Why You Should be Tracking Competitors' Coverage

With more than eight years of experience in public relations, one of the strategies that I’ve learned to be important is to actively keep tabs on competitors’ coverage.

Now, there are a few reasons why you should be implementing this strategy. And no, it isn’t to get jealous of coverage they have received that you would like. Unfortunately, you can’t win all the press, and there will be times when a reporter writes a story about a brand in your space and yours is overlooked. It’s not ideal, but it happens. There are two main reasons why you should be engaged with the press your top competition is getting.

First, you want to see the types of stories they’re going after. For franchise brands specifically, it’s important t o know if your competitor is aggressively announcing expansion plans, signing deals in areas where you have locations or want to develop, running marketing campaigns that are offering better deals, or creating more unique menu items on a regular basis. These are the types of things you should be looking to discover when you begin looking at the big players in your space. What you find can inspire you to tweak your plan or develop a new idea to elevate your company above the competition.

Second, it is important to understand where your competition is getting ink and the type of press they are getting. Do they have a stronger national media presence than you? Are they regularly getting written up in the top trade publications where you want to be featured? Do they have articles coming out weekly? By getting a pulse on your competition’s press, you might get a different angle or perspective on how you or your PR firm should be securing press for your brand. This also may give you a great contact that you know has already covered a similar concept and might be interested in learning more about your company down the line.

Once you take note of the what and the where for your competitor’s coverage, you can effectively plan out changes that you should put in place to level the playing field.

On a quarterly basis, or ideally on a monthly or weekly basis, if you have the resources, you should take a step back and analyze what your competitor’s media presence looks like and where you fit into the landscape. Set up Google Alerts on those you want to watch closely so that you can keep a constant eye on their coverage. Take the time to dissect their media page to better understand how often they’re getting coverage, the types of stories they’re getting placed, the types of publications writing about them, and if there are any good contacts that you should keep on your radar.

This exercise is great as an awareness tool, but also a strategy that can help you increase your media presence.  The old saying is that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so if you see someone in your space doing something right, go ahead and learn from their presence to help boost yours.