Template Earned Media Analysis
[ANNOUNCEMENT/EVENT NAME]
[Date]
Introduction
When examining the quality and reach of earned media coverage it is helpful to provide a comprehensive overview of news coverage. Begin with a short, high-level introduction of the amount and type of coverage. Make sure to provide some context to the analysis by mentioning what news was pushed to the media, who the primary audiences were for the story, and how this earned media outreach fits into larger efforts.
In the following sections, provide some additional details that can help qualify and quantify the success of your earned media efforts. While you do not need to provide an analysis of every article written, you want to make sure you provide a thorough, accurate depiction of news coverage.
Key Findings
In this section, call out some major highlights of news coverage. Consider using a bulleted list to keep your points concise. Some questions to consider include:
- How many stories were generated by your earned media outreach efforts?
- What type of outlets covered your story(ies)?
- What key messages got the most coverage?
- Were there any major articles or stories that were considered big “wins”?
Detailed Findings
Following the key findings, dive into the coverage in more detail. What was the general tone of coverage? Was it positive or negative? Did reporters include critical pieces of information? Was anything reported not entirely accurate, and needs to be corrected? Were there any spokespeople (e.g., students, teachers, business leaders, etc.) that attracted more coverage/quotations than others? As mentioned above, focus on the best stories that capture the overall sentiment of the media coverage.
To help readers digest the media coverage, focus your analysis on the most important stories—those from media outlets (e.g., newspapers, bloggers, local NPR station, etc.) that reach the largest audience, and/or target your most important audience. Feel free to give a brief, high-level description of each of the most important stories.
It is also important to capture a summary of your efforts to determine what strategies work best. What strategies did you employ to reach a reporter (e.g., emailed a press release, called directly, etc.)? What journalists did you reach, and how many of those that you connected with decided to write a story?
Recommendations
Based on your results, provide recommendations on what strategies worked well and what approaches to consider for future outreach efforts.
- What outlets/reporters would be most receptive to future news about Linked Learning? Were there any reporters that said they were interested, but were unable to write a story at the time?
- What outreach approach worked well? Were reporters more interested in the story when you offered specific data or framed the story in a certain way?
- Are there any other partners or advocates that would be willing also amplify your message through their communication channels (e.g., company newsletter or organization’s blog post).
- Are there any spokespeople that were specifically requested, such as a teacher or a business leader?
Full Text of Articles
At the end of your analysis is the best place to include all of the full articles for readers who want to dig a little deeper. We recommend copying and pasting the full articles instead of only including hyperlinks. Oftentimes older links can become inactive, or articles that are archived require an online subscription to access the full text.
[Title 1]
[Outlet 1]
[Publication Date 1]
[Author 1]
[Hyperlink 1]
[Paste full text 1]
The above article was also posted on:
[Outlet A] [Hyperlink A]
[Outlet B] [Hyperlink B]
[Outlet C] [Hyperlink C]
[Title 2]
[Outlet 2]
[Publication Date 2]
[Author 2]
[Hyperlink 2]
[Paste full text 2]
[Title 3]
[Outlet 3]
[Publication Date 3]
[Author 3]
[Hyperlink 3]
[Paste full text 3]