Digital & Technology

Journalists and public relations experts discussed adapting to new media strategies at the PRNEWS Media Relations Conference in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 13. The panel, “Rethinking Media Relations in the Age of New Media,” included Brandon Arolfo, head of PBS digital studios, Sara Fischer, media reporter for Axios, Nicole Smith, director of corporate communications at IAC and Katina Arnold, vice president, corporate communications at ESPN.

Mankind’s digital exhaust is social science’s Big Data. We create digital data with every post, purchase or picture. This offers social scientists access to previously unimaginable reams of data. Coupling that with new computing power and the possibilities are endless, argues Peter Zandan, global vice chairman of Hill+Knowlton Strategies. Brands can decode what makes ideas spread, how purchasing decisions are reached and who and what influences influencers. It’s time to prepare, he writes.

What does the popularity of year-end lists mean for brands? A smorgasbord for media mentions, content shares and article placements. Giving the public what they want, in a usable package, is one of the finest public relations strategies used by companies like GIPHY and Uber. Lists inspire the media to spur further stories, as well as grab the attention of consumers.

At PRNEWS, we thought about how to utilize Slack to connect our readership and community. How could we leverage the relationships we’ve built with amazing contacts to benefit those outside of our circle, and bolster an entire community? And with that, we created the PR and Communications Pros Slack group.

Messages now flood our digital channels, and these messages are usually drawn from experience. Morning Consult released a new survey on influencer marketing that found 61 percent of participants are likely to support and talk about brands they love, without—get this—being paid. Without any brand prodding or pushing, consumers have become a public relations channel for companies. And hopefully, most of what they are saying is good news.

You’re a communicator who loves what video can do for your brand. The problem is that you’re a PR army of one. You lack the resources (budgetary and personnel) to create video. PRNEWS has gathered a trio of video experts who believe otherwise. Ahead of a Nov. 19 webinar about this topic, they share tips about how to create video as a PR soloist.

To some, it might seem quaint to divide PR into digital and traditional PR. Still, plenty of job titles and org charts include the words “digital PR.” As such, we offer three tips about elements that need to be included in successful digital PR campaigns.

While keeping up-to-date with digital communications jargon might be at the bottom of your to-do list, it never hurts to be aware of the shorthand metrics your colleagues working in sales and marketing use in emails and meetings. Test yourself on your acronym knowledge in our handy quiz.

On first glance, someone who proposes we reduce our use of digital devices might seem out of place as a guest speaker at last week’s PRNEWS Digital Awards breakfast. In the end, though, digital sociologist Dr. Julie Albright offered useful insights for PR pros as they approach the challenge of communicating in a digitally altered society.

And while the digital plane constantly evolves, the high standards to which creative messaging resonates on a technological level, does not. The 2019 Digital Awards brought out the best in the business, honoring winners that speak on a global level. PRNEWS hosted the breakfast event on Oct. 18 at New York City’s storied Yale Club, set in the heart of Manhattan.