The gloves were off in our most recent seminar, as prefects Jenn and Sophie pit digital and traditional PR against each other in the ultimate showdown. Missed out? Don’t worry – we’ve detailed each nail-biting round for you below.
Round 1 – meet the fighters
In the blue corner, we have the undisputed reigning champion, traditional PR. An old faithful of brands, traditional PR is essentially anything your grandma would understand. Newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and industry publications – the traditional method has been used and trusted by businesses to share their message for many, many years.
In the red corner, the new kid on the block, digital PR, is ready to challenge these methods. Many may be less familiar with this fighter, but that’s not to say it doesn’t pack a good punch. Digital PR is a marketing strategy used by businesses to increase their online presence. This covers all forms of online content, from blogs and thought leadership pieces to podcasts, video and social media.
Round 2 – what to do
With traditional PR, the key is to always think ahead – what news or events do you have in the pipeline? What are publications focusing on? How can your goals and their plans align?
Carefully consider not only what you’re writing about, but what and where you’re writing for. Then, make sure you include all avenues for content, including press releases, opinion pieces, or product reviews.
The world of digital PR is constantly changing, meaning it’s much more flexible in terms of content development. It is, however, important to make an impact on all areas of the internet to make the most of this method.
By creating lots of online content you can build backlinks to your own website, which improve your search engine optimisation (SEO) and boost your Google ranking. Alongside this, it’s crucial to have a strong presence on social media to support your brand.
Round 3 – how to do it
When searching for traditional PR opportunities and angles, make sure you’re not pigeon-holing your brand. Use the wider industry, even the economic environment, and make it relevant to you. How will it impact you; how can you lead the conversation; how can you help others understand?
Despite their differences, one thing our fighters could agree on was the importance of strong relationships.
In terms of traditional PR, it’s important to build relationships with the media and make sure you’re on their list of brands to contact when they need an opinion or comment.
With digital PR, you need to network with online journalists, bloggers and influencers to find out what kind of content they’re looking for. Once you’re on their side, you can request backlinks to your website which, as we mentioned above, will do wonders for your Google ranking.
The opportunities of digital PR are just about endless – one news story can lead to ten or more different forms of content – so it’s important to explore all avenues.
Round 4 – the skills and tools you need to do it
To excel in traditional PR, there are some skills that you (or your PR agency) need to be equipped with. Alongside basic writing skills, it’s important to be able to write in different styles so that your content is suitable for a wide range of outlets and audiences.
Commercial understanding will also help your strategy – if you know what people want to read, and where, you’re on to a winner. (This is where the relationships we mentioned earlier also come in handy!)
But you don’t have to do it all yourself. There are a number of PR databases on the market which can do your publication research and pull key contacts for you, and media monitoring services can help to track your traditional PR success.
If you need support on the side of digital PR, there are a lot of tools online to help you make the most of it.
‘Trustworthy’ was a keyword throughout this battle, and you may be wondering what exactly defines a site as that. Sometimes it’s common sense (those websites that ask you for your credit card details as soon as you log in? Not great for SEO), but others are less clear. Luckily, there are several software services which tell you how relevant a site is and how likely it is to rank on Google. This is known as ‘domain authority’ – the higher this is, the more trustworthy the site.
You also don’t have to go it alone when it comes to thinking of ideas and planning your content. Journalists are always on the lookout for stories and comments, and these days there are portals which can alert you to these requests. You provide a comment and get a backlink in return – simple!
The result
Ultimately, our fighters decided it was best to come to a truce and accept the fact that like Ant and Dec, Batman and Robin, or Mario and Luigi – they were strongest when they worked together.
A good story is a good story, and it’s always best to spread it across as many channels as possible. As long as your message is carried by a trusted, independent outlet, then both digital and traditional PR methods are excellent ways to build your brand.
If you need some advice on how to bring out the best of both methods, throw us a bone on 01325 486666 or email info@harveyandhugo.com.
