Creating positive brand awareness with lifestyle content

Let’s talk about making the jump from marketing and PR to using “earned media lifestyle content” campaigns. We know it’s easier than you might think, because that’s been our thing for over 40 years. 

The days of relying on only organic PR with hopes of having reputational authority are mostly over. Creating a strong reputation and awareness for your brand and key messages requires meeting your audience where they live: at home.  

This means providing lifestyle-friendly information, something that they can use any day; it means seeing themselves in your brand and remembering it fondly. But to build on that, the source also matters. For example, they may have gotten great tips for house renos, they may have seen a great recipe to try out or found out key health tips they feel they can truly count on. All of these rely upon your sound reputation and the information coming from a trusted source they already use: their selected media source, whether it be radio/audio, written/print/online or helpful videos. 

This is where the easy part comes in: Earned media lifestyle content campaigns. 

While marketing can focus on a launch or a new product and be used for targeted tactics, lifestyle content avoids a too-specific focus and talks about something useful for many. Where ads interrupt an online search or your favourite local station’s music program, this is where the softer lifestyle content approach gives you interesting, entertaining and useful information that Canadians can use in their everyday life, at their pace and when they are ready to enjoy it. 

It’s called earned media content, rather than promoted marketing content, because it is not presented in a sponsored way. It’s just good info. It’s usable. It’s from a trusted media source the audience chose, and the associated awareness this builds is something all communications professionals want to achieve. 

Another difference is that it’s the editors and programmers who decide to use the content, which they select based on its worth and the usefulness it will have for their readers and listeners. It’s not a placement in the media, it’s their selection. That means it has already passed one checkpoint of trust for the intended audience. 

Everyone wants to be in the big papers – who can blame them? Everyone wants more reach. The dailies and larger media do use our distributed content, but what about those lovely small towns across Canada? These smaller communities are filled with environmentally savvy young adults looking for a simpler life, generations of families running small businesses and those getting away from the hubbub of the urban areas. Add seniors, DIYers and gardeners and you can see where everyday lifestyle content makes an impact. 

It’s a smart strategy to make sure your communications, marcom, social and PR strategies intersect and support your brand and messaging. That’s comms 101. If you add truly effective ROI (less than 1 cent per cost-of-contact) and guaranteed reach results, earned media content services makes good business sense. 

And, you can leverage content you already have! Our in-house editors can work with you to make it fit the right format. 

We know this is a unique service. But it’s easier to do than you might think.  

Ready to try it? Here are the key takeaways about earned media lifestyle content campaigns: 

• They use a content approach that establishes expertise, promotes brand awareness and keeps your business top of mind with potential audiences. 

• They create and distribute valuable, relevant and consistent lifestyle content to a broad audience. 

• They offer a reputational maintenance tactic for your brand and messages, using a unique approach. 

• They check all the boxes for ROI based on reach, cost-of-contact and more. 

• They may leverage content you already have. 

• The content is selected by editors who are the trusted media source chosen by the audience.

Plus, because we also include a reach guarantee and provide monitoring and reporting for each campaign, we know you will like how they create awareness while building your reputation. Our client case studies are great examples for you to check out: Case Studies – Work | Fifth Story. 

Connect with us today and we can show you how it works.