Earned Media Update
January Leads Off with a Hot Start
While January is typically a period of downtime for many, there was no shortage of agriculture news to share. Each month, Illinois Farm Bureau coordinates media coverage on a variety of topics while monitoring mainstream channels for trending themes in agriculture. Kicking off the year with a hot start, IFB managed numerous calls on renewable energy, including the recent Illinois HB 4412 on state-wide standards for wind and solar. Another major driver in news coverage was the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) memorandum of understanding (MOU) with John Deere regarding farmers’ right to repair their own equipment.
From Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, 2023, IFB fielded 41 interview requests from print/online publications, radio broadcast and TV reporters, generating 257 news placements and potentially reaching 249 million people, which had a total advertising value equivalency (AVE) of around $2.3 million.
For comparison, IFB facilitated 18 media interviews in January 2022, which yielded 249 placements and potentially reached around 546.9 million people, an estimated AVE of $5.2 million.
While media calls trended higher in 2023, potential reach and AVE are slightly down over the previous year. It is important to keep in mind that this trend is largely due to the type of media outlets IFB worked with. In January 2022, IFB coordinated interviews with FOX Business News and NPR Marketplace, two national media outlets with high audience reach.
IFB Farmers, Members in the News
In early January, IFB fielded multiple calls on the AFBF-John Deere MOU, including a request for a farmer to join WIFR 23 in Rockford to discuss what the MOU means for Illinois farmers. John Mitchell, a dairy farmer in Winnebago County, joined the segment to discuss farmers’ right to repair their own equipment. IFB Vice President Brian Duncan recently called in for a live interview with KOA Radio in Colorado, owned by iHeart Media, to discuss right to repair.
Tasha Bunting, IFB associate director of commodities and livestock programs, spoke about Avian Flu and high egg prices on WAND-TV in Decatur; and Simran Sandhu, IFB director of strategy and innovation, and Jennifer Smith, IAA Foundation development manager, spoke with The Pantagraph in Bloomington about the ample scholarship funding available for agriculture students this spring.
January Top Reach, Syndication, and Social Echo
January was a busy month for earned media coverage, with articles covering a range of topics including inflation, avian flu, right to repair, the new Waters of the U.S. rule, Illinois state-wide solar and wind regulations, and more. Multiple articles had audience reach in the millions, the highest being 107 million people. Many articles had high syndication levels, which refers to how many news channels share the same article across platforms. Several articles also had high social echo, which refers to articles or broadcasts that had the highest engagement on social media.
Highest Reach
- “John Deere allows Illinois farmers to repair their own equipment” – This article originated from the Center Square and was picked up by several media outlets including MSN.com, which had the highest audience reach of 212 million people.
Most Syndicated
- “IFB: Bipartisanship, environmental efforts among top priorities heading into new year” – This OpEd from IFB President Richard Guebert was shared through IFB’s “Ag News Service” partnership with the Illinois Press Association. The OpEd had the highest syndication for January and was shared by 10 media outlets.
Top Social Echo
- “Worrell’s Staake earnes highest real estate appraisal license in Illinois” – This article is a news brief on Cynthia Staake, who is participating in IFB's 2023 Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow program. The article discusses her recent accomplishments and had the top social echo in January with 219 Facebook interactions (combined posts, likes and comments).