When media partnerships make sense

May 6, 2019

When media partnerships make sense

May 6, 2019

Group Gordon’s Nick Berkowitz discusses when a media partnership may be strategic and what a successful one entails.

Keeping up a consistent and high-impact communications program can be a challenge for organizations of all kinds. Often, when time and resources are crunched, content creation and media outreach efforts fall by the wayside. Similarly, sometimes pitches just stop landing with key reporters—maybe because your content calendar doesn’t align or reporters’ inboxes are unusually full.

The good news is that media companies are just as hungry for great content as organizations are to get their content out into the world. Securing a media partnership can be a great way for an organization to build on existing reporter relationships and add certainty and structure to an outreach strategy. Typically a media partnership involves trading exposure in the publication for something valuable that the partner organization can contribute.

Securing a media partnership can seem daunting. What might an outlet want that only your organization can provide? However, organizations are usually pleasantly surprised by just how valuable access to their intellectual property or expertise is to media companies. A conversation with a reporter contact or the advertising department of a target publication will illuminate what the outlet is looking for.

The specific terms of these partnerships vary as much as the organizations that enter into them, but the most effective ones have the following three commonalities:

1. Regular exposure
Outlets are often willing to offer monthly columns, digital advertising, and priority submission consideration to their partners. This can form a valuable stream of opportunities for coverage. Regular opportunities for coverage can also spark content creation company-wide.

2. Better and more frequent contact with contributors
The best media partners are usually the ones you are already working with. The process of implementing and maintaining a partnership will generate additional opportunities for these reporters to better understand your organization and what it has to offer. In addition to deepening relationships with journalists, media partnerships are an opportunity to acquaint other contributors at the outlet with your organization and develop new relationships and opportunities.

3. Consistent communication
It’s important for the health of the partnership that both sides have a clear sense of priorities and expectations over the long run. This is best accomplished with regular, typically quarterly or biannual, check-ins between both organizations. These conversations are an opportunity to align editorial calendars, check to make sure both partners are fulfilling the terms of the agreement, and above all, revisit the question of whether the partnership is mutually beneficial.

Media partnerships can be a fantastic investment for building an organization’s profile. They offer not only an additional pathway to coverage, but also an opportunity to build a mutually beneficial relationship with a strategic outlet.