Read time: 5 mins
Written by Josh Westerman
PR – a discipline which can bring with it a host of definitions (usually from those who, frankly, don’t have a clue what it actually is).
According to our friends at the CIPR, PR (or public relations, to give it its full name) is defined as:
“…the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.”
More often than not, though, PR can be split into two classifications: traditional PR and digital PR.
But what does these mean, what do they entail and ultimately, are they the actually same?
The art of ‘traditional’ PR can be said to focus on three key areas: brand awareness, building brand equity and reputation management. It’s all about shaping how a business is perceived by its existing and prospective publics, such as customers, employees and suppliers, as well as competitors and the wider marketplace.
This activity usually takes place in regional, national and trade media outlets, as well as their respective broadcast channels.
Traditional PR also encompasses any potential media enquiries which may arise from issues or crises. These need to be managed effectively and coherently to ensure opinions remain positive and brand reputation is maintained.
In short and put simply, the core principle of digital PR is to drive backlinks from websites with strong DAs all in the name of helping boost organic growth.
This activity, in turn, can help increase brand awareness and (perhaps most pertinently) drive revenue.
Of course, this is heavily dependent on the type of digital PR activity being undertaken. For example, if a brand releases a specific product or wants to promote a product as part of a wider digital PR campaign, the objective will be to drive users to that page and purchase said product.
Digital PR activity can target niche subject-specific, publications, blogs and other outlets to help drive backlinks, as well as regional, national and relevant trade media.
Digital PR is often focused around creative campaign-style activity which give a journalist a reason to link back to a business’s website. This could be in the form of data, creative assets, a specific product or wider comments to support the campaign.
Traditional PR, on the other hand, focuses more on the news element of businesses and promoting their expert voice.
Think press releases for new client wins, insight-led features on a topical industry trend and newsjacking on breaking news (yes, this is also a digital PR tactic before anyone piles on!).
There is one thing that has created a strong similarity between traditional and digital PR: the internet.
According to the most recent data from Ofcom, 68 per cent of UK adults are consuming news online* showing how for two-thirds of people, digesting the news is on smart devices and not in the newspapers.
(*Note, Ofcom defines ‘online’ as “use of social media, podcasts and all other websites/apps accessed via any device”.)
The media landscape has evolved, with a ‘digital-first’ ideology taken by some outlets – the MailOnline is an excellent example of a print newspaper evolving to become digital first. This is becoming more widespread, with national, regional and trade publications.
So what does that mean for traditional PR, if the concept of it is (historically) built on offline channels?
Simple – it has developed to embrace digital PR’s core online tactics.
Let’s take a news-driven traditional PR example to explain: we’re distributing a press release to announce the launch of a new showhome at a development for a housebuilder client.
Do we want any online coverage to have a backlink to both the homepage and the specific development page where the reader can find out more information? It’s a yes on both fronts.
Not only that, but the regional titles we’d be looking to target often have high DAs meaning any backlinks will also positively contribute from an SEO perspective.
Wait a minute…Backlinks from high DA websites to landing pages that create a direct call-to-actions for the reader whilst also raising awareness of the brand and supporting organic SEO – that sounds very digital PR-y to me.
For the clients we undertake ‘traditional PR’ for, we actively report on all backlinks achieved through activity as part of our proprietary evaluation tool, Evalu8, to highlight the significance and importance of these.
Well, yes and no.
The core ideology of news-and-comment-driven traditional PR is hugely important in the ‘social media age’. The old adage of word spreads like wildfire has never been truer in the social media era – whether those words good, bad or indifferent.
That’s why promoting and championing business successes is vital in shaping brand perception, both to potential customers and the market. Likewise with showcasing expert opinion, advice and comment on highly relevant topics, as well as responding to any queries or enquires.
We know the media landscape has evolved, and so has this form of PR. A digital-first approach has to be taken, to ensure coverage is achieved on the channels where target audiences are. Print coverage is still important, and broadcast coverage is worth its weight in gold, but online publications have become a primary platform for traditional PR.
So, if we look at the (top-level) principle of digital PR driving backlinks for publication to a brand’s website – and essentially, how that is now something traditional PR can achieve – it COULD be said there that all PR is now, in fact, a form of digital PR.
But, and it’s a big but.
At the heart of it all needs to remain one of the aforementioned points – brand awareness, building brand equity and reputation management. Whether its online or offline, traditional PR is still all about building positive brand perception in the eyes of the public and the industry.
When done effectively, traditional PR is a totally different concept to digital PR. Which leads me nicely onto my next point…
Championing successes and showcasing expert opinion is massively important to businesses. It not only positions them as a leader within their respective field, but also to prospective customers and clients they’re looking to impress.
Be if through a press release announcing new contract wins or a 1,000-word insight-led feature in the trade media on a hot topic, these tactics are key to raising brand awareness, building brand equity and positively managing reputations.
They are not only relevant to online outlets, but offline media channels too, to ensure that key messaging gets in front of a business’s target audience.
It’s also important to note that brand mentions in media outlets, even without a link, play a significant role in increasing organic search for brands and their products.
In particular for online, the priority is still getting the news or comment out there to boost brand awareness, with achieving backlinks as almost a ‘secondary’ goal (in contrast to digital PR’s often link-focused priority).
And that’s why traditional PR and digital PR will are be the same but different, AND different but the same.
At Brand8 PR, our team is well-versed when it comes to all aspects of PR.
We have a wealth of experience in delivering high levels of print and online media coverage for clients in a wide range of sectors within B2B and B2C markets.
Our focus is getting businesses in front of their target audiences with strong messaging and call-to-actions – including securing backlinks from websites with high DAs – to increase brand awareness and create an environment for commercial growth.
Get in touch with Josh today and find out more about how we can support on your business’s PR activity.
T: 07432 655 440