By: Vin Heney
Over the past 10 years, the media landscape in Canada has changed at a dizzying pace. Every year, we hear of different print publications closing shop or major papers laying off staff. And outlets that were once open to editorial ideas are increasingly becoming ‘pay-for-play’ platforms, dominated by sponsored content in lieu of earned media exposure.
That’s to say nothing of the media landscape being dominated by heart-breaking news like pandemics, conflicts, inflation, and natural disasters that are devastating communities from coast to coast.
Landing earned media coverage is no easy feat, especially in today’s climate, but building trust and credibility is never easy – it's a long-term play with invaluable benefits.
Here are some new (and some not-so-new) ways to view the changing role of PR in 2022.
PR is for Building Trust
There’s no shortage of new companies and startups in Canada looking to disrupt well-established sectors like finance or insurance. And while these new players may offer better services or pricing than the old guard, one thing they tend to lack is credibility and trust. For better or worse, Canadians know and trust the old-school banks and insurance companies, so if you’re looking to compete against them, you need to introduce yourself — over and over and over again.
One effective way to do that is with ads, and ads are something most scaling companies should probably consider. But as a complementary piece of the marketing mix, PR allows you to build trust in a way that ads simply cannot. For example, establishing a CEO as an industry thought leader — weighing in on the relevant news of the day — across a variety of media channels, builds trust in a way that’s helpful and genuine, not promotional or self serving.
And how is credibility conveyed? On the first page of search results.
The first thing we do when researching a company or organization is to Google it. Those first few articles that come up below the ads — that’s your first impression. If nothing comes up, you’re left with a pretty tepid impression. Who even are these guys? But if you see article after article of the CEO taking a bold industry stance, of the company winning awards, and of features about the company’s unique corporate culture, suddenly you’re thinking: these guys seem trustworthy!
PR includes Sponsored Content
PR encompasses more than just earned media, despite its traditional focus on earned. Sponsored content, influencer relations, and social media all play a key role in executing a strong PR campaign. While we at NorthPR specialize in the tried and true earned media, we know there’s no one-size-fits-all PR solution. Every client has different needs, budgets, and expectations.
Sometimes PR means browsing media kits or rate cards to find the perfect sponsored partnership that allows you to be a little more promotional and in control of the narrative. Other times it’s coming up with the right story angle at the right time, and working hard to join a relevant conversation in an ‘earned’ (i.e. not paid) manner.
Both approaches are totally legitimate, both have their place and time, and — now more than ever — both fall into the PR bucket.
PR is for Talent Attraction and Retention
As discussed above, PR is for building trust — and nowhere is that more important than for prospective candidates looking to join a team. Having a list of credible articles populate the first page of search results is probably the most overlooked value of a well-executed PR strategy. And in today’s ultra-competitive talent market, making a quick and positive first impression could be the difference between a great candidate passing on your team — or joining it.
And the value of an impressive (and growing) pool of media coverage about an organization doesn’t stop with future employees. Being seen as working for one of the hottest, most talked about companies is a major morale boost for a team and a key ingredient in long-term talent retention.
PR is a Long Game
The most common misperceptions we hear about PR is that it’s hard to measure (not true) and it doesn't do much in the way of ROI (also not true). Granted, PR may not yield the same immediate ROI as an ad spend, but short-term ROI has never been the name of the game for PR — and in 2022, it’s still not.
Confusion around ROI is why PR is often on the chopping block when marketing budgets get cut. But to judge PR with short-term ROI as the main metric is to miss the point. PR is a long play. It’s an approach to building brand awareness that allows companies to tell their stories to the right audiences, and offer valuable insights at strategic times. Being thoughtful and helpful is what builds credibility.
In other words, if establishing your brand as a trustworthy alternative to the status quo is one of your primary objectives, PR can help you achieve that. In the most genuine way possible.