Positioning subject matter experts to tell a brand’s story in mainstream news outlets is a big part of the job for PR professionals.
Agency and corporate comms veterans rarely reveal their secrets for injecting their spokespeople into the news flow. Services like ProfNet and HARO certainly help wannabe newsjackers, but so can smart, real-time media monitoring strategies
For example, a simple search of the phrase “according to” in the Critical Mention monitoring service nets more than 50,000 mentions on television in a week.
In the same time period, there are more than 500,000 mentions across online news sites, including professional blogs and journals.
Even this article will find its way into the deep indexes of subject matter experts on searching “according to” across television and online news content.
At 12:54 PM EST on June 5, 2014, the International Transport Association is one of 50,000 experts cited in an over-the-air broadcast. In the segment, the news anchor mentions “there is a chance you will have an unruly passenger on your flight… according to the international transport association, more than eight thousand cases (of unruly passengers) were reported last year”.
At 12:53 PM EST on June 5, 2014, Variety was cited in a film synopsis. Captioning of the local station provides the summary of a film review, “the movie follows the forensic neuropathologist who discovered the existence of CTE in a professional football player, according to Variety”.
An advanced analysis and filtering of “according to” with the additional keyword “survey” refines the results to more than 1,100 weekly mentions. Retailmenot has been cited across local television markets for their “Father’s Day Shoppers Trend Report”. “According to this year’s…” report, 86 percent of us purchases gifts for mom but only 77 percent buy gifts for our dad.
Many organizations are frequently cited as subject matter experts in certain subjects. Take Discovery Health for example. “According to Discovery Health, just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five times a week can reduce your risk for heart disease by at least 20 percent!”
As a media analyst, it is easy to pair subject matter experts with “according to” combinations. For instance, adding “CPR” to an “according to” search locates the American Heart Association. According to the American Heart Association, “the seconds after someone goes into cardiac arrest are crucial. Studies show performing CPR can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival.”
Adding the keyword “association” to an “according to” search reveals more than 1,000 results in a week time span. “According to the National Coffee Association, 83 percent of American adults drink coffee.”
And how does one become an “according to” expert? By being a credible resource.
TV monitoring provided by Critical Mention
