The Inside Scoop
How to Capture Earned Media While Riding a Wave
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By Javier Lozano Jr arned media is one of the most challenging forms of marketing there is because it’s mostly out of your control. Paid media – pretty easy. Find a channel (Facebook if you’re a wrap shop), narrow your audience, create an ad that will make people stop scrolling, put some money against it, and you’re off to the races. The goal is simple. Generate revenue. However, earned media is a different animal. It’s a brand play. It’s your “reputation” – what people think of you/your company. When you run a branding campaign, you won’t see an immediate impact on revenue. But, if you play your cards right, a branding campaign can outperform your paid media campaign. Let me explain. Earned media is when someone else uses their platform to write a story about you or your company. Traditionally, earned media has always been news stations, newspapers, print publications, radio, etc. The mainstream outlets. Today, earned media has expanded beyond the normal outlets. Influencers, industry blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, private groups, and digital publications (such as The Wrap Fam) have played a vital role in the growth 10 l WrapFam Unleashed l January 2024
of earned media. The opportunity to capture earned media is there. But, how do you get it? I’ve created a framework over the years that has tipped the scales in my favor in getting earned media. I’ve been featured on the news (both live and recorded) 3 times, in newspapers 4 times, got a website to go viral, and more. My latest earned media was riding the wave of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.
The Backstory If you’re a college sports fan, you know Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes football team are shattering viewership, ratings, and more. Plus, I’m a University of Colorado alum. When Coach Prime got hired in December 2022 — I told my wife that I wanted to wrap my truck because I believed he would transform this team. Fast forward to September 2nd, 2023. They beat TCU on the road. Next weekend, they beat their nemesis, Nebraska at home. The following weekend, they beat in-state rival Colorado State. The game ended at 2:30am and had nearly 10 million viewers watching. This is unheard of during the regular season. Especially for the Colorado Buffaloes. They’ve been the laughingstock of college football for the better half of 2 decades. A movement was happening in college sports, and Colorado was the center of it.
