After an unusual year that shifted the way we use social media and interact with the news, Muck Rack released its study on the State of PR in 2021. The study surveyed over 1,000 different public relations professionals who work in different sectors and companies and recorded their responses to different questions like what tools they use, the best way they reach media, and more. Muck Rack also hosted a webinar to dive into the results and get live feedback from different professionals. These insights can help socially responsible companies and nonprofits form a PR strategy that gets the best results.
Top Challenges
One of the challenges that remained, and perhaps was exacerbated during COVID-19, was receiving responses from journalists – 59% of PR professionals saw it as the biggest challenge. As the news cycle changed to include more coverage on COVID-19, PR professionals found it challenging to find relevant pitch angles or to break into the news cycle. At Teak, we supported clients that were directly dealing with the impact of COVID and strategized with clients which didn’t have direct ties to the pandemic. We focused on finding story angles that would be appealing to journalists. During news coverage on the pandemic, the desire for good news also rose. Shows like GBH’s In It Together were an opportunity to listen to stories that were uplifting. Staying up to date on the news, and remaining flexible with our PR plans, helped our work.
Media Strategy
Reaching out to journalists may sometimes seem daunting for people unfamiliar with media relations. However, if you do your research and reach out to the correct contacts you are more likely to get results. In the State of PR report, 42% of PR professionals noted that it is more important to reach out to a journalist with a pitch relevant to what they cover than timeliness or a catchy subject line. When you do the first pitch, 96% of PR professional say individual emails are the most effective channel for pitching journalists. When we can, we follow up with phone calls to make sure our pitch doesn’t get lost in a mountain of emails. The study found the most common outlets PR pros pitch are online outlets, newspapers, and magazines. However, there are emerging opportunities like podcasts and blogs. Having a clear media strategy with clear target outlets and reports will help your organization.
Future of PR
The future of PR is another topic we think socially responsible companies and nonprofits should consider. The report said 73% of PR professionals surveyed believe that “Public Relations” will need to be redefined within the coming years. As technology and media change, PR professionals are no longer only writing press releases. Now PR professionals work on blending traditional media outreach with emerging needs such as social media, webinars, and creating internal messaging for websites, blogs, and newsletters. PR agencies need to continue strengthening a wide variety of skill sets like strategic planning, media relations, social media, research and more. For years at Teak, we have been incorporating all forms of media and content outreach in our campaigns. As the media landscape changes it is becoming more important to understand how traditional and nontraditional mediums are blurring.
Public relations is a constantly evolving field. Muckrack’s State of PR is a glimpse into the mind of PR professionals across the industry as technology and trends change. At Teak, we make the world notice those who are improving it. The last year reminded us how important it is to get the word out about the work of nonprofits and socially responsible companies to make sure communities know that there are always organizations that are there to help them.
