While paid media has always been a cut-and-dry approach to publicity, earned media can often feel like an elusive unicorn. How does a brand get in front of the right journalist at the right time and result in an organic outcome consumers love? While it feels difficult, the process doesn’t have to be.

As media trends continue to change, earned media has never been more critical than it is now. But cold pitching journalists can feel confusing, slow, and infuriating when you’re answering the same questions on repeat and sending out samples you worry will never amount to anything.

Publicists don’t need this kind of stress or extra work. That’s why Press Hook’s platform is streamlined to make brand strategy easier to implement and earned media rates a simple metric to increase. 

Here’s how joining Press Hook will improve your earned media rates and give you the results and attention your brand deserves. 

Stay in control of your story

When a publicist creates a brand profile on Press Hook, they are at the helm every step of the way. Not only can you customize your profile and page, but you are fully in control of what the media’s first impression of your brand is.

There’s no confusion or second-guessing among journalists regarding your company’s founders and how the brand was started because that’s right there in your profile. Your messaging can stay consistent with your brand strategy across the board.

When it comes to earned media and your brand’s story, a lot goes into making it tangible and relevant. Research on earned media rates and brand strategy have found that three precise components affect the attitudes of consumers: 

• Emotion

Cultivating a positive emotional connection is crucial for a brand. Why? It's estimated that nearly 75 percent of prospective customers rate it one of the most important deciding factors.

With your profile on Press Hook, journalists can search for relevant brands  

that fit with the stories they’re currently writing. Pitching human interest pieces that relate to your brand help anchor the emotional connection between your product and your target audience. 

• Salience

Salience refers to how relevant you are to the consumer. Through an earned media lens, this can be something as simple as social media engagement. When happy customers or brand fans reply to social posts or tag your brand on their own personal platforms, you’re getting free publicity that goes very far. Considering 83 percent of consumers claim they “completely or somewhat trust the recommendations of friends and family,” posts like these are crucial. 

Finding your way into gift guides can also showcase just how relevant your brand is to your consumer’s needs. Many journalists search Press Hook specifically for gift guide fodder. Attracting the right journalist can score you one of these coveted media spots, improving your salience organically and with little effort on your part. 

• Fit

Fit refers to how a brand is relevant to a potential consumer’s lifestyle. Reviews from customers (and even journalists!) are just one example of earned media. And part of landing these features in gift guides, blogs, or on relevant influencers' social media accounts is getting your product in front of the right reporters. 

Typically, when journalists are interested in your client's product, they'll ask for a sample to review at home. And, well, the process of sending out samples can be time-consuming, including many follow-ups, check-ins and following tracking numbers. Press Hook simplifies the sample process by allowing journalists to make requests on the platform. Forget blindly shipping your products to a journalist and hoping they’re interested in giving you a good review. Now you know the journalist is interested in your brand because they’re making the product requests themselves. 

Make all your info easily accessible

When you’re trying to get your message out there, you often have to choose between having information easily accessible or maintaining complete control.

With Press Hook, brands and publicists are able to control their message while also keeping all necessary details (pre-approved by you for brand strategy cohesiveness) easily accessible for journalists, making the earned media journey that much simpler.

And when they do need more information, they can get in touch with you through your Press Hook profile with only a few clicks.

With all your pertinent information right there in your profile—perfectly polished and ready to go—you’ll never feel like you’re in a branding echo chamber ever again. 

Highlight your affiliate marketing compatibilities

Affiliate marketing is an essential part of brand strategy in today’s modern age. With 81 percent of brands and 84 percent of publishers using this kind of program, it’s nearly impossible to stand out without leveraging it. 

Many journalists must feature products only from within specific affiliate programs for their gift guides and regular shopping round-ups. It’s become a common strategy among media outlets that have struggled to increase revenue in other ways as digital media continues to dominate over old-school print. 

Press Hook makes connecting with the journalists keeping an eye out for affiliate programs even easier by highlighting all your affiliate programs in its special section of your customized profile.

Now, instead of trying to pitch journalists to notify them of your brand joining a specific affiliate marketing program, they can simply search for brands on Press Hook who are already using the programs they’re searching for.

Get showcased in guides just for journalists

One of Press Hook’s unique features is how we gather, organize, and curate our guides to showcase the brands on the platform. Journalists can search for specific categories on the site or browse through guides for a more tailored and streamlined searching experience. The best part? Your brand could show up in more than one.

Examples of some of our guides include: 

• Stock Your Medicine Cabinet
• Sustainable Kids' Brands
• All About Sex
• Everything You Need To Help With Sleep Changes
• Postpartum Essentials
• Pajamas & Sleepwear
• Tech for Working Professionals
• Female-Founded Tech
• The Best Brands for Foodies
• At-Home Date Night Essentials
• Black-Owned Fashion Brands
• Day-to-Night Pieces

And those are just a few of the hundreds of guides Press Hook curates to help showcase your brand to help increase your chances of getting in front of the right journalist at the right time to increase your earned media rates.

Press Hook is not just a tool—it’s an opportunity

Whether you’re a small business or a big brand, Press Hook is here to help you showcase your story and get your products in the hands of the right people so you can reach your target audience with ease and as authentically as possible.

Click here to learn more about how Press Hook can help your brand strategy today.