Monitoring industry and competitor media coverage is an essential part of any corporate marketing and PR program to help inform positioning and media relations strategy and to gain key insights into hot, must-hit and even overdone topics. There are a variety of media monitoring services available for coverage tracking, but there are also cost-effective options for tight budgets including:
Real-time Alerts
It’s important to set up real-time alerts on industry news through Google Alerts using targeted keywords. This is a great way to receive notifications on breaking news and competitive tracking as it publishes. While these alerts can help you decide whether to push an announcement, they can also uncover potential new media quoting and commentary opportunities.
Social Media
Following competitors on social media is another great channel to keep tabs on the latest announcements, features and branding but also enables monitoring of recent coverage. This information is invaluable to understanding the topics competitors are commenting on and points for differentiation.
Industry Newsletters
Newsletters from top industry publications are excellent resources to identify trending media topics and what is likely to gauge the interest of a reporter from that outlet. Consistently reading relevant market news can also offer insight on new angles and whether a specific topic is tired or oversaturated.