May 24th, 2023, Andrew Farmer
Research findings are a great way to generate media coverage and YouGov uses engaging research findings every day to build our own profile in the press. It is one of the reasons we are the most-quoted research company in the world* and why PR agencies come to us for their surveys.
Once you have the data, how do you secure media coverage for research-led stories? We know it works, because we do it ourselves every day.
Here are 3 key ways we use survey data in this way at YouGov:
Secure exclusive coverage
One of the best ways to encourage media publications to cover your content is to offer it to them exclusively. This means offering the data to a specific publication ahead of anyone else in their space, so that they can break the news first.
In a competitive landscape, this can help generate the traffic and viewers brands need to hit their targets, so it’s a good way of encouraging a key outlet that you think will do your story justice to cover your story well, as a priority.
Exclusivity gives you control over where your content is placed and a confidence in knowing, ahead of time, what you’ve already secured. It’s guaranteed PR!
YouGov recently had a story in the US about airline etiquette which we took to CNBC exclusively. Not only did they do a full write up of the story, but they also covered it in broadcast bulletins.
Following an exclusive, other outlets also often pick up on the story, meaning you get even greater exposure.
Setting up exclusives with media agencies is a great way of generating coverage at volume. In the UK, we shared exclusive data with the Press Association about AI which was run in major outlets.
Go international
For some brands it is important to get international reach, and getting global coverage from your research is a great way of accomplishing this.
YouGov Surveys is available in 70+ markets, meaning you can ask the same insightful questions across multiple markets to track global differences in opinion and behavior. What better way to tick off all your international coverage OKRs at once?
While international studies are often thought of as centering around highbrow topics, we recently published an international story on a very accessible area: men’s toilet habits. The story was picked up in the UK (including the front page of The Times) and Europe but also achieved coverage further afield, including Australia and Singapore.
Due to the nature of its global investigation, the story could get both local market pick-up from publications who were only interested in their country and broader coverage from those interested in drawing comparisons between different nations.
While the topic may be light, the reputable nature of YouGov data at the heart of the story helped to secure broad media exposure.
Target B2B media
We don’t only seek coverage in mainstream outlets; YouGov also uses YouGov Surveys data to increase our presence in sector-specific outlets.
Whether you work across one key industry or multiple, making notes of the key B2B players and adding them to your distribution lists can help reach more readers who matter to your business.
One recent piece of research YouGov ran about streaming secured coverage in a range of entertainment titles, including Variety, IMDB and Screen Rant among others.
Whatever your objective, research data is a great way of raising your brand’s presence among your target media.
How to use YouGov research data to secure media exposure
Our primary option for generating surveys that can be published in the media is YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
Working with a YouGov Researcher to design and send a rapid survey, we’ll help on sample and survey design, providing options to reach nationally representative or target audience groups, for results you can quote in the media as YouGov research.
Cost-effective, reliable data to help you secure that coverage.
*Meltwater 2022