Congratulations are in order. Your retirement community just secured coverage from a coveted publication or news outlet. While there’s nothing wrong with taking time to celebrate this achievement, it’s important to think ahead on how you can best maximize the coverage for your community. Here are six ways to leverage media after it airs.
Share on Social Media
One of the easiest and most effective ways to make the most of your media hit is to share it with your followers on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or other portals. Tease the article or clip with a quote that will prompt followers to click through to the full story. Seeing your community featured will reinforce the confidence that current residents have in you, while also making you more appealing to prospective residents. There are a few important things to remember when it comes to sharing a clip or story on social media.
- Don’t share too much – The goal is to have people read or hear the news outlet tell your story, so finding that balance between teasing the story without sharing too much is essential.
- Tag the publication or journalist – Everyone likes to receive credit for the work they have done, and journalists are no exception. Tagging the account for the journalist, station or publication that produced the story is an easy way to say thanks that will go a long way.
- Add hashtags – Relevant hashtags allow your media hit to reach people outside of your established followers, leading to more exposure and potentially new followers.
- Share more than once – Don’t flood the timeline with multiple posts of the same story on the same day, but sharing again after a week or two is a great way to maintain relevance.
- Encourage other residents in your community to share – Again, the goal is to reach as many people as possible.
Write a Blog Post
There are a couple of different approaches you can take when it comes to blogging about your recent coverage. Maybe the story was brief, in which case a blog post would allow you to dive a little deeper on the subject to provide more information to your residents. If it was a more in-depth interview, a blog post will provide an opportunity to share background information about how the story came to be.
No matter which route you choose, the goal is to drive traffic to your website, or wherever else your blog lives. Much like sharing on social media, there are right and wrong ways to write a blog post about media coverage. The most important thing to remember is to refrain from telling the same story. The journalist worked hard on the piece, and they don’t need you to rehash what they have already written or said. Build off of what was reported by taking a new angle or approach to the story for your blog. Think of this as added value to that original story: what can you add that offers readers a behind-the-scenes look or information that didn’t make it into the media story? But also be sure to link back to the original story.
Pitch it to Other Outlets
Being featured in a reputable media article or story will instantly lend credibility to your retirement community or resident that was featured. Capitalize on this credibility by pitching it to other stations or publications. If a journalist sees that you were previously quoted, they may be more inclined to produce something of their own. Journalists like to know that their colleagues found a subject interesting too.
While the recent coverage will certainly get the ball rolling, it’s up to you to convince other journalists that there is more to tell. Maybe they can tackle the same story from a different angle or maybe there is a different resident that warrants a feature or interview. Turning one article or story into another or potentially more will allow your community to promote its lifestyle and stay relevant in the eyes of prospective residents. Also, additional coverage means you can start the process over with sharing on social media and in a blog post, again leading to more exposure.
Include in Your E-Newsletter
Sending an e-newsletter to residents and prospective residents is an easy and effective way to generate excitement about your community. In addition to any blog posts or other news that you share in your newsletter, including your recent coverage is a great way to reinforce that credibility in your community. When others see your name featured in a news story or publication, you become hard to ignore.
Much like the practice with sharing on social media, be sure to include a link to the story itself, giving credit to the journalist and station or publication. If you choose to share a snippet, keep it brief to encourage link clicks to the full story.
Share the Story Where You Work
The great thing about a good story is that it doesn’t end with the publication or broadcast. Did a newspaper story turn out to be an incredible feature on your organization, project or leadership? Most newspapers and magazines have a system already set up to get a physical reprint of the article and it can often come framed as well. Hang it up in an area with high traffic to show off the story to residents, staff and prospective residents.
Was the story on TV or radio? See if they have an embeddable video or audio clip and feature it on your website. While most news outlets won’t let you download and repost their content, most will allow you to embed something they have already posted online and it’s a wonderful way to get mileage out of that story for months or years to come.
Share It Again, and Again, and Again
Some stories are timely and lose their shine after a few weeks, but others are timeless and will be just as interesting next month or even next year. Make sure to keep a log of your media coverage and revisit it frequently to see what past stories you can share again down the road. Whether social media, blog posts or newsletters, a great story can live on for years and continue to support the lifestyle of your community.
After you’ve taken the time to maximize the potential of your recent media hit, be sure to go back to celebrate with your residents. Earning this coverage is a huge win for everyone involved and you all deserve to bask in the glory together.