For the better part of a century, “earned media” has been the holy grail of any PR campaign.
If you had a new book to sell or a noble cause to promote, you tried to convince journalists at popular magazines and newspapers to write nice things about it. Then people would read the review and, being impressed by the endorsement of such a reputable outlet, rush to buy your book or support your cause.
That doesn’t really work anymore. Partly because the number of media outlets is shriveling, and partly because a glowing writeup doesn’t carry the same weight it did ten or even five years ago.
To illustrate: last year there was a hotly anticipated book that had generated a ton of buzz prior to publication. (We won’t name names because that feels mean-spirited.) The author had a compelling personal story and blurbs from half a dozen A-list celebrities. They were profiled in all the big print outlets and even appeared on all the big morning TV shows—which have traditionally been the launchpads for stratospheric sales.
A week after the release date, the author was still struggling to crack Amazon’s top 100 bestsellers.
This author had followed each step of the traditional PR playbook, and executed them to perfection. But the playbook was out of date. And anyone who’s trying to sell their product or service in 2024 can learn from their (very frustrating) experience.
So what does actually work? If print is dead, do you aim for podcasts instead? Should you tweet more? What about getting some influencers to do the posting for you?
All reasonable thoughts, and all wrong! Or at least, incomplete—because in our experience the answer is some or all of the above, plus a few other things depending on your specific circumstances.
Admittedly, this might sound a little demoralizing. It’s a lot of work, and it resists easy simplification. There’s no 3 Step Guide to Certain Success Regardless of What You’re Selling. But “there are no shortcuts” and “there’s no path at all” are very different things.
The stonecutter’s credo is helpful to keep in mind here, because today a successful PR campaign’s breakthrough comes not from one mighty, well-placed whack but rather a process of strategic chiseling.
For example, an author might start by creating a website for their book. Then they’d set up a speaking tour at bookstores, universities, and professional organizations in their region. They’d post about the book a lot on social media, and tap certain people in their networks to amplify specific messages that align with their normal posting habits.
The author might even dive into fan communities on forums like reddit and build parasocial relationships with their fans. Hell, maybe they do go after some magazines and podcasts as well—but instead of aiming for the Joe Rogan Experience or the New York Times, they seek out niche outlets that cater to fans of the same topics discussed in their book. If they’re writing about pasta history, they’ll have better luck with The Italian American Podcastthan Ezra Klein.
The point is: being a digital sharecropper isn’t viable anymore. You succeed when you own the means of (content) production, and when you tailor what you say and where you say it to your audience’s particularities.
It’s not a matter of swapping out Old Thing X for New Thing Y—it’s doing a whole bunch of things all at once, some new and some old. Kind of like how the key to getting healthy isn’t just “eat more vegetables,” but “eat more vegetables AND go for a walk every day AND get enough sleep, etc.”
Is that easy? Nope. Does it help to have some professional help? Definitely. Can you do it?
Yes.
Because the last word is rarely the end of the conversation.
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Today, even a glowing review in the New York Times doesn't move the needle that much. Getting people's attention takes a more creative approach. And it all hinges around owning the means of (content) production.
In the inaugural issue of A Better Way to Say That, we explore important questions like why does this newsletter exist? and why does PSE exist, for that matter? We also share a roundup of exciting new book launches, events, and job postings—along with perhaps the most effective fundraising email ever written. As far as business-y newsletters go, it's a fun read!
