Whilst the power of a television interview, radio or newspaper opinion editorial piece for a business or brand remains very significant, even in today’s digital age, many media commentators fail to properly leverage their media engagements.  It’s your responsibility to make sure your online audience see and hear what you want them to, and if media is part of your strategy to be more visible or to be recognised as leader in your field, then you do want your peers, potential clients and customers to see your media appearances.

One of the first points to note is that you shouldn’t assume your ideal customer will be watching the TV, listening to the radio or reading the paper when you make an appearance.  And the rules of digital marketing only reinforce that. It’s now estimated that it takes 28-62 touchpoints to convert a customer from cold to converted –  from someone who has never heard of your business or brand, to someone who is buying from you. So, to put it simply, you need to share, multiple times on multiple platforms, the content and achievements you want people to see.

Here’s five key points you can immediately implement:

1. Ensure your social media platforms are up to date and properly reflect your company or personal brand. If you have old accounts that you aren’t active on, delete them.
2. Add ‘media commentator’ to your bio across all of your digital platforms – remember you must draw your audience’s attention to what you want them to see!
3. Utilise the Highlights feature on Instagram and the Featured section on LinkedIn to showcase your media engagements. A Media page on your website is also key!
4. Identify a call to action – you must be clear on the reason or reasons why you are doing it. Tell your audience what you want them to do! And consider capturing their information if you can with a lead magnet, such as a free template, checklist or 15-minute discovery call.
5. Package your media as attractively as possible. If you aren’t able to find an easily shareable link or video, capture good quality screenshots that showcase your appearance.

Regardless of whether you’re a media beginner or an experienced commentator, these principles are a great start to make sure you can make the most of every media engagement, and ensure your current audience and potential audience can see that you really are a media expert.

By Lanna Hill, Managing Director of Expert Registry and Talent Acquisition Manager at Media Stable.