The Importance of Public Relations Writing in Media Strategies

It was hard to miss the 2023 Summer of Barbie. Through combined marketing and public relations (PR) efforts, the team succeeded in building anticipation for the movie. Some of the campaigns that the team worked on include over one hundred brand partnerships with companies like Airbnb, Xbox, and Pinkberry; nearly 500,000 articles written and over six million social media interactions in six months; and exclusive preview screenings for loyal fans. In its opening weekend, Barbie brought in $165 million in North America and $337 million worldwide.

A top-notch public relations strategy has the power to increase sales and brand awareness in a major way. Whether a company chooses to handle public relations internally or outsource to a PR agency, it’s essential to nail the approach. In this article, we discuss public relations writing best practices and a variety of ways that PR can support an organization.

Best Practices for Public Relations Writing and Planning

In order to have an effective public relations strategy, you need the ability to execute a well-developed plan and efficient communication skills.

Perfect Your Public Relations Writing

Content creation is a crucial element of public relations since it enables organizations to shape how information about them is presented to the public. Ideally, your content will also influence how your organization is perceived by your audience.

10 Tips for Developing Engaging PR Writing

1. Decide on your intended outcomes. Whether it’s a social media post or a press release, when you pinpoint the goal of your writing you can tailor your communication with that aim in mind.
2. Establish clear objectives and benchmarks. To determine the success of your campaign, specify your metrics so your team knows what to monitor.
3. Identify your target. Consider demographics, psychographics, behaviors, needs, and the location of the audience you want to reach so you can craft a compelling message that appeals to your specific segment.
4. Specify your platforms. The tone and style of different types of PR writing vary, so plan which platform(s) you will utilize for your campaign before you begin composing.
5. Establish parameters for visuals. If you plan to have photos accompanying your writing, outline what you have in mind.
6. Build a content calendar. Note dates for drafts and when a final product must be complete.
7. Allocate responsibilities. Decide who on your team is responsible for what components of the campaign.
8. Gather information. This includes both internally (gaining thorough knowledge of the product you’re writing about) and externally (researching press contacts) sourced information.
9. Offer valuable statistics and details. Give substance to your writing with analysis and data that will engage your audience and boost credibility.
10. Keep it concise. Quickly attract interest and retain your audience’s attention by being brief. Originally cited in the book Effective Public Relations, the first book in the PR field, “concise” is one of the seven Cs to follow when crafting compelling messages. The other six are:

• Clear: Explicitly express yourself.
• Concrete: Provide distinct details.
• Correct: Edit your message.
• Coherent: Make it well-organized and flow smoothly.
• Complete: Incorporate all necessary information.
• Courteous: Be respectful and polite.

Strategic Planning

A solid public relations strategy helps businesses make an impact on public perception. Consider these five steps to form your PR strategy:

1. Gather information
   Analyze your organization’s historical performance in areas like media coverage, influencer campaigns, and social media metrics. You may also consider using social listening tools to consider what’s proving effective for competitors. Finally, make sure you understand any variables that may have influenced your brand, such as legal considerations, political landscape, and product modifications.
2. Define your objectives
   You should always have an achievable goal for any given promotion. In your plan, list your target audience, essential points to share, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
3. Decide on a schedule
   Develop a calendar of campaigns to plan for well-timed communication.
4. Determine your approach
   Select which PR strategies—such as presenting at conferences, using corporate and social responsibility angles, and engaging in industrial relations—will yield the best results based on your goals and timeline.
5. Assess campaign performance
   Measure your results to see what worked and what didn’t to help inform your future strategies.

Benefits of Powerful Public Relations

There are countless ways that public relations can positively impact a company. Below, we cover four key areas where PR is regularly influencing outcomes.

Building Brand Reputation

Public relations is an effective tool in cultivating and managing brand reputation. Companies have the opportunity to influence customer sentiment through an effective brand reputation management strategy.

If you haven’t yet established your brand identity, this is the place to start. It includes the development of logos, colors, and typography; brand voice; and brand values, mission, and positioning.

Next, you’ll need to establish a digital footprint. Build your website in a way that aligns with your brand identity. Depending on your product, creating an app may also be worthwhile.

After you have laid the groundwork, you can begin maintaining brand reputation.

1. Request reviews and engage with feedback: Platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Facebook are good places to create profiles so you can start getting reviews, which significantly influence public opinion. Respond promptly to all reviews while you’re building your customer base or following—even the bad ones.
2. Be receptive to opinions: Utilize Google Alerts and social listening tools to actively monitor your brand reputation. Pay attention to what people have to say, and tweak your strategy or capitalize on major moments accordingly.
3. Make enhancements to customer experience: To avoid negative reviews and keep customers content, strive to provide flawless customer service in all avenues.
4. Cultivate an excellent workplace environment: Be a place where people want to work. You’ll attract and retain top talent while maintaining a positive internal brand reputation.
5. Develop brand identity standards: Have a detailed brand guide at the ready for employees to reference helps keep your messaging consistent and nurtures your internal brand presence.
6. Have a PR team: Make sure you have a dedicated public relations team to manage your reputation.

With a well-formed brand plan, you will have a blueprint to quickly respond to challenges, steadily expand your workforce, and build a loyal customer base.

Crisis Management

Despite being an issue that organizations regularly face, only 49% of US companies have an official crisis communications plan. Companies need to be prepared to take control of the narrative before a given problem becomes unmanageable.

One such example was when OpenAI fired their CEO, Sam Altman, an esteemed member of the tech community, without clear communication—neither internally nor to the public. The decision received intense backlash, including the OpenAI president and co-founder stepping down in objection. In addition, Microsoft announced that they would provide Altman and any other OpenAI employee with employment, which 770 workers said they’d accept unless board members resigned. To smooth things over, Altman was ultimately rehired.

Monitoring brand sentiment gives you insight into when a PR crisis may be on the horizon, so you can formulate a plan to handle it. Brand monitoring includes observing mentions on social media, online forums and communities, print, and broadcast.

If your organization is met with a PR crisis, you can follow this course of action:

1. Get the facts: Find out the five Ws (who, what, where, when, and why) to fully understand the situation.
2. Be open with your team: Trying to conceal crises can get companies into trouble. Be transparent about the circumstances and implications of the problem, and share your plan for addressing the issue.
3. Develop appropriate crisis communication: The goal is to develop a clear message that rebuilds trust in your brand. If an apology is necessary, make sure it’s genuine.
4. Respond promptly: Whenever possible, the public should hear about your organization’s crisis from you, not someone else.
5. Remedy the issue: Whether by providing compensation or another benefit to those affected, be sure to take accountability when making amends.
6. Reply on social media: Keep track of what people are saying on social media platforms, and respond where appropriate. Users will get a better understanding of the problem and see that you care.
7. Glean insights and learning opportunities: Evaluate how you responded to the crisis and how you can make improvements in handling future events.

Media Relations

Establishing relationships with media contacts is a vital measure to make sure your company’s newsworthy stories are picked up. Here are eight tips for making those connections and communicating effectively in social situations.

1. Customize your proposal: Do your research to make sure your pitch matches the journalist’s or publication’s specialty.
2. Position yourself as a thought leader: Demonstrate your trustworthiness and industry authority so journalists view you as a preferred source.
3. Develop captivating content: An interesting story will distinguish you and increase your chances of getting media coverage.
4. Engage on social media: Connect with journalists on social media by sharing stories, commenting, and learning more about them as professionals.
5. Be punctual in correspondence: Responding quickly will show you are dependable, cooperative, and understand when journalists are working on tight deadlines.
6. Provide unique content: Giving journalists stories that you aren’t sharing elsewhere demonstrates your loyalty and motivates them to invest.
7. Hold press events: In-person events help you nurture relationships with journalists.
8. Show thanks for coverage: Thank journalists for their time and coverage to cultivate the relationship and maintain open channels of communication.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The combined effect of search engine optimization and public relations can be significant. Search engine optimization (SEO) efforts involve making improvements to your website content and architecture so search engines can discover your site. Another component is building backlinks—links on other websites that direct to yours. When there are reputable websites that have links to your website, your organization’s search engine rankings improve, helping you rise in search results and enabling more users to easily find your site.

Public relations professionals can help grow the number of backlinks for a company in a variety of ways, such as:

• Developing meaningful content that others want to talk about
• Collaborating with top influencers
• Getting media coverage

Other ways that PR can boost SEO include:

• Enhancing brand reputation by positioning your organization as an authority
• Increasing brand awareness through campaigns, leading to more searches
• Producing fresh, top content that search engines will index, helping you rank higher
• Improving local SEO with events that grab media attention

Through the combination of a successful strategy and well-constructed communications, public relations has the ability to help you strategically influence public perception and meet organizational goals through a variety of methods.

Position Yourself as a PR Expert With a Master’s in Communications and Digital Media

The Pace University online MA in Communications and Digital Media prepares students to become communications leaders in the field through practical exercises and a culminating internship or thesis. The master’s in communications and digital media offers an optional Social Media and Public Relations concentration, which covers topics such as organizational communications and social responsibility; corporate communications; and media relations.

The Social Media and Public Relations concentration and the program as a whole emphasize vital writing skills—including a dedicated course for media relations and PR writing. MCA 620 Media Relations prepares students to develop messages, write for the media, build strategic media plans, conduct research, and write projects. The course provides students with the opportunity to build a strategic media plan for a local client, so they can learn first-hand how to develop PR messages, generate media coverage, and utilize new media strategies.

About the Online MA in Communications and Digital Media at Pace University

The Pace University online Master of Arts in Communications and Digital Media prepares professionals for careers in the industry by helping them build excellent communications skills through engaging projects. The program includes coursework in editing, videography, production, public relations, advertising, and media writing. Choose an optional concentration in Digital Filmmaking and Media Production or Social Media and Public Relations, or create your own path by selecting courses from both areas. You’ll also have the choice to complete either an internship or thesis.

Learn more about the MA in Communications and Digital Media, or get started on your application today.