Businesses shouldn’t have to rely on new hires, products, funding or other announcements to produce news. A steady drumbeat of the contributed content, compelling data, executive interviews and company news are all part of running a holistic, successful media relations program. These different types of coverage make up a SaaS company’s PR coverage mix.
SaaS brands that fail to focus on coverage mix miss opportunities to reach key stakeholders at important stages of the buyer journey, lose the chance to inject their expertise and messaging into existing conversations and can struggle to gain recognition as a market leader.
Types of Media Coverage for SaaS Brands
For SaaS brands looking to improve their coverage mix, there are five key types of coverage that are important to secure:
- Contributed content – Also sometimes called a bylined article, byline or op-ed, contributed content is any written article provided to a publication that was authored by or on behalf of someone representing the company.
- Feature – Features focus primarily on the company; competitors are typically only mentioned as a means of comparison. Articles devoted to the company or the company’s spokesperson are also considered a feature.
- Quote – Coverage that includes a quote from the company’s spokesperson, a customer acting as a company spokesperson or a branded data report — either in writing or as part of a broadcast interview — were designated as a quote.
- Press release posting – When an editor publishes a press release, either in part or in full, this was considered a press release posting. Articles that include the name of a wire service, such as BusinessWire or PRWeb, are not media coverage.
- Mention – Any coverage that mentions the company by name — but is not considered contributed content, a feature, a quote or a press release posting — can be viewed as a mention.
Securing these types of coverage requires a variety of press outreach strategies. However, only one — press release postings — requires an announcement or writing a press release. Because of this, even without a swell of new hires, products, funding or other announcements, companies that understand the coverage mix can secure meaningful PR coverage.
Curious how other SaaS brands are taking advantage of each of the five types of coverage in the coverage mix? Download our new data analysis, “SaaS PR: Analysis of Fastest-Growing Brands,” for a closer look at each coverage type.