Public Relations solicits media coverage that isn’t paid for or self-created but” earned”—third-party endorsements carry a lot of weight.
- 89% of Americans get at least some of their news online
- 62% of adults get news from social media sites, having surpassed print newspapers as a source
- Younger generations want easy access to entertaining, authentic, fair, and meaningful news
PR and content marketing initiatives are now sharing many of the same goals. Online publications and social media have added new channels to the mix, with the added benefit of being able to easily interconnect, linking back to your website, and thereby positively impacting SEO and web traffic.
But don’t throw the press release out the window yet. PR has always been about storytelling and many journalists and online influencers continue to want you to pitch your story to them. A press release is still a convenient way to do that.
Taking the time to develop your media list and pitches will pay off in the end. The impact strategic PR can have is unlimited. The right mention in the right place can easily lead to hundreds of thousands of new site visits. And, the value of inbound links on your search engine rankings can’t be underestimated.