Why Public Relations Needs Great Content

In our world, absence can be the kiss of death. When reaching out to reporters, editors, broadcasters and bloggers, the need for consistent outreach is critical. One key to accomplishing this is great content. It gives us something compelling to talk about, and it provides something compelling for our audiences to consume.

Here are some quick thoughts on why public relations needs great content. Today, this is more critical than ever.

Why PR Needs Great Content

• It brings news stories to life. A press release by itself can be a bit dry, try as we might to write it with style and flair. Great content can add needed context and zip to any piece of news, making it far more interesting to journalists and consumers. Think about layering blog posts, op-eds, podcasts, videos, graphics and photographs in with your announcements. They can make a big difference.
• Content keeps your audience engaged. Face it, we’re an entertainment culture at heart. That’s why public relations now recognizes that content is essential to keeping audiences engaged. When you put out great content, your audience will remember it. Next time, they’ll be paying close attention. If you’re using a blog or multi-episode podcast, your readers or listeners can subscribe, giving you a direct pipeline to them whenever you want.
• Great content helps you reach multiple audiences. Because content can be distributed through so many different channels, it’s easy to reach multiple audiences. A bylined article you write can be posted on your website, emailed to customers and prospects, and shared on social media. Once it’s online, the sky’s the limit.
• It can be repurposed. Great content can easily be repurposed, or recycled, to fit a new need or audience. For instance, an article can be transformed into a podcast. A feature piece can be distilled into a blog post. A blog post can become the basis for a great speech. Repurposing content allows you to maximize its exposure. If the ideas are compelling, why not?
• Content enables social media. Absent content, social media is an empty pipe. You’d have nothing to share on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ and nothing at all to tweet. On the other hand, developing great content allows you to stay “out there,” active and engaged in numerous conversations. The good news is, you can go back and revisit your older content as well, bringing new life to your back catalog.

Some of the reasons why public relations needs great content have been true for a long time. After all, PR folks have been writing bylined pieces and op-eds for decades. However, ideas like social media and audience engagement are much newer, having grown popular only over the past decade or so.

So if you haven’t added original content to your public relations program, now might be the perfect time to get started.