How to start building an earned media strategy

This edition of Second Read went out to subscribers on October 15, 2026. It is my weekly newsletter. You can subscribe here.

Are you a newborn royal baby? If not, your existence is not going to be news.

The most common problem I see with people who want media coverage: they don't know what they want to say, or why anyone should care.

This week, I want to unpack how to start putting together an "earned media strategy," aka organic coverage of you and your organization in the media. Not advertising, which is known as paid media.

Actionable highlights

• Identify your audience. What do you want people to do and why should they care?
• Stop spamming media lists. You are burning your credibility.
• Do your homework. Engage media with a history of covering your industry or issues.

Why engage with media?

"If I can't imagine it on page A6 on a slow news day, more homework needs to be done before we pitch it, because this is not a story."

This is the rule I've maintained with clients since launching Conaptus in 2013, helping leading political figures, companies and organizations unlock the power of effective communications to achieve their objectives.

And while printed newspapers are increasingly rare to come by, the underlying principle holds true and can be framed today as, "If I saw this headline, would I want to click to read the story?"

For a lot of leaders, "PR" and "media coverage" are something they associate with growth and view as a good thing.

But when you ask them why they want coverage or what they are trying to accomplish, they have not actually assessed why or how engaging with media supports their organization's objectives.

Engaging with media is very different from marketing communications. And understanding the key differences is crucial to unlocking its benefits.

The next time you enjoy a lunch or a pint with a journalist, ask them about the irrelevant pitches they are inundated with every day. Their general disdain for PR hacks is justified.

Communications professionals will also tell you media list and monitoring services can’t keep up with industry turnover and shrinkage. The desperate blast an email to whatever list they can get hold of, the ‘spray and pray’ approach. It’s a terrible tactic and it burns your credibility.

Building an earned media strategy

How people consume media has changed quite significantly, but the fundamentals of what makes a story have been remarkably consistent.

Engaging with media respectfully and with clear purpose goes a long way to earning and sustaining a place in the public conversation.

When building out an earned media strategy, ask:

• What audiences are you trying to connect with?
• Why would they care?
• What outlets serve that audience?
• Which journalists write about your story topic?
• What can you contribute to the public conversation?

Identifying which audiences would want to click a headline related to your proposed news and where you can connect with them needs to be at the core of your approach to earned media.

Each journalist has a different beat they cover. Outlets have varying editorial priorities that are aligned to a worldview or a particular group of people that make up their audience.

A local evening newscast covers very different things than an industry or trade publication.

Business reporters will be attracted to different stories and angles than their colleagues who cover politics or work the general assignment desk.

To effectively build a sustained earned media presence, you need to meet people where they are at, and then build the path to take them where you want to go.

By answering the above questions, you can focus your time and efforts on engaging with outlets and journalists most likely to be interested, and not waste your time or theirs.

From Conaptus

Conaptus is my practice: strategic counsel for leaders in the moments that matter, from a sensitive announcement to a crisis in full view. If you or your team are heading into one of those moments, let's talk about it.

I joined CBC's Power & Politics Tuesday night. You can watch the clip where I detail why calls to nationalize a single steel plant are headline-chasing masquerading as thoughtful policy.

Watch the clip here.

Three things I'm reading this week

A tribute to great wrong ideas by Janan Ganesh, Financial Times (paywalled)
Ganesh reflects on the contributions wrong ideas have made to humanity's progress. "Nuance at all costs is admirable. It is also at times a creative dead end." is a clarifying takeaway for anyone needing to write to help connect an audience to complex ideas.

The Game Theory of a Trade War by Justin Ling, Bug-eyed and Shameless
For all the noise the Americans are making while blowing up longstanding trading relationships, Justin Ling rather eloquently cuts through it all and lays out the strategy seemingly driving the Canadian response. It's a long, but worth it read, and it will help you make sense of the endless barrage of headlines.

Small-town Ontario has big lessons for Canada by Scott Aitchison
My dear friend Scott Aitchison announced he'll be resigning from Parliament. A total class act, I am sad to see him leave the House of Commons, but am excited to see what he does next. His reflection on public service and how things get done speaks to what one can accomplish in politics.

If something here landed, or missed, tell me. This gets better the more of you talk back.

Cheers,

-JE