Public Relations: What will happen in 2011
The past few years have turned PR on its head. As media consumption has shifted almost entirely to the Internet, many print publications have struggled to adjust their editorial approaches to accommodate and PR practitioners have had to adjust accordingly. On top of that, the social revolution completely changed PR job descriptions. Our social networks have taken on the role of news editors. Instead of going directly to websites to scan for news, we frequently only see bite-sized news headlines that have been posted or retweeted by our trusted sources. Instead of going directly to a site, readers now rely on personalized news aggregators such as Google Reader, or getting the scoop on what’s trending from sites such as Tweetbeat.
To add even more complication to the changing landscape that we now deal with in PR, mobile devices are sparking another big shift in media infrastructure, with tablets set to become the centerpiece of media strategies for top print publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
In light of these evolving dynamics, what should PR practitioners be thinking about as they’re building plans for 2011? Here are three trends to watch in the coming year.
1. Publicity now has two sources: the original news source and the person that shared it with the rest of the world
Gone are the days of getting your client published in The Wall Street Journal and thinking your job was done. Now, the credibility and influence of the person tweeting that coverage is just as important as the credibility and influence of the publication that printed it. Smart PR pros will take a good, long look at the key industry influencers in social media for each of their clients and begin developing fruitful relationships. In addition, you’ll want to take a look at your headlines and subject lines. Are they under 140 characters? They need to be. Making your information easily accessible and reusable for social media influencers and traditional journalists is going to be the fine line you walk this year. If you haven’t been practicing your PR tightrope walk, you’ll need to catch up.
2. Journalists’ increased need for “exclusives”
Publications aren’t looking at readership anymore, they are looking at hits, and the best way to get more hits is to offer something no other online outlet can. Major stories spread to thousands of websites and millions of social media feeds within minutes so journalists and publications are looking for ways to tailor their big news stories to a unique audience to garner additional traffic and they’ll be looking to PR pros to help. When sending out releases, pitching is going to be key. You can’t just rely on the wire service anymore. Tailoring the release and pointing out a unique angle to specific journalists is going to be critical to securing quality coverage.
3. Increased focus on multimedia
This has been going on for years now but many PR pros just aren’t listening. Along with exclusives, a big point of differentiation for publications will be the use of slideshows and video to complement their print and online stories. Where appropriate, PR professionals should begin to build ideas for working different media formats into their pitches to let reporters choose how they want to report the news, as well as to give their readers a choice on how they want to consume it. In the end, that’s what the digital world has truly given consumers when it comes to consumer media – a choice. And PR pros need to do the same.
M/C/C is a full service Dallas public relations, advertising, and social media firm. For more detailed information, please visit their website.
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