Expanding Earned Media Impact: How Our Responsive Strategy Elevated Coverage Statewide

Mission-driven organizations thrive on telling stories that make a difference. But what happens when your most inspiring news — like honoring outstanding educators — deserves broader, deeper impact? 

This year at The Harbinger Group, we recognized we needed to adjust our earned media strategy: not just to reach more people, but the right people. Each year, our client, the Golden Apple Foundation, honors exceptional teachers and school leaders in Illinois through the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Leadership.  This year, Golden Apple honored three Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators. Limiting our outreach to traditional education media would fall short of truly honoring these exceptional educators and their vital fields. So, our earned media team adjusted quickly to prioritize trade publications in the agriculture, engineering and manufacturing sectors.

Why Adjust Your Strategy? The Value of Meeting Your Audience

Adapting our media outreach was about relevance, reach, and responsibility. With more Golden Apple Award recipients now teaching skilled trades (engineering, manufacturing, agriculture, etc.), we saw:

• Traditional education media do not always reach trade professionals, industry leaders, or future students.

• Trade publications serve as trusted voices within their industries, driving trends, policy, and workforce priorities.

• Telling these teachers’ stories in the right forums is essential to changing perceptions and driving opportunity in fields facing talent shortages.

“Trade publications aren’t just different outlets—they’re different conversations entirely. When we pitch an agriculture teacher’s story to Illinois Ag Connection versus Education Week, we’re not just changing our media list, we’re changing our entire narrative framework to speak to what matters most to each audience,” said Emily Evans, Director of Content and Social Media at The Harbinger Group.

So, when your story shifts, your strategy must follow.

How Our Earned Media Team at The Harbinger Group Built a Responsive Earned Media Strategy for the Golden Apple Awards

Assess the Data

We started by analyzing internal award data to understand who the honorees are and the industries they represent—especially as Golden Apple expanded recognition to educators in the trades. This helped us identify a broader spectrum of educators beyond traditional academic subjects. We also researched where influential conversations happen within those sectors to target our media outreach effectively.

Identify Relevant Trade Outlets

Next, we researched top trade publications aligned with each honoree’s industry—from vocational-technical journals to specialized education magazines—focusing on editorial priorities and readership to ensure our pitches would resonate with these niche audiences.

Refine Our Pitch for Trade Relevance

We tailored messaging to emphasize how these educators directly address pressing industry challenges such as skills gaps, innovation, and workforce development. By framing their work in terms of industry impact and relevance, we went beyond conventional education narratives to engage trade media authentically.

Provide Compelling, Custom Assets

Our team crafted pitches highlighting concrete accomplishments designed to resonate with trade audiences. For example, we spotlighted Kindra Callahan, an agriculture teacher and 2025 Golden Apple Award recipient, whose innovative hands-on curriculum, including a “Piggy Party Project” breeding piglets with students, not only enhances learning but also raises community awareness about agriculture. Including industry-specific language and visuals helped make these stories compelling for trade publications.

Earned Media Pickups

Our earned media strategy led to meaningful coverage in key trade outlets. For example, the Illinois Ag Connection featured Kindra Callahan for her work in agricultural education. The story highlighted her “Piggy Party Project” and demonstrated the real-world impact of outstanding educators in the trades. 

Coverage like this expands recognition for educators beyond traditional academic circles and shines a spotlight on the vital role they play in diverse fields.

“As earned media professionals, we have a responsibility to ensure recognition reaches the communities where it can drive the most change,” said Evans. “Keeping Kindra Callahan’s story confined to education media would have meant missing the farmers, ag business leaders, and future students who need to hear about innovative agricultural education.”

Takeaways

When we pivoted to include trade publications for the Golden Apple Awards, our honorees’ stories traveled further: beyond the classroom, into boardrooms, factories, farms, and apprenticeship programs.

Media consumption patterns in trades differ from general education. Meeting audiences where they engage makes the message matter. Our responsibility as communicators is to elevate stories in the communities where they create momentum.
Ready for your communications strategy to move with your mission, not just alongside it? Contact The Harbinger Group today to start a smarter, more responsive earned media journey.