Home Brand PR Three alternatives to top-tier publications

Three alternatives to top-tier publications

March 11, 2019

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Sometimes, top tier publications seem out of reach. It’s not always possible to get a piece or even a mention in publications that are highly sought after. Clients and managers have high expectations, that can be impractical and unattainable.

While a piece in The New York Times might not seem in the cards, there are other options that might even be more fruitful. Clients can often be blinded by sheer readership numbers, when they should be thinking about the who, rather than the how many.

The trick is to steer your client in another direction and show them how targeting a particular audience rather than just numbers can have an impactful reach. Here are three alternatives to top-tier publications to get your client the right readership:

Podcasts

Podcasts are an excellent tool for targeting a specific audience. With their niche appeal, there are podcasts that cover an array of topics with a very specific group of listeners. Over the years, podcasts have continued to boom. They are better both in sound quality and quality of content, and more and more Americans seem to jumping on the podcast train.

Find podcasts that pertain to your brand and industry and you’ll find a very willing and engaged audience. Podcasts are a great way for your client to tell their story to a passionate, engaged and knowledgeable audience. Unlike local TV segments that last for a few minutes, podcast interviews are more in-depth, lasting anything from 15 minutes to an hour.

Podcasts also offer an opportunity for the material to be rebroadcast and repurposed in a multitude of ways. There’s the option of sharing a whole episode or even just a soundbite in creative ways.

Blogs

Blogs shouldn’t be overlooked as a form of media as they provide a channel for featuring long pieces in nontraditional formats, allowing for creativity and out-of-the-box promotion. There are many popular outlets that began as blogs that now receive millions of new visitors each month, so don’t underestimate the power of the blog!

If your client is hesitant about getting on the blogosphere, inform them of the positives. Blogs are an easy format to work with, compared to traditional media outlets. It’s a great place to share opinions, advice, commentary and insights in a candid and more personal way. There’s also the option of incorporating different forms of media, such as videos, pictures and memes into posts. Furthermore, when it comes to the publication cycle, traditional media outlets can take time, whereas blogs are more instantaneous.

Trade Outlets

Trade media is specifically targeted to a certain profession, industry or trade, making it an excellent outlet to reach the people that matter. While the readership numbers may not be as high as traditional media, it’s the quality of the people that are reading it that makes the difference. By getting published on a trade outlet, you know that the people who are reading your content are people who are interested and engaged with the subject matter.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO and Founder of 5W Public Relations.