CO₂MMs is Wise Up PR’s framework for earned media programs. It was developed in order to create a clear structure in how campaigns are planned, executed and measured. It consists of five key elements: Context, Objectives & Opportunities, Messaging, Media Relations and Success Measurement (CO₂MMs). The overriding purpose of this framework is to align our work tightly to what our B2B clients are seeking to achieve from earned media campaigns.
“Can you guarantee media coverage?” It’s a question we sometimes get asked by prospective clients. The answer is no, we can’t, and any credible PR agency should say the same thing.
The truth is securing earned media coverage has never been a predictable process for any B2B brand and today’s media environment has made it even more unpredictable, due to much leaner editorial teams and how quickly news cycles now move (often finishing within 24-48 hours of a story breaking).
Due to this situation, why should brands look at earned media as a way to build or protect a brand? The true value of earned editorial is that it reaches and influences audiences that are often difficult to access or persuade through only paid-for advertising and marketing initiatives.
Yet one critical factor underpins the media landscape: the decision on what does or doesn’t get published or broadcast sits solely at the discretion of editorial teams. Given the resourcing and time pressures these teams are now under, how brands approach media has become more important than ever before.
What this means for brands approaching PR is that securing impactful earned media placements involves much more than asking “What can we pitch?” or distributing a press release to a very long list of journalists’ email addresses and hoping, out of hope, for coverage to appear. Lacking any strategy, planning, or thought for media outreach ultimately leaves a brand’s reputation to chance.
We developed our CO₂MMs Framework to fit today’s realities of the media landscape and built it around how brands can take much more control of the planning, execution and measurement of their earned media outreach. It is a proprietary Framework that brings a clear structure and methodology to media relations and its primary function is to put a brand in the strongest possible position to secure earned media placements. With this Framework, the idea is that nothing is left to chance or luck.
Crucially also, it isn’t meant to be a static or rigid framework. Adaptation and iteration are at the heart of it, reflecting the need to change approach or pivot quickly to changing business needs.
The result from our approach is that media relations becomes a deliberate, targeted activity, tightly aligned to our clients’ objectives.
The CO₂MMs Framework comprises five interconnected elements: Context, Objectives & Opportunities, Messaging, Media Relations and Success Measurement. For every one of our clients’ PR campaigns and programs, we apply this approach and it is intended to be a continuous, adaptive framework.
Each brand has its own context. The first step is to establish what this context is across their organization, market and media landscape.
Knowing the context directly informs what a client’s objectives are and then, from our industry knowledge, what the media opportunity actually is.
By having the context and objectives clear, this defines key media-facing messages and strategic issues that tie closely back to the client’s business.
With the upfront work complete, media relations turns the strategy into targeted execution and outreach built around a wide variety of tactics aligned to the client’s goals.
Results are then measured against objectives selected at the outset of the activity, producing insights that are then used to refine further the strategy and tactical execution.
For earned media to be an effective channel for a brand, it can’t operate in isolation. This overarching thinking informs our own Framework, with each element tightly connected and designed to inform and strengthen the next stage of the campaign.
Each company operates in its own unique set of circumstances, from internal to external factors. Without understanding or factoring in this context at the outset of a media relations program, earned channel activities are disconnected from the company’s reality and also risk ignoring where and how the brand has been covered in the past. This initial step is a deep investigation of everything within a business and the external issues that shape its media presence.
For example, it encompasses an audit of previous media coverage (if there is any), an examination of competitors’ brands as well as earned media placements and it even gets as granular as assessing who the company’s spokespeople are and whether they have the adequate experience to be interviewed by media.
The purpose of this stage: To ensure any future media relations activity is rooted in the historical context of a brand, its industry and its current market position.
Establishing a clear operational context at the outset then heavily informs what the objectives will be. Each brand will have its own distinct goals and this stage will define exactly what they are but also assess them against what can be achieved within earned media, based on our senior-level team’s decades of experience. This is crucially important as it aligns expectations with what is realistically possible through earned media campaigns.
For example, if a brand has never conducted any media relations, the objectives need to be measured against this fact - journalists will not know the brand, meaning much upfront work will need to be conducted to build a relationship. Much like sales outreach, this does not happen in one outreach, but instead over repeated, relevant approaches that reflect the journalist’s core beat.
The purpose of this stage: To connect a brand’s objectives with identified and realistic earned media opportunities to support these goals.
Securing earned media placements without first examining a brand’s messaging is a missed opportunity. This step in the Framework reviews existing (if there is) messaging across all channels that a company utilizes. It then distils the company’s main messages into: (i) a one-line, factual description of the brand and what it does for journalists (ii) a one-pager company history document intended to formalize the foundation story for public-facing audiences (iii) the creation or reworking of a company ‘boilerplate’ for press releases and (iv) the selection of industry topics and issues that media relations will focus on.
For example, in the age of large language models (LLMs) and profound changes in how decision-makers are discovering brands. Having inconsistent messaging across earned and owned channels risks presenting prospects with unclear, or even conflicting information about your company, impacting your ability to convert potential customers.
The purpose of this stage: To ensure complete consistency of brand messaging across all media relations activities, as well as identify which issues and conversations a brand should participate in.
The groundwork has been done; now the Media Relations stage rolls out the full tactical toolbox to secure earned media placements. While each brand is different, this step consists of a variety of tactics including: corporate and news announcement pitching, an introductory media briefings program, an awards submission campaign, rapid response commentary creation and distribution, as well as thought leadership ideation and placement. The strategic focus underpinning all these activities is relevancy: identifying and targeting all outreach to journalists who cover a brand’s industry.
For example, a media relations program will be a mix of: ongoing corporate news generation and pitching, placement of spokespeople in pre-recorded or live interviews on podcasts, or written contributions to publications in the form of Q&As or opinion bylines, as well as the management of award submissions. If treated as an ongoing function, media relations builds relationships over time with critical editorial contacts.
The purpose of this stage: To execute targeted media relations activities, across a variety of tactical approaches to secure earned media placements aligned closely to the overarching objectives.
This stage steps away from the day-to-day to assess what has been secured and achieved through all activities to date. It reviews results against the stated objectives, including quantitative and qualitative metrics (including number of articles published, unique monthly visitor figures, estimated coverage views and impact on brand reputation and/or the sales function). With this information in hand, lessons are drawn from the activities conducted so far, with these insights used to provide a clear roadmap for the next phase of the program.
For example, some brands will want a mix of award wins and earned placements, while others will seek volume coverage, or tiering of media coverage. Thus, each brand will value different outcomes; this is why CO₂MMs establishes the Objectives & Opportunities at the outset, in order for the results to match what a brand most needs from earned media.
The purpose of this stage: To measure the results achieved against the business objectives, assess what has been successful and use the insights gleaned to inform and refine the next cycle of activities.
C
Context
Assessing your distinct landscape first.
O₂
Objectives & Opportunities
Defining your goals and what the openings are.
M
Messaging
Devising media-facing narratives that land.
M
Media Relations
Earning the coverage that matters most to you.
S
Success Measurement
Providing metrics and insight into the impact of activities.
Our CO₂MMs Framework underpins how our agency approaches each and every earned media campaign for our clients, supporting a wide range of B2B companies across different industries, markets and also stages of growth.
CO₂MMs is Wise Up PR’s proprietary framework for the planning, executing, and managing of earned media campaigns for its B2B client roster. The approach is rooted in the realities of today’s media landscape, especially with smaller editorial teams, meaning brands need to be much more strategic and thoughtful in their media outreach to secure earned media coverage. It provides a brand with a controllable structure for each element of a campaign.
Earned media has never been a predictable channel for brands, as editorial teams decide what does or does not get published. By contrast, brands have total control over what appears via paid advertising or sponsored content, down to the publication date. Having an earned media framework brings structure and a measure of control for brands by putting in place a process that includes strategy, messaging, execution and measurement.
CO₂MMs stands for Context, Objectives & Opportunities, Messaging, Media Relations and Success Measurement. Context factors in the environment in which a brand operates in (and its own internal priorities). Objectives & Opportunities define what goals there are and what can be achieved with media outreach. Messaging defines the key media-facing narratives. Media Relations is the tactical execution, while Success Measurement assesses what results have been achieved and how can the program be refined further.
The best media relations campaigns are built for the long term, and this Framework is specifically designed to be applied over a multi-year campaign that adapts over time. Instead of being rigid, it iterates to changing internal and external client needs or news cycles, all while being tightly aligned to the overall goals and objectives.
The B2B market is highly complex, with the buyer journey more fragmented than ever before. Prospects or partners are now engaging with brands across many different touchpoints, often over extended decision-making periods of time. CO₂MMs is intended to provide a long-term, structured approach to leveraging the power of earned media as a channel to influence a brand’s most important audiences.
