PR and communications professionals have the never-ending task of finding new and innovative ways to help share their brands’ and clients’ messages. The public relations industry has changed drastically over the years, from newswires to press releases to traditional print ads to the advent of native advertising and sponsored content, but it seems like the last two years have accelerated innovation more rapidly than ever.
With a traditional MAT Release, PR professionals can guarantee media coverage by distributing their content to print and online news publishers. A Premium Business MAT Release is a sophisticated upgrade to this option, giving brands a way to get their content placed directly on the front pages of business sections of some of the top publications and business journals in the country.
Simply put: A Premium Business MAT Release is a lightly branded piece of content distributed across a network of online publishers, which is then amplified to boost engagement and reach, including on publisher and brand websites, social media and section-fronts of select websites’ business pages.
Are you looking to understand more about the Premium Business MAT Release and if this PR tactic is right for your campaign? Here is a complete breakdown of this service, including benefits, examples, tips and more.
What are the benefits of a Premium Business MAT Release?
Earning media placements is a continued challenge in the PR world, so relying on the Premium Business MAT Release to help supplement your campaign’s strategy is a great way to guarantee coverage. Our VP of Marketing Curtis Smith wrote an informative article on how the Premium Business MAT can help corporate communications programs thrive. In addition to those industry-specific tips, here are more top benefits of this new distribution tactic.
1. Business section-front placement
Many times, a piece of sponsored content on a news site will be located in a special section online for advertisements or other paid articles. With the Premium Business MAT Release, these articles will be featured directly on select websites’ business section-fronts, meaning that your headline and thumbnail image will be alongside other top business articles of the day, seamlessly woven among trending news stories and industry posts.
2. Advanced targeting options
In addition to earning placements directly on top publishers’ websites, PR professionals can work with their brands to determine exactly who sees their article. Using Brandpoint’s amplification targeting options, you can choose from a number of demographic segments, including location, age, job title, income, relationship status and more. Reaching your exact audience is key to getting the right eyes on your content.
[Read More: 6 Proven Ways to Make Your MAT Release More Engaging]
3. Guaranteed metrics + detailed reporting
After being in the MAT business for over two decades, we have what we do down to a science. The metrics we provide come directly from our long-time relationship with publishing networks, as well as our own reporting methods. Clicks, engaged views, placements, audience reach and more are all easy to find and report to your brands thanks to our updated reporting dashboard.
Learn more about the interactive reporting dashboard here.
4. Access to top quality content creation teams
When you think of sponsored content, it’s easy to picture ad-filled copy that is more focused on selling a product than helping or informing a consumer. That’s not what a Premium Business MAT Release is. These pieces, whether they’re written articles or videos, are lightly branded, but the main intent is to truly reach audiences, giving them information that will genuinely help them.
To make content like this — something that both hits marketing goals and helps audiences — you need a team that considers all aspects of the campaign. From writers to editors to designers to videographers, Brandpoint’s creative services team knows exactly how to craft a MAT that will succeed.
5. A way to meet higher expectations of consumers
As the PR industry changes, one driving force is the way that consumers interact with brands. Audiences and buyers now expect so much more from the businesses they align themselves with, such as corporate social responsibility efforts and a commitment to being more transparent.
Premium Business MAT Releases provide a way for thought leaders and executives at companies to speak to these topics that audiences are looking to see.
Premium Business MAT Release Examples
A Premium Business MAT Release should speak directly to target audiences whether the article is placed in an online news publication like the Los Angeles Times. Here are a few examples of articles that have been distributed to our network.
See how Emerson Electric used the Premium Business MAT Release in their sustainability campaign.
Best topics for Premium Business MAT Releases
While the Premium Business MAT Release is a great fit for many types of industries and brands, several topics are best suited for these types of campaigns.
- Corporate Communications
- Executive Visibility
- DEI & CSR Campaigns
- HR Initiatives
- Green and Sustainability Efforts
- Crisis Communications
- Employer Branding and HR Messaging
- Thought Leadership
Brand reputation and awareness campaigns can also be supplemented by the Premium Business MAT Release. By controlling the message that your brand is putting out, you’ll be able to strategically tell the exact story to best represent your brand. And as listed above, moments of crisis demand urgency, so the fast and effective distribution options with the Premium Business MAT Release help you get accurate information out quickly and with guaranteed audiences.
[Read More: 3 Ways Content Fuels Your Online Reputation Management Strategy]
Premium Business MAT Release FAQs
What is the process of a Premium Business MAT Release campaign?
The first thing in any distribution campaign is learning about your brand’s goals and standards. You’ll work with a content consulting team member to figure out what strategy is best for your team, including content angle and timing.
Next, your content will be developed by an experienced creation team and will go through a sophisticated workflow, built with editing and approval steps along the way. Nothing we create and publish with your brand’s name on it will be distributed until we have your stamp of approval.
Once your campaign is launched, you’ll receive a link to a dashboard with real-time metrics and data on placements, as well as links to your online content.
If your team has chosen social media amplification options, you’ll also receive proofs and links to the published social media posts, which you can share from your company to gain social advocacy and engagement on your own channels.
[Read More: What is the Difference Between a MAT Release and a Press Release?]
Where does the Premium Business MAT Release fit into the PESO model?
This piece of sponsored content is unique in that it could be considered every single type of media in the PESO model.
- Paid: First and foremost, the Premium Business MAT Release is a paid article. We’ve worked with our networks to ensure guarantees on securing online placements through syndication and distribution.
- Earned: Every MAT Release — Premium or not — is also placed on brandpointcontent.com, which is a resource that online editors around the country use. Your article could be organically picked up to be shared in news publications, earning free placements and links alongside your campaign.
- Shared: These high-quality placements are a great way to boost your brand’s social advocacy. When employees share these articles on their LinkedIn or other social accounts, they’re calling on the implied endorsement of the well-known authorities of the publications who posted the MAT.
- Owned: Brands own the content that is created for them, so any images or copy can be used in their own marketing materials online.
Why is it called a Premium “Business” MAT Release?
Brandpoint crafted this distribution tactic based on the growing needs of PR professionals as well as industry changes. Consumers want more from their brands — they want to know their social stances, philanthropy efforts, statements on current events, and messaging about actions businesses are taking to better their community — and PR and communications professionals need a way to get these stories out.
The “business” comes directly from that — these are articles, either feature or bylined, that center around business aspects. Thought leadership, executive visibility or informational articles all based on the intersection of a brand’s product or service and the brand itself.
Knowing this, we thought the best place for these articles to live was directly amongst other business-related content. These high-quality articles will now be seen directly on section-fronts of the business pages of online newspapers, as well as directly on The Business Journals publications.
Are there SEO benefits to the Premium Business MAT Release?
The Business Journals placements are all permanent links that are never behind a paywall, meaning that even when your campaign is over, the article will remain indefinitely. Our writers are skilled with SEO best practices and your Premium Business MAT Release will be optimized for your target audience.
[Read More: 5 Ways to Overcome the Paywall in Media Relations]
Additional tips and resources
- 7 Ways to Get Your Story Published Online This Holiday Season 2022
- Holiday Topics that Print Newspaper Editors are Looking for This Season
- The Top 6 Trending Topics for Summer MAT Releases
- 10 Proven MAT Release Writing Tips
- The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Modern MAT Release [eBook]
Ready to start?
If you want to know how to get more out of your PR and communications campaigns with the Premium Business MAT Release, get in touch today! We’d love to brainstorm topics and ways to connect with your audience.
