How to Leverage Third-Party Reputation

How My Business Went from Zero to Being Taken Seriously — Overnight When I first started Hawke Media, it was just me. No team, no reputation, just the experience of having built and sold a few companies. But as a brand? We were a nobody. Not surprisingly, my first client was a friend. He saw the value in what I was doing and was paying me to help with his marketing. A few months in, he asked to have a talk. I could tell something was up. He got straight to the point: “Erik, I don’t have a lot of money to pay you right now, but I love the progress we’re making. I want you to do more. What else can we do?” I had two choices: Stick to a rigid time-for-money model. Or get creative. That’s when it hit me. He wasn't just a friend and early client. He was a partner in the making. I knew he was a contributing writer for Forbes, so I said, “No problem. I understand money is tight. We’ll find a way to partner on this and keep moving forward if you can feature my company in Forbes. Would that work?” A few weeks later, the article went live: “Why You Should Outsource Your Marketing to Hawke Media.” That single article changed everything. Suddenly, people searching for outsourced marketing and fractional CMO services were landing on our website. To this day, we still get traffic from it. But that’s not even the best part. The real value wasn’t just in the clicks. It was in the credibility. When a trusted publication puts your name out there, people start to pay attention. That’s the power of third-party validation. It opens doors. Build trust. And sometimes, it changes everything. 

Getting press coverage is great, but if you're not taking that coverage and merchandising it, you're barely scratching the surface of PR's value. Posting it on social media doesn't cut it! Earned press coverage = third party validation you should be shouting from the rooftops. Here are some ideas on how to merchandise that coverage: 💡 Have your CEO and/or quoted spokespeople or byline authors share coverage on LinkedIn with additional insights or a discussion prompt. 💡Showcase your thought leadership by including links to recent press comments and articles in your customer newsletter. 💡Add media logos to an "As Seen In" section of your website (make sure you license the logos, if needed!) and sales decks. 💡Use paid ads on social media to drive prospects and customers to press articles that reinforce your POV, show thought leadership, or positively highlight your product. 💡Hype your press wins up with salespeople and other employees and ask them to share it with their networks (provide copy-and-paste posts they can use!). 💡Send personalized, one-to-one notes to high-value prospects about thought leadership content that hits on their needs ("thought you might be interested in what our CEO shared on Bloomberg after our conversation on this topic last week"). 💡Consider incorporating REALLY significant mentions (e.g., Top publication names you as one of 25 companies to watch) into email signatures of folks who interact with customers, partners, etc. 💡Give press hits a shout out in your employee all hands. Seeing the products and services you work on featured in the press can be motivating and inspiring for employees!

When potential customers ask ChatGPT: “What’s the best tool for my business?” OR “Should I choose this or that as a tool?” The answer isn’t random. AI pulls from your website, customer reviews & industry mentions to make recommendations and AI surfaces strengths, weaknesses, and buyer personas—all based on public perception. Dharmesh Shah tested this with HubSpot vs. Salesforce and found something crucial: AI isn’t just comparing brands - it’s actively guiding purchasing decisions. And the way AI perceives your brand today? That’s how potential customers see it too. How to Improve AI's Perception of Your Brand: ✅ Refine your public content—Your website, blogs, and documentation should directly counter any misconceptions. ✅ Leverage customer sentiment—Encourage positive reviews and community discussions; AI factors these in. ✅ Strengthen industry credibility—News coverage, analyst reports, and thought leadership shape AI recommendations. The most effective content types? Customer case studies, Technical documentation, Third-party examples, Community success stories & Peer recommendations build trust. 💡 Your AI perception today is your market perception tomorrow. Want to test it? Ask ChatGPT how it compares your brand. The results might surprise you.

In a recent meeting, a board member posed a question that captures a fundamental tension in PR strategy: "How are we tracking the impact of our media coverage?" Great question. We track everything: authority scores, share of voice, media impressions. We also deliver 15 pieces of media coverage per quarter, including five top-tier placements annually. These numbers matter. But here's the catch: PR isn't just about metrics. Earlier this year, a WSJ thought leadership piece landed a client an enterprise contract with Twitter/X. You can't get a clearer line of sight from coverage to impact. So here's how I, as a PR pro who's handled clients from BMW to startups 3D printing space components, think about resolving the tension: 1. Measure What Matters   Metrics like impressions and authority scores are valuable for benchmarking progress, but they're not the finish line. The ultimate measure of success is the outcomes they drive: opening doors to enterprise contracts, investor/talent interest, acquisition offers, etc. 2. Build Third-Party Validation   PR isn't about chasing headlines or likes; it's about earning credible, independent endorsement. The WSJ placement worked because it put our client in front of the right decision-makers. 3. Leverage Wins to Multiply Impact   Coverage is just the beginning. Smart companies repurpose PR wins across sales decks, investor pitches, ads, and social proof. The value of strong coverage compounds when you use it strategically. 4. Focus on Long-Term Strategy   PR is not a "one-hit wonder." It's about building a consistent presence over time, creating credibility and trust. Big wins, like a WSJ feature, are built on earlier coverage in the trades and local pubs. 5. Broaden the Definition of Success   Not all coverage will directly drive website traffic or conversions… and that's okay. PR is about third-party validation and trust. Success is about influence and credibility, not just clicks. Bottom line: The numbers matter. But although PR's biggest wins aren't always quantifiable, they are most certainly transformational.

In B2B, PR won't drive revenue, but it will build credibility. A 20-second spot on CNBC or a mention in The Wall Street Journal won't drive traffic or leads. But that's not the point. Reputable gatekeepers lend credibility to you and your brand. You leverage this by showcasing those appearances on your website, LinkedIn profile, and event materials. It's a subtle but powerful way to build trust and authority with your audience. The media impressions aren't the goal. It's how you leverage the third-party validation that truly matters.