Having an agile PR team that anticipates and adapts to ongoing trends is crucial in today’s ever-evolving media landscape. Certain areas of PR have experienced growth this year, while others have encountered new challenges. By staying ahead of these trends, we are creating smart strategies and consistently delivering results for our clients. These are the key PR trends of 2023:
Shrinking Newsrooms
The media industry has faced a steep wave of job cuts this year, with a staggering 17,436 jobs lost in the first six months alone, according to Axios. This wave of downsizing has posed a significant threat to the industry’s stability. However, despite these challenges, many journalists are still diligently working to deliver quality journalism.
The need for PR to support journalists has become more important in this landscape. The primary function of PR has always been to entice reporters to craft feature stories that highlight clients and provide them with the essential information they need to do so effectively. However, this role has become even more critical as reporters become increasingly stretched thin, covering more beats with fewer resources.
Thought leadership has become a more prominent PR strategy as a result of the newsroom shrinkage. Given the limited capacity of journalists to cover every newsworthy story, the transformation of industry leaders’ perspectives into bylined articles by them has become a strategic approach for many brands. This offers a win-win scenario, with the expertise of the thought leader leveraged to contribute valuable content to the media outlet, while simultaneously enhancing credibility and visibility for both the individual executive and brand.
DEI Isn’t Going Anywhere
Today’s consumers are diverse, and they are looking for brands that celebrate and reflect this diversity to engage with. By weaving DEI into every thread of their communications, brands become more relatable to a broader audience.
Whether a brand is wholly dedicated to DEI as its core mission or utilizes DEI principles strategically, success in today’s dynamic media and business landscape is increasingly connected to DEI efforts. The evolving expectations of consumers and the changing dynamics of the business world make embracing DEI not just a nice choice but a prerequisite for thriving in today’s business landscape.
Authenticity Is Key
Audiences can determine when a brand is being genuine, making authenticity key for building trust and credibility among stakeholders. Effectively conveying a brand’s message requires tact, including a deep understanding of the target audience, meaningful infusion of the brand’s values and the strategic use of emotion to build a lasting impact. Visual elements, such as images and videos, not only breathe life into narratives but also humanize the brand, creating a more relatable and engaging persona. Successful communication goes far beyond the mere delivery of a message; it is about building real connections and earning trust.
In-Person Events Are Back
The post-Covid excitement for industry conferences is real, with individuals still expressing a desire to return to in-person events. These events bring people together to engage and network with others in the industry, presenting meaningful revenue pipeline generation that is often difficult to replicate online.
This year saw marquee events like CES, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and more with more attendees than ever. Not only are attendees back, but they have a new wave of enthusiasm for quality facetime and networking than ever before.
These PR trends offer a sneak peek into what 2024 will look like. The future of PR is savvy, results-oriented and distinctly human. Success in PR now hinges on meeting key stakeholders — be it clients, journalists or other partners — where they are and communicating with them in ways that matter. As key to building a strong business reputation and relationships, PR will become increasingly important for brands in 2024 and beyond.
If you’re interested in learning how we can help elevate your 2024 PR strategy, contact us today!