6 ways to get the most out of your media measurement tool

PR pros know that media monitoring is essential for capturing earned media and brand mentions, and for real-time awareness of developments during a brand or industry crisis. But its benefits go beyond measurement.

When used strategically, media monitoring will allow you to find new contacts and media outlets, create better pitches, insert yourself into narratives and give you a few ideas for your owned content.

But first, some important advice: These strategies will only work if you are monitoring more than just your brand, clients, spokespeople and products. You must widen your monitoring to include your industry and competitors. Consider these tactics:

1. Time your news.

Properly monitoring what’s being said about your competitors and your industry will also keep you from sending out pitches that have no chance. If there’s something big brewing in your industry (or beyond your industry) that’s overshadowing everything else, it might not be the right time for you to send your story out. Or perhaps you need to tweak it to fit the narrative already in the news.

2. Streamline your pitching.