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Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

Influencer marketing is evolving, and so is the way brands measure success. That’s why Meltwater is proud to announce a new partnership with YouTube, integrating YouTube’s Creator Partnerships API directly into our Influencer Marketing platform.

Introducing Verified YouTube Data in Meltwater Influencer Marketing

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

A PR coverage report is a visual, data-driven summary of all the media mentions, articles, and campaign results your brand has earned in a given period.

This report presents more than a list of articles and publications. It demonstrates the real impact of your public relations efforts. Each report highlights where your stories appear, the audiences you reached, and measurable outcomes like earned media value, sentiment analysis, and share of voice.

A polished PR coverage report turns scattered clippings into a clear narrative of your success. Here’s how to create one.

Key Elements of an Effective PR Coverage Report

How to Create a PR Coverage Report Step-by-Step

PR Coverage Report definition: A structured, visual document that captures all media mentions and press hits for your brand over a specific period of time.

A coverage report for PR should include key metrics such as:

Together, these metrics demonstrate the value of PR campaigns.

While media monitoring tools track mentions in real time, a PR coverage report organizes these findings into a digestible summary. Media monitoring shows what’s happening as it happens; a PR report shows what it means after the fact.

These reports can also reflect the three main types of media your brand engages with: Earned Media (unpaid mentions like articles and interviews), Owned Media (the content you own and control), and Paid Media (placements you pay for, such as ads and sponsored content). A PR coverage report mostly focuses on earned media.

TIP: If you're struggling to effectively measure your own PR outcomes, Meltwater's Unified Dashboards combine owned content, paid social, and earned media into one comprehensive view.

A PR coverage report is one of the clearest ways to prove the value of PR to stakeholders. Executives and investors want to see concrete evidence that your media outreach drives results. Your report puts the hard numbers in their hands, showing how your work translates into business impact.

These reports help to track media reach, sentiment, and message alignment over time. When you analyze which outlets pick up your story and how audiences respond, you can use the reports to spot trends and measure and analyze coverage.

The results you share build credibility with clients or internal teams. When you can visually showcase media wins with context, you position yourself as a capable strategist, not just a storyteller.

Just as important as the coverage itself, your PR reports can inform future PR strategies. Learn from what’s worked in the past and what didn’t generate results. With these insights, you can refine your next campaign for better outcomes.

Every PR coverage report is a custom document highlighting your unique placements and data. Including these six key elements will help you demonstrate maximum impact.

One section of your report should illustrate the volume of mentions you received. Provide a total, then give a breakdown into the different types of media outlets (e.g., news sites, blogs, social media influencer mentions by channel). 

Sharing this information up front sets the tone and expectations for the rest of the report. It creates a summary of your wins, then leads into more specific details of your coverage in subsequent sections.

Reach refers to the total number of individuals who may have seen your media coverage. 

Impressions refer to the number of times your coverage was viewed. Your impressions are usually greater than reach, as the same person might have seen your article or mention more than once.

If you're debating including reach vs. impressions, just know that both are critical for estimating audience size. These metrics put your coverage into context, demonstrating how much exposure your media coverage may have earned.

Sentiment analysis reviews how people felt about your media coverage: positive, negative, or neutral. It looks at comments and feedback among your audience, then uses natural language processing to determine what people are saying and how they’re talking about you.

Sentiment analysis tools like Meltwater provides automated sentiment tracking, removing the guesswork from sentiment analysis. It looks for signals in real time and gives you an up-to-the-minute score.

To see how Meltwater can help you automate your PR coverage reports, including sentiment analysis, click here and fill out the form below for a demo!

Share of voice is a metric that shows the percentage of a conversation you own compared to competitors. It’s a benchmark of your industry presence, illustrating whether you or someone else is a leading voice about a given topic.

Key message penetration measures how effectively your core talking points show up in earned media coverage. It tracks whether journalists echo the exact phrases, themes, or value props you want to communicate.

Including this section in a coverage report for PR is crucial because it shows how accurately your story landed. High reach is valuable, but only if the media captures the right message. 

Your report should show, not just tell. Include screenshots, headlines, media clips, and data charts to show high-impact coverage. 

People are visual. They can process images more quickly than text, so including your data in a visual way brings it to life and helps your audience connect the dots.

TIP: See how Meltwater helps Howard University's communications team showcase the impacts of their PR efforts to leadership in our customer story!

You can use a PR coverage template to streamline your reporting — just plug in the data. Or, if you’re starting from scratch, follow these steps to capture the full impact of your media coverage.

Decide what you want your PR coverage report to accomplish. This ties back to why you were running PR campaigns in the first place: to mitigate a crisis? Announce a new product? 

Whatever your goals, your PR report should show specific instances that helped you accomplish those goals. Clear goals keep your report focused and avoid drowning stakeholders in irrelevant data.

Media monitoring platforms like Meltwater are a great place to start building your report. You’ll have a bird’s eye view of data from all sources who publish you, as well as PR metrics like share of voice and sentiment tracking that add context to your coverage.

You can also use tools like Google Analytics and Ahrefs to show traffic, keyword ranking changes, backlinks, page views, and other metrics. These help you connect your PR efforts to real business wins. 

Once you have all of your media mentions in one place, start analyzing them for insights. For example, you might notice a positive sentiment lift about your brand or coverage from a specific channel or type of media.

There are lots of data threads you can follow, and it can feel overwhelming to untangle each one. Using platforms like Meltwater can help you spot key themes or trends, analyze large amounts of data, and create stories from your metrics that spell out what they mean and why they matter.

Turn data into charts, graphs, and easy-to-digest summaries. Smaller pieces of data with images make the report easier to read and understand.

If you’re using Meltwater for your PR coverage reports, most of the data already comes in a visual format. If you’re not using Meltwater, you can plug numbers into tools like Datawrapper for nicely designed visuals in seconds.

Throughout the report, add commentary about what the data means and why it’s important. Don’t leave it to your reader to connect the dots; turn it into actionable insights so stakeholders can use the report, not just read it.

A helpful PR coverage report balances clarity with depth, making it easier for readers to see the value and impact of your PR efforts. 

Follow these best practices to keep your reporting sharp and on target:

Focus on conciseness and visual engagement. Use charts and images, and avoid long text blocks to make information quick to digest.

Prioritize quality over quantity. Showcase the most impactful stories rather than every minor mention.

Tailor reports for different stakeholders. Executives may want high-level metrics, while PR teams might care more about specific journalists or message penetration, for example. 

Automate reporting. Use tools like Meltwater to generate PR reports on demand.

These best practices help you create reports that inform, impress, and drive smarter strategies.

If you need help with a coverage report for PR, a template is a great place to start. Use this PR coverage report example template and fill in the blanks with your information.

Cover Page. Report title, brand logo, reporting period, and a brief campaign tagline or objective.

Executive Summary. One-page snapshot of key results: total mentions, reach, sentiment, and standout wins.

Goals & KPIs. A short section restating the campaign objectives and the specific metrics measured.

Coverage Highlights. Top media placements with visuals (screenshots, logos) and key details like publication, date, reach, and sentiment.

Key Metrics Dashboard. Charts showing audience reach, share of voice, engagement, backlinks, and key message penetration.

Media Breakdown. Segmentation by outlet type (print, online, broadcast, social) and by earned, owned, and paid media.

Insights & Recommendations. Analysis of what worked, what didn’t, and action items for future campaigns.

Appendix. Full list of media mentions with links, publication names, and notes for internal reference.

Meltwater users can customize automated reports like this one in seconds. You’ll get a clear, readable structure that highlights results visually and keeps stakeholders focused on impact.

Meltwater’s media intelligence suite combines media monitoring, analytics, and reporting features into a single platform. Users can track their PR coverage in real time, analyze how audiences are responding to it, and collect valuable insights about each mention’s impact.

Benefits of using Meltwater for PR reporting include:

Meltwater’s media intelligence compiles this information into a ready-made report for you to share with teams or stakeholders. You can choose which data to highlight in your report, with each metric visualized and summarized for easy understanding.

What Is a PR Coverage Report? Guide & Best Practices

When it comes to alcohol brands, creators with food-forward audiences, like bartenders and chefs, are always top of mind for influencer partnerships. But as influencer marketing has matured, so has the hard beverage sector’s approach to it. Today, new and legacy alcohol brands alike are generating great engagement — and high Estimated Media Value (or EMV, more on that below) — by partnering with a more wide-ranging set of social media influencers. Think athletes, artists, adventurers, and more. 

With so much sameness flooding social media feeds, there’s never been a better time for alcohol brands to get creative with influencer marketing. We used our influencer marketing solution to highlight how innovative partnerships are driving delicious results in the alcohol industry. 

What are the benefits of influencers for alcoholic beverage brands?

Why is Estimated Media Value (EMV) important in influencer marketing?

3 types of influencers driving impact for alcoholic beverage brands

Key takeaways: Alcohol brands and influencer marketing

FAQ: Alcoholic Beverage Influencer Marketing

For alcohol brands, social media influencers are key partners for expanding awareness and boosting exposure with digital-native audiences, like Gen Z. For liquor and other mixed-drink ingredient brands in particular, influencers can show your product in action with walk-through recipes and cocktail-making demonstrations. More broadly, influencers can lend alcohol brands trust and relevance by featuring them as part of a specific lifestyle or digital community.

To learn more about how the world’s leading alcohol brands are successfully leveraging influencer marketing, download the Alcoholic Beverages Influencer Benchmarking Snapshot. 

Estimated Media Value, or EMV, is a metric that translates influencer campaign performance into ad spend value. It’s important because it allows for ROI comparison between digital and traditional marketing activities. For example, an Instagram post that has $2,000 EMV achieved the same results in terms of visibility and engagement as $2,000 of traditional ad spend. While determining EMV can be complex, Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution calculates EMV automatically, both for individual posts as well as across campaigns.

Foodie influencers will always be important partners for alcohol brands, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only options. Let this handful of examples be your inspiration for exploring the wider possibilities of influencer marketing in the beverage sector.

Note: The EMV values mentioned below were calculated with Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution.

Yes, you read that correctly. Social media meme pages are some of the most in-demand influencers today. Dealing in the brainrot language of digital spaces, they can drive engagement for even the most serious brands. For beverages looking to associate themselves with carefree fun, meme pages are especially effective partners. For example, guess how much EMV this meme page post generated for Angry Orchard cider?

According to our influencer marketing solution, the above post from meme account @middleclassfancy achieved a 5.68% engagement rate and generated about $1.9 million in EMV. Meanwhile, meme account @dudewithsign’s sponsored post for On the Rocks, seen below, achieved a .18% engagement rate and generated about $365,000 in EMV, another impressive figure.

Both posts use creative ways to promote the sponsored brands by doing away with the normal heavy sell tactics and leaning into irreverence. In the process, they position the alcohol beverage brands as being relevant to, and well-versed in, Gen Z and Millennial internet culture.

Social media content creators don’t only make videos. Many “analog” creators like painters, illustrators, and musicians also have large social media followings and partner with a wide range of brands. 

The above post from illustrator Violet Clair (@violetclair) promoting Yes Way Rosé in a personal carousel about facing uncertainty achieved a .95% engagement rate and generated about $29,600 in EMV. 

Meanwhile, professional makeup artist Abby Wren (@abbywrenartistry) achieved a 1.31% engagement rate and about $57,000 in EMV with the above Reel promoting Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. at the Outside Lands music festival. 

Both creators used their artistic work, expertly edited and packaged for Instagram, to position each brand as positive parts of their lifestyles. As a result, their posts resonated with their music- and visual art-loving audiences.

For many beer and liquor aficionados, the great outdoors go hand in hand with their favorite hard beverages. Après ski is synonymous with cocktails while beers are ever-present on fishing boats around the world. Depending on their target market, it’s a no brainer for many alcohol brands to partner with outdoorsy influencers. For example, the below Reel from professional skier Cody Townsend (@codytownsend) highlights Tin Cup Whiskey as one of the provisions he took on a backcountry skiing excursion in Alaska. 

The social ad was a good fit for a whiskey brand whose tagline is “Your Ultimate Partner in Adventure” — it achieved a 1.16% engagement rate and about $9,200 in EMV. 

Adventure travel duo @theloverspassport took a similar approach in the above Reel, highlighting how they used Four Roses Bourbon to make cocktails on a beach camping trip. The post had a 0.15% engagement rate, but generated about $111,200 in EMV.

Both posts do a great job of using beautiful landscapes and personal storytelling to promote their respective sponsoring brands. As a result, Tin Cup Whiskey and Four Roses Bourbon shine as drinks of choice for consumers’ next big outdoor adventures.

<table class="table-primary">
  <caption>Comparison of Alcohol Influencer Campaigns</caption>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Influencer Type / Example</th>
      <th>Brand</th>
      <th>Engagement Rate</th>
      <th>EMV (Estimated Media Value)</th>
      <th>Key Takeaway</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Meme accounts</td>
      <td>Angry Orchard, On the Rocks</td>
      <td>0.18% – 5.68%</td>
      <td>~$365K – $1.9M</td>
      <td>Meme pages drum up engagement for alcohol brands by translating brand identity into the language of social media.>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Artists and creatives</td>
      <td>Yes Way Rosé, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.</td>
      <td>0.95% – 1.31%</td>
      <td>~$29.6K – $57K</td>
      <td>Artists help raise visibility of alcohol brands among creativity loving audiences.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Outdoor enthusiasts and athletes</td>
      <td>Tin Cup Whiskey, Four Roses Bourbon</td>
      <td>0.15% – 0.16%</td>
      <td>~$9.2K – $111.2K</td>
      <td>Outdoorsy influencers promote alcohol as part of an adventurous lifestyle.</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Note: The data in the table above was drawn from Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution based on a small selection of influencer posts.

Food and beverage influencers aren’t the only options for alcohol brands. Influencers with engaged followings in niche online communities can introduce alcoholic beverage brands to audiences based on their shared interests. Through partnerships with meme, arts, and outdoors influencers, among others, alcohol brands are getting creative with influencer marketing and seeing great results. To learn more about how alcohol brands are leveraging influencer marketing, check out the Alcoholic Beverages Influencer Benchmarking Snapshot. 

What is influencer marketing in the alcoholic beverage industry?

Influencer marketing in the alcoholic beverage industry involves partnering with social media creators to feature products in their content. It helps alcohol brands build trust, reach younger audiences, and generate engagement through authentic storytelling.

How do alcoholic brands measure influencer marketing ROI?

Some use Estimated Media Value (EMV), which translates engagement and reach into a dollar amount equivalent to paid media spend. This helps compare influencer performance with that of traditional ad campaigns.

Why are influencers effective for alcoholic beverage marketing?

Because they speak each social media platform’s language. From meme pages to artists, influencers lend alcohol brands relevance by integrating them into the social media conversation of the moment.

Which alcohol brands are leading in influencer marketing?

Angry Orchard, On the Rocks Cocktails, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. are just three of the many, many alcohol brands getting creative with influencer marketing. However, in Meltwater’s influencer benchmarking analysis of eight global alcoholic beverage brands, Guinness generated the highest EMV from social media influencers.

Take a data-driven approach to influencer marketing. Tour our AI-powered influencer marketing solution or fill out the form below for a free demo. 

Three Types of Influencers Driving Results for Alcohol Brands

Events thrive on social media exposure. Whether you’re planning a gala, in-store promo, or street marketing event, those attending can help you get in front of thousands of other viewers just by posting about the event. Social walls are what inspire and encourage this form of UGC and we'll discuss some ways you can incorporate them into your strategy.

Read on to learn best practices for using a social wall and see how other brands are getting it right.

Let’s start with the definitely of a social wall. A social wall is a curation of social media posts (largely user-generated) related to a specific event, product, service, or brand. An aggregator automatically collects relevant posts to display in an event space or on a website. They typically update in real-time and are often interactive. Companies usually have the control to moderate this collection so that only the most relevant content appears. 

Social walls usually involve a digital screen that gathers, filters, and displays tagged and shared content relevant to the event.

For example, a new restaurant using a #GrandOpening hashtag might pull all social media posts using this hashtag to display on the social wall. 

People at the event can see the social content other people have uploaded from the event using that hashtag. This not only serves to inspire others to share their own content but also shows them the right hashtag to use.

Within minutes, a person uploading content to a brand’s Instagram or Facebook might see their content appear on the social media wall.

Social media walls are all about blurring the lines between online social media engagement and physical location engagement. Users can take to social media to talk and share about an event in real-time.

Social media walls are an underutilized element of social media marketing. With one tool and a few clicks, social walls can pull user-generated content as well as owned content from your channels to demonstrate popularity and inspire wider engagement. It's also a powerful success indicator for sharing with stakeholders, providing a clear picture of your event’s reach.

As a whole, social media functions like a two-way street. It’s an outlet for brands to share content, news, and updates with an audience. But it’s also beneficial (arguably more-so) when a brand’s audience also shares brand-related content to their social networks.

A social wall pulls users into the moment. Attendees engage with the wall by posting content and will see their posts displayed on the wall shortly after.

With increased engagement for their social walls, brands get a flood of incredibly useful UGC on their social feeds. Companies can embed the wall on their website to amplify the impact of the event. This way, the content isn’t “lost” after the event and continues making a statement to website visitors, prospects, and customers. Make a social wall part of your content calendar so you can maximize every opportunity.

User-generated content has an innate way of sounding more authentic and less like sales jargon. When customers and attendees are doing the talking for you, you reach a wider audience that’s in tune with the conversation.

You’ll find social media walls at live events of all sorts and sizes, from music festivals to in-store openings. While there are no hard-and-fast rules about when to use a social media wall, the general goal is to build a buzz. 

For example, let’s say your next event is a new product launch. A social wall can help to build hype around what the product might be or what new features it will include. Once the product is unveiled, your social wall can display attendees’ first reactions. This is a great way to help your media partners get “sound bites” for articles and press releases on your event.

As part of your event, you can include a hashtag campaign to generate interest in your event on social media. Ask people to use a certain hashtag when they’re posting about the event. That hashtag will be the trigger for users’ content to appear on your social wall.

The above details when a public social wall may be implemented but the term can also apply to internal social listening. Are people complaining about a certain feature or service? Are customers making suggestions on how you can improve? Do you want to keep tabs on a specific hashtag? A social wall monitors all of the above on your behalf so you can collect feedback in a central place.

Considering using a social wall as part of your strategy? You can approach this in different ways.

The best place to start is by exploring social media wall tools and their features and functions. From there, you can see how those tools can enable your social engagement strategy.

The Meltwater platform offers newsfeed functionality for brands to curate and display UGC on TV screens, dashboards, or websites as a part of social media marketing activities. 

Use sponsors to spearhead your social wall strategy by promoting your hashtag campaign. These posts can also provide examples and inspiration for others to follow. This could be an ad for a product or your favorite influencer posting a selfie, for example.

If your event includes guest speakers, post highlights of their talks on your social wall. This allows people who aren’t at the event to take part in the conversation. 

Promote a giveaway, contest, or poll that gets people talking. This is a direct ask for customer engagement and makes it easy for anyone to participate.

Another easy way to gain user-generated content is by asking a question and sharing the answers. Ask a question and let your audience post their answers with your chosen hashtag.

Or you could do the inverse: if you have a guest speaker, ask the audience to share their questions and let the speaker answer them.

Social events aren’t limited to your in-person events. Your non-attendees can stay in the loop when others are sharing updates to your social feeds.

It's similar to giving a play-by-play at a football game. Your audience members are your very own commentators who can share all the best moments of your event in real time.

The fun part about social walls is that no two ever look quite the same. This can also be the biggest challenge, especially if you’re preparing your first social media wall.

Get inspired with these social media wall examples from brands that got it right.

NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning unveiled a new video wall for maximizing digital and social interactions. Dubbed Bolts Social Central, the wall was designed to aggregate fans’ Twitter and Instagram posts into a single display for all visitors to view. For fans that check into the Forum via Facebook, their Facebook profile photos will also be displayed.

To accompany the new video wall, the brand also launched a new digital photo booth that lets visitors take photos of themselves in a mock-up penalty box. Fans can upload their photo to the digital video wall via Instagram or Twitter, along with other user-generated content.

The highly anticipated Tomorrowland music festival introduced a social media wall to its virtual event in 2020. The event already had an impressive social media following, including more than 9.8 million YouTube subscribers and 7.4 million Instagram followers. It uses social media to engage its attendees and connect them to events across the massive event space.

For its virtual event, Tomorrowland created a new hashtag and encouraged attendees to use it across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Featured sponsors like Pepsi Max and BMW also used the social wall to promote their products as well as the event. 

The big takeaway from Tomorrowland's social wall is how customizable and curated the social content can be. The look and feel of the wall made the ads blend in naturally with the user-generated content.

In a time where social interactions were needed most, Harvard stepped up to honor its 2020 graduates with the help of a social wall. Using the hashtag #HKSGrad, the virtual event garnered more than 100 unique social media posts. Each post is displayed on the school’s website on a page dedicated to honoring 2020 graduates. It’s one of our favorite university social feeds to-date.  

For more examples on how universities or higher ed institutions can leverage UGC, download our UGC for Universities & Higher Education guide.

No event? No problem! Rebel Ice Cream shows that you can include a social wall on your website for any occasion, even if it’s just to add social proof to your brand.

The rapid growth creamery got its start on Kickstarter and quickly rose to fame for its low-fat, low-carb ice cream. It shares its handle and hashtag on its home page and pulls user-generated content from its social feeds for its website visitors.

Investing in a hashtag campaign? Trying to build social proof? Want your event to gain as much exposure as possible? Social walls offer unlimited potential. Reach out to our team today to start crafting your strategy by using our social media listening platform in combination with a Newsfeed integration!

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