From Good to Great—Three Ways to Future-Proof Your Public Relations in 2024
What matters: The world of PR may be changing, but the foundation of good public relations and brand storytelling isn’t.
There are still best practices for brands to consider despite the evolution—and explosion—of new media.
The world of communications and public relations is experiencing a shift. For one, how people consume content and interact with brands has changed, and continues to. Just look at the multitude of digital channels, a growing number of social media platforms, influencers—and de-influencers—and even the explosion of artificial intelligence, all of which are challenging the status quo of how brands reach and connect with their audiences. What’s more, the always-on realities of our digital worlds are instilling a seemingly endless sense of urgency for brands to meet their audiences where they are.
While all this may feel daunting to communications professionals, it doesn’t need to be. In fact, the core of what makes good communications and public relations isn’t changing, and there are still best practices for brands to consider despite the evolution—and explosion—of new media. Below, we unpack what some of those best practices are, and how brands can stay ahead.
BE AUDIENCE-CENTRIC WHILE REMAINING CURIOUS
Knowing your audience and catering to them is a core tenant of good public relations. And understanding your brand, and its values and messaging, is critical to engaging those audiences. But it’s also fundamental to consider where your audiences are engaging, the messaging, trends they relate to, and their preferences to ensure your efforts are delivering value to your core consumers and helping you achieve your goals. For example, if you’re targeting Gen Z, the goal of landing on The Today Show may be misaligned, as only 5% of Gen Z get their daily news from local networks (and 50% get their news from social media on a daily basis).
But it’s not enough to know your audience and their preferred channels. Being able to quickly adapt to change, being poised to pivot in reaction to unexpected stories that impact plans or messaging, and preparing for risk management are all crucial skills these days. These skills go hand-in-hand with being curious and open to emerging channels, along with the willingness to test into them to gauge not only audience engagement but also business impact.
KEEP BUSINESS OBJECTIVES TOP-OF-MIND
Having an understanding of a client or brand’s business and how public relations can help achieve results is not only a no-brainer for successful communications, it’s a must-have that requires a strategic and holistic mindset. Public relations doesn’t operate in a silo, so understanding the variety of functions, key stakeholders and how they interoperate across the organization is critical in delivering strong PR.
Being able to navigate beyond just the public relations lane is also key to successful communications. Understanding the role PR plays in conjunction with other marketing initiatives, channels and departments, and how this ladders up to the brand’s broader business objectives, can be the difference between an impactful campaign or one that falls flat; for example, creating headlines for the sake of getting hits or impressions leads to vanity results. Measurements like quality, relevance to audience, and even sentiment of engagement in key demographics or channels can deliver clearer metrics that ultimately add value to your business.
DON’T JUST SAY—DO, BUT AUTHENTICALLY
Long gone are the days of “massaging” or “spinning” messages resulting in successful communications campaigns. Brands now are being measured and viewed by what they do or how they act versus what they say alone. Meaningful public relations involves counseling clients and brands first on action and doing, to then help craft a compelling story to support it—in other words, act first, tell second.
For brands, telling the truth matters. How your brand is living up to its values as a company clearly demonstrates authenticity and consistency in your actions and messaging. And more than simply aligning to goals and objectives, your brand’s communications strategy needs to tell a compelling story in a genuine way to resonate and connect with your audiences and where they are. For example, messaging on TikTok or Instagram should align with and feel like a fit for those channels, compared to content that shows up in more traditional channels like a news article.
Communications may be changing, but the foundation of good public relations and brand storytelling isn’t. Embracing new channels while finding your genuine voice and aligning your strategy with business objectives in a results-focused way will give your brand the edge it needs to make an impact.
Emily McMahon is Head of Public Relations at Salient Global.