By definition, public relations (PR) is a strategic communication used by organizations or individuals, to build a positive reputation amongst the public or stakeholders. It is one of the most significant tools used to connect during any crisis situations. Being majorly an unpaid form of marketing, it is thereby considered most credible.
The role of PR over the years, however, has changed and one of the major reasons for it has been the admittance of social media. With the news earlier restricted to only the tradition means i.e. newspapers and magazines, the entry of this new medium transformed the landscape and made information/news available anytime, anywhere.
Yet, PR stood strong and co-existed, well. This is evident from the data shared by Statista.com that has projected the worldwide public relations revenue to reach approximately 19.3 billion by 2020 from 14 billion U.S. dollars generated in 2016. The public relation industry also witnessed a positive growth last year when it grew 3.7%, according to IBISWorld.
So, what are changing trends in Public Relations and how to cope with them, let’s find out from the below questions-
1. What’s in a link?
If you are a new-age PR professional, one said-unsaid expectation from you would be to get a backlink for the brand on the media stories and articles. Backlinks, after all, play a crucial role in search engine optimization and thus, for a brand it became as important as getting a story published in an apt media channel. These external links helped companies increase their online presence, improve SEO scores and reaching out to more customers which resulted in an increase in web traffic.
But, the digital world is constantly changing and something that was critical earlier can anytime lose its value. That’s what happened with backlinks when Google updated its algorithm, it reduced its significance considerably. Now, only high-quality links help in SEO ranking i.e., a backlink from a relevant website have a positive impact whereas, others adversely affect its rank. Additionally, the name of the company or product in the right context gets more weight and scores higher, irrespective of a backlink.
Furthermore, having a presence on websites like Quora, Reddit has become important as they help generate traffic back to the company’s website. Engagement on these sites helps to increase brand awareness and connect with existing and prospective customers.
So, PR professionals, this year is about gearing up to place the stories in the right online publications, with or without backlinks.
2. Are you using the social platforms smartly?
Marketers are one of the most active professionals on social networks. They use the medium for staying updated, keeping their companies in news and for even gauging the right collaborative opportunities. Thus, as PR professionals if you haven’t used Twitter and Facebook to reach out to the media then it’s the right time to do. However, before posting on a public platform, be mindful of doing thorough research, being well-informed about the story idea and staying atop of industry news. All these add value to a journalist and leaves a good impression for them to reply or contact to pursue the idea.
Also, check their past tweets to understand their interests and thus, pitch the story accordingly. However, be wary of these two things-
- Do not message them on their personal social page- some journalists prefer to keep their professional and personal life separate especially, on Facebook, thus when in doubt, use Twitter or LinkedIn.
- Keep it short, simple and to the point- do not draft long messages about the company’s achievements etc. that you may represent or state too many facts about the spokesperson.
3. What’s with Artificial intelligence in Public Relations?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term that is getting associated with almost every industry. Going by the speed of its acceptance and adoption, the public relations sector too will be touched by the power of this intelligent technology soon. AI will enable bots to take over the basic and mundane tasks like media monitoring and analysis and give quick and accurate results. It will also help in media outreach as the automation will assist in finding out popular topics, and which region is talking about it. This information will enable connecting to the specific media sooner.
Therefore, though AI might not have an immediate effect, but learning to adapt it in the public relations strategy and showcasing its effectiveness for brands is something that professionals will need to learn.
To sum up, the PR industry is evolving and changing with time, and for communications professionals to stay and succeed, it is crucial to up-skill themselves.