When it comes to communication and marketing, the goal of any company or entrepreneur is to ensure their brand is highlighted in the media, and preferably multiple times. But how do you track these appearances? That’s where clipping comes in.
For companies that collaborate with press relations or public relations agencies, clipping is essential for measuring the results achieved.
In this article, we will detail what clipping is, how to do it, and what opportunities it can offer your company. In addition, we will present a free tool for clipping. Check it out!
What is clipping?
Clipping, also known as clipping in Brazil, is the continuous process of monitoring, analyzing, and archiving mentions of a brand in the media. This can include companies, celebrities, and specific terms used in communication campaigns.
Monitoring encompasses various media, both public and subscription-based, such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines (print and digital), news websites, blogs, social networks, podcasts, and streaming platforms like YouTube.
The term “clipping” comes from English, meaning “clipping.” However, in English, the practice is more commonly called “news monitoring” or “media monitoring.”
The popularity of the term “clipping” stems from the fact that, initially, the activity was limited to print media, where mentions were physically cut out and organized into folders. Today, although the method has evolved, the name remains widely used.
What is the importance of clipping?
Media clipping is an essential tool for evaluating the results of a brand’s communication strategy and, at the same time, is extremely comprehensive. A well-structured clipping can answer several questions about the company’s image in the media, such as:
- Is the company frequently mentioned?
- Are the mentions positive or negative?
- What audience is being reached?
AFrom this monitoring, it’s possible to extract data that guides the development of a communication plan, whether to increase brand visibility, build company reputation, or promote a product or service.
Clipping also allows you to identify sensitive topics and the publications that address them most frequently, helping to prevent potential crises.
This information can also be used proactively. For example, it’s possible to determine which topics generate the most publications, views, and financial return.
Based on this, the company and/or its press office can direct communication towards topics that attract a larger audience and promote greater engagement, without losing sight of the brand’s values and specialties.
In addition, clipping reveals which media outlets are most likely to cover news about your brand. After identifying these outlets, it’s important to think about strategies to approach these portals, journalists, and communicators.
This work is usually carried out by the press office, so it’s important to maintain constant dialogue with them. These contacts can be extremely valuable!
Monitoring the competition
Some companies choose to perform media monitoring not only for their own brand but also for their direct competitors. This allows them to understand the frequency of mentions, the media outlets where they appear, and the topics covered, enabling a comparison of results.
Another valuable use of media monitoring is to track keywords associated with your brand and products. This monitoring helps identify trends and topics most discussed in the sector, allowing for strategic promotion based on these insights.
However, collecting and analyzing so much data can be a time-consuming process. For greater convenience, there are paid media monitoring services that provide pre-compiled and organized information, facilitating analysis and decision-making.
How does clipping work?
Media clipping services are frequently contracted by companies with high media visibility. This can be due to brand popularity, its role in society (such as public bodies), or the active work of generating earned or earned media through internal communications departments or outsourced agencies.
Regardless of the brand being monitored, media clipping is generally conducted by specialized companies or by the press offices themselves.
The clipping process is adapted to meet the specific needs of each company. In other words, each organization has its own approach to carrying out this work.
What should the investment in media monitoring be?
The cost of clipping services can vary significantly. It depends on the chosen format, the frequency of updates (daily, weekly, monthly), the amount of information to be monitored, and, most importantly, the tool used.
To choose the best option, it’s important to evaluate the solutions available on the market and how they meet your company’s needs. A free alternative is Google Alerts, ideal for smaller brands with less exposure. With this tool, you can set up alerts for specific keywords (such as the brand name or products), select the language, location, and sources (traditional media, social networks, videos), and define the frequency of alerts.
The results are sent by email, and you can organize them in an online spreadsheet for more detailed analysis.
There are also basic paid tools that provide mentions and screenshots of news in daily emails, with prices starting at a few hundred reais. More advanced tools, which offer detailed reports, competitor analysis, ranking by relevance, sentiment, and valuation, can cost several thousand reais.
What are vehicle tiers (classification by relevance)?
One of the fundamental steps in media monitoring is classifying media outlets into “tiers,” categorizing them according to their relevance to your company or business.
Tier 1 includes the most widely accessible media outlets, such as news portals, broadcast TV channels, major newspapers, and high-audience radio stations. It can also include highly relevant segmented media outlets for your strategy. For example, if your company operates in the healthcare sector, appearing in a specialized publication for healthcare professionals can be as crucial as a business article in a major newspaper.
Tier 2 encompasses media outlets with smaller audiences, but still important, such as major newspapers, websites, and magazines in a specific region, as well as other segmented publications.
Tier 3 includes smaller publications, blogs, and other online outlets that, while not having a large immediate impact, contribute to continued brand exposure in the long term. The same three-tier classification can be applied to influencers, podcasters, YouTubers, and other newer forms of media.
What to do after receiving a clipping?
After receiving the clippings, ideally the company or its PR agency should prepare a detailed report based on the information obtained. This is because isolated data points don’t have much value.
It’s crucial to compile and analyze them to gain a deeper understanding of the results and, consequently, define the best strategy for your brand. Some companies specializing in clipping already offer the convenience of ready-made reports.
It’s advisable to request quotes and negotiate a trial period with the clipping provider to evaluate which service best meets your needs. The fundamental thing is to ensure you obtain the necessary information to understand your brand’s positioning in the media.
Did you learn what clipping is?
We hope this content has clarified all the concepts about what clipping is, its purposes, and the importance of investing in this strategy for your business.