PR for business in the social age

The rise of social media and evidence-based performance measurement has been described as the death of traditional public relations.  But while PR budgets have taken a hit from digital media investments, it’s still unarguable that traditional media coverage of business announcements and activities drive traffic, engagement and awareness, both online and offline.  And the reality is that social content that is considered to have ‘gone viral’, has often been mentioned or amplified in mainstream media press.  So in effect, PR and social media work hand in hand. One reinforces the other, and PR remains a priority for businesses, large and small.

So if PR is still a priority, how do you get mainstream media to sit up and take notice of your press releases and other business content?

Having articles printed in mainstream media newspapers, or discussed in broadcast media, is not an automatic outcome of content creation.  Increasingly, media editors and producers are looking for content that is exclusive and well-crafted, as well as controversial, or targeted toward a very specific niche audience. Traditional media need to maintain relevance and interest for their audiences, and in the case of commercial media, they need to drive advertising revenue.  As such, content that is likely to be run in mainstream media press will always have an element of novelty or controversy that is likely to make the piece widely read, and shared or discussed among networks.

It’s also useful to keep an eye on the bigger news of the day.  If a world event (or even an unusual local event) is dominating the press and broadcast media, the chances of any editor even viewing your content is limited.  Issuing press releases and contacting mainstream media on slow news days will always generate a higher hit rate.  Similarly, you need to think about the time of day you want to issue a release.  Issuing press releases on a Friday afternoon (and even to some extent on a Monday morning) will reduce the likelihood of your story being found.

Finally, you need to think carefully about which journals and broadcast media are really appropriate for your business, both in terms of your existing customer base, and your target market.  Just because you enjoy a particular newspaper or magazine, it doesn’t necessarily follow that your business customers will be reading the same journals.  Think about how your business services might be relevant to niche audiences, and then tailor your press releases to meet those interests.  And be open to exploring new journals and broadcasters as targets for a press release.  You might be surprised about which media sources are experiencing audience growth.