Should we add a media page to our website? And how about an awards page? Those are questions I get asked from time to time.
Generally speaking it’s a good idea to add a media page and an awards page on brand websites. I discussed this topic on this episode of the Business Storytelling Podcast and will dive into it here as well why this is a good strategy. The podcast was also live-streamed on Periscope.tv/ctrappe, where I often livestream my solo podcasts.
What is a media page on a brand website?
Basically this is where you list all the positive media mentions of your brand and of experts from your brand. Mine can be found here. I wouldn’t recommend to post links to negative coverage per se, but brands usually post links to positive news coverage here.
Sometimes the media page is referred to as “In the News” or something like that. I prefer “Media Page” and lump in all online mentions. That could include:
- Traditional media
- Bloggers
- Other websites
- Podcast appearances
- Offline media appearances. We can’t ink to them, but can mention them.
What is an awards page on a brand website
This is basically where you highlight all the awards and recognitions. Certainly, some of these could go on the media page as well. Technically, speaking many of these are media mentions.
I list my awards on my main profile page on the blog. I list awards, rankings, on there and link back. Some awards pages get updated or deleted. It’s also a good idea to screenshot, upload the screenshot to your media library on your website and then link to the image.
Read next: OPINION: What’s wrong with top content marketing (and other) lists?
Why is a media page and an awards page important?
I think of them two-fold. They are:
- a content repository of mentions
- a marketing tool
I highlight some of my recognitions prominently in my marketing. For example, the top content marketing, digital marketing and B2B marketing rankings are all listed in my LinkedIn headline:
Every once in a while somebody will ask me for the source. I simply send them to my awards page and they can see all my recognitions in one place.
[Tweet “Your marketing team can’t be the source of you being industry-leading.”]
Your sales, customer experience and other client-facing teammates can do the same thing: List your company recognitions and then link to that page to state the source.
The media page has a similar place. You can send people there to show how others have quoted you or your company.
[Tweet “When others quote us, that helps establish credibility.”]
How to set up a media page or award page
It’s pretty simply really. I set mine up in this format:
- Overview and introduction
- Contact information if you would like to reach out to me for an article
- Links to media mentions and awards in reverse chronological order
Then add a link in the website navigation. Some of this information can also be added to the About Us page, but if you get quoted often or have received many awards over the years it can get unwieldy. Maybe just list the latest on the About Us page and then link. Or just mention the most relevant within context: “Top 14 content marketer” for example.
How to know about the awards or mentions to include on your pages
Awards are usually easy as the organization handing out the awards will message you. But I’ve had won an award and they never even notified me of the award. I knew about it after a friend saw it and alerted me.
Of course, set up Google Alert for your name, company name and other related terms.
You can also catch media mentions by looking at inbound traffic. Who is linking to your content? If relevant link back and add them to the media page.
[Tweet “Inbound links are a trove of information on who is talking about you.”]
What if we don’t have any mentions or awards yet?
Work on it. You can get more media mentions by:
- writing about content that journalists search for
- offer yourself to be a guest on a podcast
- start your own podcast
- reach out to media outlets with pitches
- reverse content marketing
- build relationships with trade and mainstream journalists as well as others that create content in your industry
You can get awards by:
- nominating yourself to awards
- nominating co-workers or employees
- nominating the company
Read next: Company awards can uplift spirts
I didn’t even think of a media page until somebody that interviewed me for an article said: “We appreciate it if you can add a link to your media page.”
Well, I don’t really have one. So I started one.
Another advantage of the media page: I don’t have to create additional content around the topic. Some people would ask: “Can you link to the article from your blog?”
But that really translates to having to write a blog post and then link to it. That can work at times, but I try to hit at least 1,000 words with my blog posts. That can take a few hours of writing, reporting and editing.
It’s really too much work to link to every media mention by writing a 1,000-word blog post. Just adding the headline, link, website name and date is much easier from that perspective.
That doesn’t mean we cannot blog about a related topic from the article that quoted us. In that case link. I would link to it from the blog post and the media page.
I’ve had had the awards page for a while and really just think of it as my profile page. Some awards send out a fun awards graphic that you can highlight on your website. I used to do that in my sidebar.
Inclusion in the footer is another idea. Depending how big the award is you could also temporarily put it in the header – pending brand guideline compliance, of course.
While VP of Marketing and Innovation at a nonprofit, we won an award that highlighted the organization as a trustworthy and helpful nonprofit. We promptly found a way to highlight that prominently on the website.
Many mentions and recognitions are deserved. You and your organization worked for them. Show them off. Be proud and it can likely help with brand reputation and marketing objectives as well.
