Outreach, Public Relations and Earned Media

Earned media generated through public relations efforts is exciting and rewarding to receive. Earned media has three significant shortcomings, however:

It’s a level playing field

It has a short shelf life

What if the news about you is bad news?

Illinois Radio Network (IRN) can help you overcome all three successfully.

If you seek earned media to advance, or build support for, a position, there is an opposing position seeking the same favorable earned media. The “Media” endeavors to give equal time. You can’t overcome an opponent with earned media. You cancel each other out. It’s a level playing field.

Earned media has the most perishable of shelf lives. You hold your press conference. Every radio station, TV station and newspaper covers it. You're the lead story on the air and front page news the next morning. Then it’s over. You’re yesterday’s news. Earned media will not give you sustained exposure.

And if the news about you is bad news, look out! Leveraging enough earned media to counteract negative press is extremely difficult bordering on impossible.

Support your public relations effort with an ongoing paid media outreach campaign on Illinois Radio Network. When you pay for the time, there are three very positive outcomes you guarantee for yourself:

Your story is told exactly the way you want it told. The playing field is not longer level. You’ve taken the advantage.

Your story is repeated as many times as you want it repeated. You can keep yourself IN the news long after you ARE the news.

You can overwhelm negative press with as much positive information as you choose to bring to bear.