INTRODUCTION
There is no question that the public relations industry is still feeling the effects of 2020: shrinking media landscapes and cultural and social issue shifts, as well as the fundamental ways PR professionals work, when they work, where they work and what matters to clients while we work.
In short, PR professionals have had to adapt and evolve the way they do their jobs, and they will continue to in the next year.
Here are six public relations trends we expect to see in 2022:
- In-person media events will be less common. Media events that took place in person, like press conferences, are now either virtual or may even be canceled to save money and keep employees/staff safe. If you do see events, they will more about the quality, not quantity, of attendees.
- Traditional methods of earned media are changing. PR professionals will need to convince management that media success can be found outside the traditional methods. For example, it may help your client better reach their audiences by placing them in a targeted podcast rather than, say, an article in the Wall Street Journal.
- Data and analytics will become even more important. Gathering data on important KPIs like SEO improvement or earned media can help justify your decision/campaigns and inform your future PR efforts. Additional things to measure could be brand mentions, website traffic and email metrics like open and click-through rate.
- Pitching media might be more successful at a different time of day. With hybrid work here to stay, PR professionals need to think about what time of day they pitch journalists (e.g., a survey by the Press Gazette found that time saved commuting and minimal distraction at home led to many journalists logging on much earlier than pre-pandemic times)
- Keep in mind consumers’ desire for authenticity. The rise of fake news has increased consumers’ desire for authenticity. Consumers want to know that the brands they engage with exude truth, honesty and transparency. Thus, a PR person need to be involved in making sure the leadership team is creating a strong, credible and believable story about your company.
- Be prepared to react quickly to news and trends. PR pros will continue to be more reactive and flexible than they have in the past. COVID has made it clear that avoiding being tone-deaf and staying on top of the news agenda are important to media relations efforts. There is no more planned “12-month editorial calendar.”