Social Media and digital news feeds have transformed the news landscape, where a news cycle may start and finish within a matter of hours rather than over a period of days. PR firms can no longer write media pitches, proof them, approve them, and then send them out to their contacts the day a news story breaks. The pitches already have to be written and be pertinent to that news cycle within minutes of the story starting to build momentum on Twitter and Facebook. This has led to a new breed of PR firms, technology-led experts who automate several parts of the process to ensure that their client’s names and expertise are in front of the right journalists just as they are starting to write their posts and articles about a hot topic which is early news cycle.
Why do Digital PR Firms Have an Advantage?
Digital Public Relations Agencies have a distinct advantage because their technology is customised to identify when the keywords relevant to their client’s business hit appropriate new channels. This then triggers the launch of a blitz campaign to deliver an event-centric pitch to the journalists who have yet to publish on the news cycle, presuming they are currently pulling together pertinent sources and data to publish their comments. The pitch provides the journalists with links to the original story so they can see if it’s a story they want to comment on and where they can respond to it if they wish. It also offers the PR firm’s client as an expert in the field, with a link to their website and social media for further information, so that they can if they wish, and often do, interview the expert to give their story more relevance in the news cycle. Clearly this proactive approach to journalists providing them with relevant leads is invaluable to them, generating ideas and sources instantly, allowing them to publish ahead of their peers.
What Results Are Digital PR Firms Delivering?
Due to the agile nature of Digital PR firms in comparison to the large Communication agencies, they are able to work very effectively with clients of all sizes, offering tailored campaigns for niche companies in niche industries. They can in a short period of time, create national coverage and credibility for previously unknown experts in highly technical and niche fields whose opinions address hot topics in the mainstream news such as cybersecurity, blockchain, and cryptocurrency.
Results for the client are often a huge increase in website traffic, enquiries from prospective clients and conversions. The Return on Investment of such campaigns is typically much higher than equivalent advertising campaigns, due to coverage in national media such as the Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Fox News.
This new breed of PR firms is taking the industry by storm, delivering market-leading results in shorter time periods than traditional Communication Agencies have ever been able. As their software develops with the news media we can only expect more relevant and faster PR delivery.