Revisiting the Top PR Trends for 2019

The world of public relations has been evolving significantly in the last decade with the rise of content marketing trends, social media tools and the growth of technology.

PR trends themselves have changed the way we see public relations. Being just like fashion and technology, they are never static and are always changing at a quick rate. 

Now that we’re over halfway through 2019, the team at You Do Better thought it would be a good time to look back at the top PR trends predicted for this year and see how accurate the experts and pundits were at the end of last year.

The collaboration of PR and Influencers

As social media becomes an integral part of our lives, influencer marketing has erupted. There has been a significant rise in the number of partnerships between PR professionals and social media influencers. If you haven’t got an influencer endorsing your brand, you’re more than likely being left behind in the digital world. More and more brands are jumping on the influencer marketing trend and it is now reported that:

70% of teenagers actually trust influencers more than traditional celebrities.

To engage a large audience, PR relies on content and storytelling. The results from these collaborations massively increase consumer trust and brand interest, and drive engagement. Look out as engagement with influencers is expected to increase further in the second half of 2019.

PR & Marketing – An integrated approach

The primary goal of marketing is to boost sales through brand visibility, whereas PR focuses on managing a company’s reputation through content. However, the lines between PR and marketing are blurring.

We now see a big overlap between the two, mainly because PR is taking the digital route with digital marketing, and PR professionals now use SEO and blogs to foster bonds with the hope of generating leads.

Increase in Micro-video content

Visual content creates a deep connection between a brand and the viewer and is continuing to dominate social media platforms. The shorter the video, the more appealing and attention-worthy it is. There’s a high probability that viewers will spend more time watching a video, than they would reading through text.

If you followed the trends in 2018, you would have noticed an increase in micro-video content, well this year it continues. According to a study by Microsoft, the:

 average human being now has an attention span of eight seconds.

That’s worse than a goldfish!

Transparency and Authenticity

The digital age has made people distrustful of the media. Due to the surge of fake news, consumers are left doubtful about which media outlets they can truly trust. Many stories have been covered nationally which have turned out to actually be false. Take the pope endorsing Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. It is no wonder the:

media is the least trusted institution in Europe.

With fake news and an abundance of useless information, it is clear that the customer is confused about who or what to trust. PR professionals are already shifting their focus on winning and maintaining the trust of its customers and are helping the media in developing truthful and meaningful stories in order to establish their ethical credentials.

On reflection it looks like the 2019 predictions by PR experts and pundits are blossoming as expected. Instead of using new technology to engage with audiences, the social media trend continues by building brand emotions that extend to audiences. Furthermore, rather than accountability, it’s looking like trust in experts has become more of a priority for consumers.

These are not the only trends that will shape the industry going forward. The increase of usage in Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence and thought leadership are trends you should not avoid. To help your brand thrive, it is essential to grow with these trends in mind and ultimately integrate them into your PR and marketing strategy.

If you’d like help creating a real buzz around your brand or implementing these trends, we’ve shared some examples of our collaborative work. 

You Do Better PR Agency | Pay as you go public relations | You simply pay an affordable hourly rate. Is your Marketing Manager going on leave? Do you have a project or campaign that needs managing? We specialise in interim cover and deliver public relations when you need it.

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