PR Trends in 2023 & How To Prepare for 2024 Media Outreach
Public relations in 2023 is full of opportunity with a few noticeable shifts. The media and society as a whole craves authenticity and transparency from brands, as well as a quality product or service. The founders behind these brands will be called upon for thought leadership and sharing their expertise on related topics, including industry trends, sustainability, and market shifts.
Content is king, with many brands creating their own media platforms and news rooms, ranging from blogs to downloadable press kits. Social media is always relevant and a companion to PR services, with a shift towards user generated content (UGC) and more genuine, ongoing partnerships with influencers and tastemakers.
In 2023, public relations is absolutely necessary to build, grow, and maintain brands, leveraging backlinks and media mentions to create and sustain brand awareness, trust, relevance, and long-term success. The most successful brands have PR prior to their brand’s official launch and for the entirety of their brand’s lifespan.
We stress a diversified palette of public relations in the form of digital, print, industry trade, and new media. You’ve seen our clients everywhere from Forbes to Parents to the Today Show with our simple yet effective press strategy.
In times of economic downturn, some brands cut or eliminate resources for PR, which opens the doors for their competitors, who realize the importance of keeping PR, to capture their market share and target markets.
It is much harder to recover the lost momentum and opportunities from stopping and restarting PR (sadly, it’s not automatic like turning a light switch on and off!), so we advise allocating public relations services – perhaps shifting strategy to focus on shorter-lead media wins and deepening existing media relationships – within your budget for long-term success and the best results.
While measuring the efficacy of public relations in terms of metrics is often debated, it’s clear PR, in this case earned media, is perceived as more trusted and valuable than paid advertising. A glance at a publication’s media kit containing its readership and advertising fees can be cross-referenced with earned media in that same publication – for example, the cost of a quarter page advertisement in a publication compared to the quarter page earned media/press secured from public relations efforts in that same publication. Press is always considered more valuable and legitimate compared to a paid ad.
It’s important to note public relations is a long-term strategy and cumulative. It is normal for it to take a few months from signing on with a PR agency to see tangible results in the form of press mentions, based on media lead times and the relevancy of your brand with timing. For example, it’s currently early June and we received a major print magazine request for their October/November 2023 issue. Summertime is also when the media traditionally starts to source their holiday gift guides (think Christmas in July, literally!).
The most common mistake we see brands make is commit to a few months of PR and then give up – losing all progress and pending media opportunities. It’s important to factor in the “ramp up” and lead times in any PR campaign and trust the proven process of media relations. In our experience, the best results happen with clients who start out with a 6 month commitment with the option to extend. At the 6 month mark, there will be tangible results and positive outcomes from media outreach efforts and the client will continue services. Our most successful and well-known clients have worked with us for years.
While increased sales is obviously the goal of most brands, PR is not considered a direct sales function. However, the cumulative effect of a consumer continually seeing a brand in trusted media coverage, nominated for reputable awards, and in the feeds of their favorite influencers/tastemakers can assist with a brand’s marketing efforts and sales channels.
For example, a brand can share they were featured on the Today Show and won an Earnshaw’s Magazine Earnie Awards to garner trust and credibility with potential retailers and their e-commerce site. Influencer gifting can lead to a lucrative organic mention or collaboration. Partnering with affiliate programs like ShareASale and Skimlinks can gage the results of commerce press (often those Google search-friendly top 10 lists like “Best Baby Shower Gifts”) using trackable links.
Having realistic expectations, providing your PR agency with necessary assets (high resolution images, the latest news & brand information, responding to emails in a timely manner), and understanding the nature of public relations is essential. We’re happy to refer our clients to trusted service providers and parnters if they need particular assets, such as product photography or sales showroom referrals.
The good news is, once you get into the groove of public relations and land a few media mentions, this builds trust and opens doors for other media outlets to cover your brand. When pitching our clients, being able to mention they’ve been featured in Business Insider, Better Homes & Gardens, and In Style, to name a few, creates even more opportunities for consistent, top tier press. We’ve also had our clients selected for prestigious top tier media review boards and successfully acquired by investors based in large part to their positive and consistent presence in the media.
Why choose Magnolia PR in particular? We are a small but mighty boutique PR agency, which means we are nimble and can easily adapt to shifting trends to provide our clients with the most effective plan of action. Our practical, results-driven ethos and nearly two decades of experience and media relationships means we know the industry inside and out . We know how to best serve our clients with integrity and trust.
Whether we’re helping a start-up create media buzz or building a strategy for an established brand to roll out a new campaign, we believe in hard, sustained work and honest feedback over quick fixes and false promises. Check out some of our client testimonials here.
Interested in how we can help your brand in 2023 or have a few more questions? Feel free to schedule a call here or email [email protected].
