10 Yetis Insight Blog - Is PR Extinct?! How To Cope When The End Is Nigh

Industry bods will know that there’s been some rumours on the PR grapevine that our beloved industry is now extinct; that the communications world has shifted and changed and our trusty methods are now known as ‘traditional’ – and, scariest of all, are not far from becoming totally redundant.

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As people working in PR, we devise new campaign plans every day, we issue press releases, we write features, we organise stunts and cross platform campaigns. What will change for us, if our foundations really are crumbling beneath us under the glare of social media news, consumer generated content and mobile use? Do we all need to down tools and run for the hills, disappearing from the media business forever?

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Short answer – no.

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Long answer – we are changing just as quickly as the world is; we live in it, after all. Every day, we wake up and check our mobiles, we scan the headlines on news apps, we consume information in the same way as everybody else – so this is no big, scary mystery. We aren’t about to get plunged into a world of the unknown. The chessboard is as level as it ever was.

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It’s always been critical to keep up with current affairs, habits and behaviours. A campaign that smashed it 50 years ago wouldn’t be destined for the same wall of fame if it was launched 30 years ago; a good campaign has always been topical and relevant to the times and the rule is the same today as it was then.

The only people that should be quaking in their boots are the lazy ones, the ones that cross the t’s and dot the i’s and consider their work done. If you are relying on formulaic PR, rather than creative and engaging PR, your results will suffer. This should be a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how many people are caught out after expecting to get the same results from the same activity, time and time again.

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The biggest impact will be to the way in which we pitch to journalists, and the way we convey our messages. Some journalists still hanker after that front page spread, but many more seek to claim the most shared or visited story on the site.

Readership engagement is more transparent than ever before, thanks to the analytics available for online and social media stories. This is something that a good PR person should be totally on board with, rather than wanting to fight against. At long last, we have access to better insights into the readers’ reactions – what’s the discussion in the comments? We can see how engaged they are – are they sharing it? Are they tagging friends?

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Providing you understand the journalists’ requirements and plans, you can design your campaigns to fit. Previously you may have pitched ideas that would work in print, or as a listicle for a bit of online attention span-friendly linkbait; now you might offer journalists Facebook Live content, things they can attend and film for themselves, from sneak peaks and interviews to behind the scenes footage at product launches. Social media editors may become a key target, so build these relationships; you need to understand them, their work and their plans in order to appeal to them.

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Social media’s ability to snowball topics and the reach of organic, consumer generated content should also become a consideration in building campaigns. The public is not a passive receptor of news; now, those working in public relations should consider the role of the public in the campaign itself. You can tip off journalists about a stunt, as you always would have done, but can you add in a hashtag too so that passers-by can get involved and help extend that reach and gain extra traction? How about incorporating a photo opportunity, so that they can snap themselves and share it on their social channels?

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This may require a new way of thinking, but PR people should take comfort in that it is a constant, gradual development. There is never going to be a static point at which PR stops still and says – here’s the path to success. The terrain will always change but, providing that you keep up with the trends and behaviours of your audience and those working in the best channels to reach them, you will be able to create the same awesome successes that you’re used to.

Plus, a good PR person will enjoy staying a step ahead; pre-empting the trends to come and devising amazing campaigns that lead the way; embracing tech and social media and any other developments; and coming up trumps with something original and relevant. Nothing is fool proof and nothing stays the same – but wouldn’t it be boring if it did?!