engagement rates but also significantly reduced content production time by half, maximizing our team's productivity and impact.
Utilizing data and analytics has been a cornerstone of our approach at Twin City Marketing. A prime example involved analyzing our client's backlink profiles compared to industry leaders. We identified a common publication that consistently linked to top competitors. Targeting this outlet with tailor-made digital PR pitches led to high-quality coverage and significantly boosted our client's search rankings, with a 30% increase in organic traffic over six months.
Another valuable insight came from conducting A/B tests on content elements, such as call-to-action (CTA) design. In one instance, a simple color change in a client's CTA button from red to green raised click-through rates by 21%. This reinforced our commitment to data-driven strategies, proving that assumptions don't always align with audience behavior. Analytics enable us to refine approaches that truly drive engagement and results.

Chris Bajda · Answer

In today's landscape, guessing your way to successful earned media just doesn't cut it. For me, data and analytics have been game-changers, not just tools, in crafting smarter, more targeted earned media strategies that get results.
One of the most impactful campaigns I led involved using sentiment analysis and social listening tools to understand audience perception before launching a PR push. We were promoting a new product line for a client in the health and wellness space, and traditional approaches weren't delivering the reach we wanted. By diving into data from platforms like Brandwatch and Google Trends, we discovered that conversations about sustainable packaging were trending within our target demographic.
Instead of sticking to a generic product pitch, we repositioned the campaign to highlight the brand's commitment to sustainability. This small pivot led to a 27% higher share of voice across earned media channels compared to previous launches.
The insights didn't stop there. We tracked engagement metrics from initial coverage to see which narratives resonated the most-metrics like article shares, referral traffic, and time spent reading. One piece of feedback we gleaned was that stories tied to personal impact (like testimonials from eco-conscious customers) outperformed general announcements by 15% in engagement rates. This informed how we pitched follow-up stories, focusing on human-centric angles that drove more authentic media pickup.
Another time, I used A/B testing for headline strategies in media outreach. Data showed that publications were more likely to pick up stories framed as industry trends rather than specific product promotions. For example, "The Future of Sustainable Packaging in Wellness" generated 40% more media pickups than a headline directly referencing the brand's new line.
What's been most helpful in all of this is closing the loop on analytics. We don't just track media hits; we tie those back to referral traffic, social shares, and even downstream sales. One client saw a 12% lift in conversions directly linked to earned media, and that insight made it easier to refine future pitches to focus on what truly drives ROI.

How to Use Data to Inform Your Earned Media Strategy

How to Use Data to Inform Your Earned Media Strategy

Use Data to Boost Brand Visibility

Track Journalists Covering AI

Optimize Pages to Increase Engagement

Analyze Platforms for Better Storytelling

Leverage LinkedIn for B2B Engagement

Boost Local Search Presence

Focus on Trend-Driven Content

Tailor Content Based on Media Asset Data

Prioritize Video Formats for Engagement

Spot Emerging Topics for Media Coverage

Reshape Strategy with Personal Stories

Prompt UGC for Better Engagement

Highlight Expertise in Sustainable Investing

Promote Customer Creativity

Share Usage Data for Media Coverage

Target Industry Blogs for Backlinks

Use Sentiment Analysis for PR Success