Previously in another post, it was said that the future of PR is all about change.
However, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. While that is morbidly true, in the world of Public Relations (PR), there are many other things that stay the same no matter the march of time.
To continue to be relevant, publicists and PR agencies need to adapt to the shifting sands of societal norms and technology. After 100 years of perfecting the art of PR, adept practitioners have adapted to keep abreast with the world and more than justify their existence.
Importance of media
Many have questioned the relevance of the media in the 5G Internet era - where brands can build their own online presence, get consumers reviews, and sell directly. The answer here is trust.
With so much content being created online, everyone is suddenly an expert. Anyone with a phone and data to burn can state their opinion as fact and too often people take their word at face value.
The reason why New York Times, Bloomberg, or Channel News Asia still matters is due to their journalistic integrity. In uncertain times, people need to be able to rely on trustworthy sources. Just think, when you hear of a rumour which circulates on the Internet, where will you go to verify?
Established media outlets build their reputation over years, decades, and even centuries. Also, when they get it wrong, they will retract and apologise. Hence, to be positively mentioned, featured, reviewed, and interviewed, by tier 1 media outlets is still so valuable. It is a badge of honour for a business and a stamp of approval.
Relationship building
Business owners and CFOs will always ask “How can an outsider know your business better than you and get more return on the investment?”. With in-house manpower dedicated to marketing one’s business, are external vendors still needed? The answer is yes - it’s all about relationship building.
First, as mentioned earlier, constructive media coverage is still coveted. How do you get the attention of an editor gets 400 pitches a day on top of strict deadlines to deliver top-notch grammatically correct articles that must still capture the attention of the reader?
With that in mind, good PR practitioners will know what is a particular journalist’s beat (focus) and what type of information is preferred. A great publicist will know the journalists’ preference for method of contact, time to reach out, pet peeves and more. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Second, a business has a million things to do at any point - all of them requiring attention from limited time and attention spans. Especially in Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which is 90% of companies in any economy, where will they find time to be acquainted with editors that cover their industry?
It is a matter of focus and letting professionals do professional work. PR agents only do this so those who are worth their salt in this trade, builds strong relationships with editors.
Good content and research
How does one build good relationships to the all-important media? Beyond just years of correspondence and familiarity - it is the content. After all, the goal is to create something that readers, viewers, listeners want to consume. Be it press releases, thought leadership posts, podcasts, and more, it has to be interesting for the audience - so worthy publicists will only send worthwhile material to editors.
Building trust in the relationship is to do the necessary research. When an editor receives the material from a familiar source, they will know that the homework has already been done. All corroborating evidence has been annotated or attached. This is not to say that editors just blindly run articles, quite the opposite, they just appreciate that they don’t have to do extra work to find references.
PR is about results - it is not inconsequential. PR is about long-term trust - it cannot be shortsighted. PR is about research - it is not basic. These things are time-honoured so while the way PR is done changes with time, why it is done stays the same.
