The world of public relations has become almost unrecognisable compared to how it was 20 years ago. To celebrate 20 years in PR, here are some of our insights into this quickly changing world.
Public relations. PR. The art, skill and dedication of managing how information about a company is circulated to the public. Fluff to some, brand-boosting goldmine to others. Whatever your stance, this is an industry that has changed incredibly over the last couple of decades.
To celebrate our 20 years in the business, we’re sharing our insider knowledge about some of the transformational changes we’ve witnessed over this time.
1. Journalists play a content editor role
There are multiple statistics highlighting the “colossal” reduction in the number of journalists (PressGazette). We’re noticing this starkly in the work we do. Journalists and editorial teams have had to become more like content editors, relying on content supplied to them by PR teams.
2. “Hunting” for stories is a thing of the past
There’s a narrative people like to apply to journalists where they doggedly sniff out stories. This rarely happens now – they just don’t have the time. Instead, journalists spend a lot of time looking at data to ensure they have content that appeals to their audience.
3. Phone pitches are out
When we first started out in PR, we always had to phone journalists to follow up on our press releases. Now it’s all about email – and it’s pretty difficult to get the mobile number for a journalist.
“When I started out, a journalist would often give me 30 seconds to pitch them from the moment they picked up the phone. Many would hang up sooner than that. They had no fear of being rude to you!”
- Ryan
4. Journalists need us
Sweeping changes in the way journalism is done has flipped the script between PR professionals and journalists. At the moment, journalists are really relying on us to deliver good quality content they can repackage and publish easily.
“Back then, we needed journalists more than they needed us. PR people were desperate to get journalists on side when I first started out. Now it’s completely flipped.”
- Ryan
5. Freelance journalists have dwindled
Having relationships with freelancers is useful, as they hold the possibility of getting content in multiple publications. In today’s tough media climate, there are fewer freelancers, so PRs have to work harder to build rapport with new journalists each time a press release goes out. Ultimately, there are fewer opportunities for consistent pick-up for clients.
6. Relationships are harder
In PR, we used to have relationships with journalists, and catch up regularly over coffee or lunch. We often already knew the journalists we sent press releases to. This doesn't happen as much anymore. There are frequent staff changes at media outlets, and journalists are too time-pressured to be able to prioritise building long-term relationships.
7. Nurturing stories and opportunities is harder
Thanks to the relationship-building that came with the territory, we used to enjoy opportunities to nurture story ideas through that process. That kind of in-person brainstorming can be really valuable, but again, journalists don't have time for this in their current pressured context.
"Back in the day, I managed to get a dedicated monthly feature for a client in a target publication based on their data reports alone. There used to be wonderful opportunities like this that don't really exist anymore."
- Ryan
8. The yawning print-online gap
The national print media used to have hundreds of pages to fill each week, while trade magazines had audiences of 50,000 to 100,000. Now, more than double the amount of people read online news compared to print (Newsworks), and print trade magazines have a much smaller readership of 5,000 to 10,000.
9. A rollercoaster of opportunities
Between five and 15 pieces of coverage for the average press release was a good result in the early 2000s. With the explosion of online in the 2010s, this increased to 20 to 30 pieces of coverage. Now this has reduced to five to seven pieces of coverage for trade accounts, now there’s more emphasis on targeting quality audiences.
10. Online value is real
There was some scepticism about the value of online coverage when the internet first took off. Although it’s causing print to diminish, people are now realising the compelling value of online.
“When online opportunities first landed, clients would say they’re not interested in getting coverage online, because they thought it was a gimmick. In PR, we could see that was the future, but clients weren’t convinced. People now realise that when it’s in paper, you have to hope that the right person at the right time opens the right page and reads it. Whereas with online it’s fed in: people choose what they want to see.”
- Ryan
11. There have always been influencers…but they’ve changed
Journalists used to be the influencers – they had autonomy to pursue their own stories, and there were more of them to shape the news agenda. Now, the potential influencers in our line of work are expert consultants, C-suite executives and thinktanks.
12. Owned media is credible
Owned media didn’t really exist until 10 to 15 years ago, when many companies made huge investments in their own blogs and channels. These channels have become independent and credible sources in their own right. Businesses are still creating these owned channels because they see how successful they are in engaging their audiences.
13. Companies are now multimedia producers
Multimedia and PR used to only come together if a broadcast journalist or TV channel chose to feature a client. But now companies aren’t just sending out press releases and waiting for broadcast invitations – they’re producing their own video, podcasts and image galleries, as well as running social media channels and sending out targeted newsletters.
14. Audience is more important than the media outlet
Clients used to want coverage in the big media outlets like the BBC and The Times because they were seen as being credible, impartial, unbiased and trustworthy. But now the focus is much more on the end user, and less the medium that’s travelled to get a message to them.
“Now people don’t give credit to something being a trustworthy publication. It’s just accessing content. There’s a huge question mark about whether there’s a need to worry about where content is distributed and visible. It’s more about just having it out there in front of the right audience.”
- Ryan
15. Mass communications no longer works
PR isn’t about blasting out a press release and hoping it lands anymore. It’s become highly targeted and segmented into niche audiences.
“We’re now fishing where the fish are, not hoping people will find our clients.”
- Ryan
16. Sponsored content, marketing or PR?
In the past, clients either paid for marketing campaigns, or they tried to influence the media. But with so many sponsored content opportunities in publications today, the lines are becoming blurrier.
17. PR has (almost never) been "cheap marketing"
Any PR professional who has been in the industry long enough will have been told PR is just “cheap marketing”. There are times when PR drives immense value and huge ROI - you cannot underestimate the value of referrals, word of mouth, or media endorsement. Your story or brand hits the right channel, at the right time with the right sentiment can truly be a game-changer. But there's a lot that goes into getting media coverage – and it's not usually easy or a way to cut corners.
18. We’re influencing stakeholders
A key part of our job used to be about influencing journalists. Now it’s broadened out to influencing stakeholders. But influencing people has always been at the core of PR – and it’s worth remembering this, even if the landscape has totally changed.
“Anyone who worked in PR 20 years ago finds it almost unrecognisable today. What will remain at the heart of PR is being able to influence how people talk about you, and what image your company or business conjures up in the minds of people who are talking about you. It’s about reaching your key stakeholders.”
- Ryan
19. The media's idea of a 'story' has changed
Society and the business landscape is always changing, and this influences what media outlets want to cover. What was publishable 20 years ago – or even one year ago – is irrelevant now. Keeping on top of what the media needs takes expert insight and a little prowess.
"There was a time when startups would get media coverage. I once worked for a company whose new product had gone live a week before – and we got 300 pieces of coverage, including in the Financial Times. The Financial Times wouldn’t touch a company that has just launched anymore! Back then, there were so many journalists, and huge – much easier – opportunities."
- Ryan
20. The skillset for identifying stories is diluted
With so many channels and voices on the internet, it’s common to read content that isn’t really a story. Experienced PR people who can identify real stories are needed more than ever. This helps cut through the noise, so clients get more visibility.
“PR is about getting a message out there, and making sure it’s delivered in the right way. That’s still at the heart of PR. It’s about actually identifying when a story is a story – or not – and being able to tell clients that. Even though you don’t have to pitch a story so much now, you still have to be targeting the right publications and make them want to write about it.”
- Ryan
Comments