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Anyone with experience in media relations and marketing will be very familiar with this situation: no matter how good an idea is, no matter how crisp a story is - sometimes nobody gets it. In over 20 years, we have already developed countless storytelling strategies for companies and brands. In this blog post, however, we don't just want to talk about creating good stories, but about content distribution. Where should we tell a story so that it is heard?

Content distribution in itself is nothing new. As a well-known marketing term, it actually just means that you pass on content to your target group - via a specific channel. However, distribution has gained enormous strategic importance in recent years. Because with the growing number of digital channels is opening up new opportunities for many companies to tell their stories on different platforms simultaneously and thus increase their reach. Unfortunately, not all companies are able to seize this opportunity - often due to their planning or internal structure. We want to help you make your stories heard even more in the future!

The most common mistake in content distribution: communication!

Unfortunately, many marketing and PR departments still fail to inform their team colleagues about planned projects and involve them in the planning where possible. It is often forgotten that a whole range of people or departments are affected by communication activities. This not only leads to missed opportunities, but also feeds frustration within the company: The person responsible for the newsletter has to desperately search for ideas for the next mailing every month and run after everything, even though there is super content from a current campaign? That doesn't have to be the case! So get away from departmental thinking as quickly as possible - i.e. corporate communications, marketing, social media, employer branding, etc. - and instead create regular newsroom meetings with all employees involved in communication in order to be able to implement joint storytelling on all channels.

Tip:

If many people and departments are involved, a central contact person is essential for every campaign. This person must know all the deadlines, provide the necessary material and also ensure that controlling works. Depending on the size of the company, it may also be worthwhile having a digital asset management system where all parties can store and share their content. Or simply a Dropbox or Google Drive. Important: Set clear guidelines for labeling folders and files as well as special shares.

Mistake number 2: Lack of knowledge about platforms and channels 

When we ask customers which channels they usually use, the answer is often: I don't know, someone else is responsible for that. We therefore recommend that you create an overview of all internal and external communication channels. This will quickly show you how many platforms a company actually has and who is responsible for them. The POE model (also known as PESO), which is mainly used in media planning, can be very helpful for a list. A distinction is made between "Paid Media Channels" (paid channels), "Owned Media Channels" (own channels) and "Earned Media Channels" (earned channels). There are now also "shared media channels" - which actually only refer to social media platforms. In larger companies in particular, it often goes unnoticed who is actually doing what and with what frequency. But if you keep an overview, you can see and exploit opportunities for synergies at the next creative meeting.

The POE model (also known as PESO) helps to recognize how many platforms a company actually has and where synergies can be used.

Tip for internal content distribution:

When it comes to owned channels, please don't just think of websites, newsletters and the like! There are also exciting internal company channels. Many companies forget that they should also inform their staff about major campaigns. They are the best brand ambassadors and multipliers. So don't forget the intranet and internal mailings!

Mistake number 3: Wanting to serve too many or too few channels

There is suitable content for every distribution channel. Of course, it always comes down to prioritization. Do I have to prioritize for every PR story an infographic for every PR story that I can then share on Pinterest? No! But it's worth thinking about this in the strategic phase and weighing up what is and isn't effective. If you leave out PR right from the start or think that the current topic is not exciting enough for a blog, you may miss a great opportunity to build up a lot more reach - or in the case of PR - trust or credibility with the media. That's why you should plan each campaign individually and try out new things. What definitely helps is to define a target group. Who do I want to reach with the story? Where are these people on the move? How should I adapt the story or content for this channel? Depending on the age or media usage of the target group, certain platforms may then be superfluous.

Would you like more details and know-how on content distribution? Then listen to our StoryRadar podcast episode with Larissa Eichin to! It's also available on Spotify, Google or Apple podcast available.