Josh Birch, Media Relations Manager
Many of us read George Orwell's classic satirical novel, Animal Farm, in school. Though it was published over 80 years ago, it is filled with universal themes still relevant today. One of my favorite (paraphased) quotes is, “We’re all equal, but some of us are more equal than others.”
While Orwell used the paradoxical statement to illustrate the contradictions of political power, the message can also be applied to the PR world: All positive media coverage is valuable, but some of it is more valuable.
Earned media coverage is valuable as it provides important third party validation; improves search, generative, and answer engine optimization; and it helps thought leaders make the leap from an individual expert to an industry-wide authority.
For health tech, biotech, and life sciences companies, these are the most common media mediums:
Bylines provide a Subject Matter Expert (SME) the chance to weigh in on an industry-wide problem and present a data-backed solution. While bylines are almost always required to be vendor-neutral, they present a valuable thought leadership opportunity to demonstrate why an SME is a trusted authority on the topic.
Interviews can be in-person, over the phone, in writing, conducted over virtual platforms, or even live broadcast. Regardless of the format, a reporter will ask questions and the SME’s answers provide background information, quotes, and data that help shape the coverage.
Round-ups are short contributions from multiple experts around a single topic. A journalist contacts several potential contributors and asks each person the same or similar question. The resulting article includes a quote or short response from the experts who offer a unique perspective, relevant information, a quotable answer, a contrarian viewpoint, and other subjective criteria.
Podcasts are generally 20-30 minute conversations with a host. Because this format tends to be less formal and more personality driven, the best guests organically weave their messaging into relatable stories. Podcasts often have a niche audience interested in a specific topic and a nearly unlimited shelf life.
Company features focus primarily on a company’s story, people, innovation, growth, products, or impact. This type of editorial coverage is usually more substantial and narrative-driven than a standard news story. While a company feature offers the ultimate third-party credibility coverage, it’s also the most difficult to secure because a journalist has to believe there is a compelling story beyond the company, then tell that story in a non-promotional way.
Now that we’ve established the most common types of coverage, the next logical question might be: Which one is the most valuable? There isn’t an Orwellian answer.
A quote in the New York Times is exciting. The nation’s paper of record has a massive reach, but how many of those readers are your potential customers? Is one sentence printed near the end of a 1,000 word article buried on page 50 as impactful as an 800-word byline written by a company’s CEO and printed in a trade magazine that directly reaches the company’s target audience?
Until recently, the answer was subjective.
That’s why Sōvyn created a proprietary, data-informed program specifically designed to measure earned media value for clients in the healthcare space. PRISM™, which stands for Public Relations Impact Scoring Method, objectively quantifies the true value of coverage by applying weighted universal PR criteria to every placement.
To generate the “score” of a media placement, PRISM™ looks at many factors including the inclusion of key messaging, use of a company backlink, a direct citation from an SME (and its location in the body of the story), and the potential reach of the outlet. PRISM™ scores are based on a possible 1,000 points to demonstrate the value of a story, with exceptional stories that create a lasting impact scoring between 700-1,000, and strong stories that demonstrate a strong contribution to increasing brand presence and positioning scoring between 500-699. Any story scoring below 500 is considered to offer moderate or niche exposure.
A perfect 1,000 score means a story checks all the boxes. It includes key messaging, positions the company in a positive light, includes direct references to the company and/or spokesperson, provides a backlink and a company image, and has a large potential reach.
As experts in generating high-quality earned media coverage for healthcare clients, Sōvyn stands ready to help your company meet key goals through an array of different modalities and outlets. To learn more, click here.