014 Build a growing audience for your brand: Looking at owned media through a PR lens with Andrés López-Varela

Become Your Own PR Machine

Welcome back to another insightful episode of "Become Your Own PR Machine," where we dive deep into strategies and ideas to help you build visibility, influence, trust and credibility for your business and personal brand.

I'm your host, Trevor Young, and today I’m joined by a true thought leader in the content space (and I don’t use that term lightly!) - Andrés López-Varela.

Andrés brings nearly two decades of experience across various marketing disciplines. His diverse background includes public relations, influencer relations, paid search, email marketing, content production, social media management – basically every key facet of modern-day marketing! He’s a rare beast, Andrés - someone who can genuinely ‘connect the dots’ in a way that’s meaningful and insightful.

Our conversation is free-flowing and expansive; specifically, we lift the lid on owned media, and explore the critical role it plays in PR, and marketing communications more broadly.

In this episode, we cover off:

The importance of owned media:

• Why it's foundational for long-term brand success.
• How it allows you to create an audience on your own terms.
• Its cost-effectiveness compared to earned or paid outreach.

Building credibility and authority:

• Aligning interests between what’s important to you as a brand and what captivates your audience.

Tactical aspects and examples:

• Understanding various forms like websites/blogs/email lists/podcasts/Youtube channels/events/books/research reports.

Destination shows and cadence:

• The value in creating consistent 'appointment' content (e.g., podcasts).
• Setting sustainable frequencies that won't lead to burnout but maintain engagement.

Planning is key:

• Developing a roadmap aligned with content mission and topics that excite both creator(s) and audience alike.

Choosing platforms wisely:

• Balancing quality over quantity – focus on better fewer platforms with higher frequency than spreading too thin without impact.

Andrés emphasises data-driven strategies tailored not just around SEO but with an editorial focus – all aimed at connecting audiences deeply with brands before any commercial ask comes into play.

We also discuss how, even if you have substantial budgets for promotion, investing wisely in owned media reduces costs over time while enhancing credibility.

*** PLUS *** Discover why starting small might be more beneficial when building up towards ‘destination’ shows like podcasts or live-streams, and how comprehensive research reports and whitepapers which can serve as cornerstone assets generating leads well beyond their initial release date.

Don’t miss out on these valuable insights! Tune in now and learn how owning your channels could become the anchor point for all things PR related within your business!

Connect with Andrés:

• website
• LinkedIn

Remember to subscribe so you never miss an opportunity to transform your business into a powerhouse PR machine!

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Onwards!

Trevor
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I help business owners become clear and confident in how they leverage PR, content and digital communications to build their brand and grow revenue. Contact me through my website, let's have a chat, no obligation whatsoever!

Let's connect on the socials - Twitter / @trevoryoung and LinkedIn /trevoryoung