Earned media is among the most valuable forms of publicity your business can achieve. Unlike paid advertising or owned content, earned media is organic coverage your brand receives through word of mouth, press mentions, social media shares, reviews, and third-party endorsements. From your customers’ perspective, it’s highly credible because it comes from independent sources rather than your own marketing efforts.

For businesses looking to build trust, expand their reach, and enhance their reputation without breaking the bank, mastering the art of earned media—especially in trusted industry publications—is essential.

Understanding the unique value of earned media in B2B

B2B buyers conduct extensive research before making purchasing decisions, consulting multiple sources and seeking validation from industry authorities. Respected trade media make this work more efficient by collecting new product announcements, expert insights, and independent reporting in one place. Decision makers often bookmark articles, share them with colleagues, and cite them in internal presentations. As such, earned media mentions in B2B publications can go a long way toward getting your company or product in front of the right people.

How to earn media

So how do you earn media mentions in B2B publications? First, you’ll want to target trade media that cover your industry and familiarize yourself with their content. Note the tone of the coverage, as well as specific article types (e.g., product announcements, technical articles, case studies, Q&As, thought leadership columns, multi-sourced features), so you can hone your pitches. Next, find the appropriate editorial contact to pitch by looking at the publication’s masthead or digital staff page. From there, it’s time to decide what you can contribute. Here are some ideas.

Send product announcements and company news. Editors are accustomed to receiving emailed press releases and rely on this pipeline of information from companies. Short updates on a new product or company development might be run as news briefs, added to larger roundups, or could simply serve to keep your company top of mind for when an editor is looking for sources.

Pro tip: Include original photos (make sure you own the rights, no stock photos) and mimic the publication’s style for news briefs to increase the odds of getting your news published.

Offer up subject matter experts for interviews. The value proposition for trade media is that they connect readers with experts in their industry. If your company has experts on staff, encourage them to share their knowledge. Start by optimizing their LinkedIn profiles to highlight areas of expertise. You can also send editors a briefing on their background and what topics they can speak to.

Pro tip: Use newsworthy events your expert can weigh in on as a trigger to reach out to editors, who are often looking for informed sources in a pinch.

Pitch contributed content. Trade media often rely on professionals working in industry to contribute technical articles, case studies, and thought leadership pieces. Working with your subject matter experts to produce this content is a great way to showcase your company’s expertise. Remember that these kinds of contributions should not be promotional in nature. Your aim should be to educate the reader and showcase your company’s expertise, not hawk a particular product or service.

Pro tip: Run your idea by the editor first, as they may have feedback to better hone your article.

 Do’s and don’ts for earned media

To increase the odds of earning media from your efforts, follow these best practices:

• Do look at your target media’s contributor’s guidelines and editorial calendar and familiarize yourself with their content to ensure your efforts align.
• Don’t use articles from your company blog or that have already run in other media, as most editors won’t accept duplicate content.
• Do understand that editors get a lot of emails. Feel free to follow up once on your communication but accept that a lack of response is an implicit rejection.
• Don’t rely solely on AI to write content you submit to trade media. Make sure all submissions are reviewed and approved by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy.
• Do expect that any contributions you send will be edited for style and substance.
• Don’t ask to review finished pieces in which your experts are quoted before publication.
• Do share published articles via your own social media channels to increase reach.
• Don’t be surprised if you are asked to sign a contributor agreement—this is standard practice.

An essential part of your complete marketing plan

Earned media is a critical component in a strong, three-pillared promotional strategy that also includes paid advertising and owned content. Manufacturing by Informa has options to strengthen all aspects of your company’s marketing strategy. Reach out to your sales rep to see how we can help.