PR + content marketing = the next generation

If you build it, they will come...but how will everyone else know about it? For measurable outcomes great content needs to be paired with great promotion. The days of “build it, and they will come” are over. You must create content and invite people to access it. 

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Since social media has exploded public realtions practitioners have had to quickly adapt their strategy to the fast-changing industry. They've had to shift their objectives from finding that hook and email as many journalists to write about their clients as possible to finding where their audience is, develop appropriate media contact lists, build meaningful relationships with them, prove value with relevant and interesting content, then deliver it to their doorstep (virtually usually).

Some PR best practices I follow include:

• Gain awareness
• Establish thought leadership
• Build a relevant and loyal community or brand ambassadors
• Recruit new customers

I (and others) have found four key elements to getting more visibility for myself and/or companies/clients:

1. Tell a story
2. Help journalists stand out among their competitors
3. Create captivating content that customers and journalists are going to find valuable
4. Do extensive research to find where the audiences are, and distribute your content there

In other words, I am a PR pro, a journalist and now a content marketer. There are several other ways content marketing has changed the way we “do PR.” To achieve greater awareness, engagement and media coverage, most brands engage stakeholders in addition to creating content. While the content itself is considered owned media, the invitations to view it tend to fall into one of two camps: earned or paid media.

1. Owned Media is almost synonymous with content marketing. It’s the content created for your site and other properties, and pitched to news outlets. A clever infographic or thought leadership article posted on a third-party website, such as a news outlet or blog, is an ideal way to drive interest and website traffic.

2. Earned media is called by many names, including “third-party mentions” and “word-of-mouth.” No matter the name, earned media is crucial to your brand’s longevity. People give more credence to journalists, friends, family and people they admire than they do branded messages.

3. Paid media is “paying to play,” and it can be hugely successful if targeted. Setting up ads without targeting them is like throwing money out the window. To see greater return on investment (ROI), target your ads by demographics, location and time.

If you want to be successful with content marketing and PR, remember your work is two-fold. First build the 
content, then invite people to it.

This Insights column was adapted from here and here. 


What do you think? How have you seen content marketing change the way we do PR?

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