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Content PR: So Little Understanding, So Much Bullsh*t.

January 17, 2013 by Jim Sweeney in Blog

serv_media_relationsWho doesn’t love a great infographic? Not me.  So when I got a link yesterday offering to show the difference between tradition public relations and content PR, I couldn’t click fast enough.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be the same old song and dance.

Imagine traditional PR as an old man or woman on life support and content PR as a young and vibrant superhero.  That was pretty much the story.

Apparently, at least according to PR Newswire’s Sarah Skerik, traditional public relations involves the process of shoving sales text down the throats of consumers (think cough medicine and how The Medical Negligence Experts are always taking cases of unnecessary medicine prescriptions), while content PR involves helping old ladies across the street where they can find everything they are looking for in life.

In Frankenstein speak, “old PR bad, new content PR good.”

In point of fact, the only thing new about “content PR” is social media.  And despite all the hyperbole, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to learn how to use social media… 7-year-olds and 70-year-olds are already plugged in.

Content PR enthusiasts would like you to believe they are your helpful buddies.  They are not assaulting you with information, they are beckoning you and responding to you.  They are your friend and follower and liker.

Here’s the bottomline:  Any public relations professional – traditional or otherwise – who isn’t making use of social media is out of touch.  And any public relations professional who isn’t also making use of traditional media (you know, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, bulletin boards and the like) is also out of touch.

Here’s an interesting fact to consider:  The New York Times is the most widely read digital newspaper with 807,026 online subscribers.  It also is far and away the most widely circulated Sunday print newspaper, with 1,265,839.

Oh wait a minute, so you’re saying traditional and digital PR are both important!  Nice.

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Jim Sweeney
jim@sweeneypr.com
1Comment
  • Sarah Skerik
    Posted at 10:51h, 24 January

    Actually, I do believe that the focus on content development is an emerging trend in PR, Jim, though I am also in complete agreement with you when you note that this trend is very much driven by the advent of social media.

    Though I wouldn’t ever (and certainly didn’t mean to imply that I did) characterize traditional PR messaging as “process of shoving sales text down the throats of consumers,” the content PR trend is characterized by something different – which is the creation of content that is designed to attract and inform an audience.

    Traditionally speaking, PR has long been about shaping public opinion, and in that exercise, that shape is first sketched by the brand.

    However, in today’s environment, the brand can convey an image it desires, but whether or not that image sticks is up to the audience. The audience has input into what ultimately makes up the brand’s public image … and ultimately shapes their reputation.

    To be clear — I don’t believe a brand can paper over problems with content. However, I do believe that thoughtful information that answers audience questions and fills their needs can in fact have a powerful role in influencing opinion – not just converting sales leads a la marketing. As more organizations publish more content, and as content marketing grows more popular, I think that PR has a fantastic opportunity to leverage owned media in order to shape opinion and otherwise deliver traditional PR outcomes.