The Ultimate
Guide to PR in 2022
The Latest PR Strategies, Best Practices, and Tools
Table of Contents
1 What Is Public Relations?
2 PR?s Place in the
Modern Organization 3 Modern PR Strategies
4 Measuring Your Goals:
Must-Have PR KPIs 5 Essential Tools for
Modern PR 6 Conclusion
2 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
1 What Is Public Relations?
For as long as there have been businesses, there have been savvy - Earned Media: Publicity gained from word of mouth, online reviews,
business people using the power of communication to position those and blogger, press, and influencer relations. Essentially, it?s a
businesses to the public in the interest of making money. But, over the third-party endorsement of your brand.
past three centuries, public relations (PR) has evolved into its specific
area of expertise, separate from but in coordination with other business - Owned Media: Owned media is content that you have created and
sales and marketing practices. own. Examples of owned media include: Blog posts, white-papers,
videos, podcasts, case studies, eBooks, and your website.
Today, PRSA defines PR as ?a strategic communication process that
builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their - Shared Media: Shared media, also known as social media, has
public.? This broad, outcome-oriented definition encompasses a wide become one of the most popular and cost-effective PR platforms. It
range of activities we?ll explore later in this guide, all focused on includes: Postings to social sharing sites, such as Twitter, Facebook,
influencing, engaging, and building a relationship with an organization?s LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
key stakeholders to shape the way it is perceived.
- Paid Media: While you might think of paid media as print, TV, or radio
But first, let?s get some housekeeping out of the way. Most PR activities advertising, it has evolved into something much more digital and
leverage one, or more, of the following PR strategies: earned media, direct. Today, effective means of paid media include: Native
owned media, shared media, and paid media. Now, if you?re a bit fuzzy advertising, social media campaigns, Google Ads, and retargeting.
on what these terms actually mean, or if you just need a refresher course,
read on? it?s coming your way.
3 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
A Brief History of PR
Just as marketing has changed dramatically over the past 30 years, the
PR practitioner has also held several related but strategically different
roles over the years: A Timeline of PR Models
- Press Agents. When P.T. Barnum proclaimed the Ringling Brothers &
Barnum Bailey Circus ?The Greatest Show on Earth,? the common Times to be Example of the
definition and public perception of what PR is? and does? was born. In ticked across PR Model typical
short, a press agent arranges advertising and acquires publicity in the the line practitioner
press on behalf of an organization or well-known person.
Press
- Public Information Officers. We have Ivy Lee? known for his PR work 1800s P.T. Barnum
for the Rockefeller family? to thank for the invention of the press Agentry
release. He felt PR practitioners had an obligation to the media and the
public to provide factual information to inform news reports proactively.
Public
- The Persuader. The ?father? of modern PR, Edward Bernays, was an 1900-1916 Ivy Lee
early proponent of the two-way asymmetrical model which places the
Information
PR pro in the role of using a more scientifically persuasive way of
communicating with key audiences, often to change the opinions and
actions of key stakeholders.
Two-Way Edward
1917-1945
- The Gatekeeper. The two-way asymmetrical model championed by Asymmetric Bernays
Arthur Page places PR in the role of gatekeeper, acting as a liaison
between an organization and the public. Unlike prior models, it actively
encourages the PR pro to look beyond the organization?s interests and
to also consider the implications of their messages on others.
1946-Present PR Model Arthur Page
4 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022 Source: Writing for Strategic Communications Industries, Jasmine
Roberts, The Ohio State University Pressbooks
The PESO Model
In 2014, Gini Dietrich?s book Spin Sucks was published,
including a visual representation of her modern PR
process, dubbed the PESO Model. Dietrich proposed that
for PR pros to show their value fully, their work needed to
go beyond media relations, into broader earned media
activities, plus the addition of shared, owned and paid
media.
Her approach quickly gained favor in enterprise PR
teams and agencies alike, as a way to succinctly express
the need for PR to be part of an integrated
communications process to drive business results? not
just sending our press releases and pitching media
coverage. The visual model and process recently received
a refresh to reflect how digital PR has evolved over the
last decade.
5 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
2. PR?s Place in the
Modern Organization
Although most PR professionals would prefer that PR report directly to the CEO, in many
organizations, it may, instead, report to the CMO to reinforce the need for PR? despite having
a dedicated budget, team, and goals? and marketing to work together.
An effective modern PR organization has the opportunity to inform the overall marketing
strategy by sharing their first-hand industry insights and acting as a champion of the
organization?s content marketing and thought leadership efforts.
Here are three key ways to ensure your PR efforts foster collaboration among your colleagues.
6 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
1. Start a Cross-Functional Editorial Board
The quickest and easiest way to ensure everyone who communicates with the
public is always aligned is to create an editorial board that meets regularly to
share communications plans, achieve consensus on talking points, and make
sure the brand stays consistent in its messaging across all its channels. For the
PR team, it is also an opportunity to share brand sentiment insights from your
brand monitoring efforts and report on media trends or audience insights that
can be put to use by the rest of the team.
In addition to holding regular meetings, the board should also publish an
integrated, consolidated communications calendar that details what
communications and content are in the works (including social media), as well
as the schedule for sharing it with the public. This keeps multiple teams from
unknowingly working on the same project at the same time using double the
resources, and saves the organization the potential embarrassment of having
conflicting messages in the marketplace at the same time.
2. Share Insights Gleaned from Media Activities
In most organizations, PR has more access to the C-suite than most of their
marketing peers. Why does this matter? Because you are much more likely to
be the first one to hear? directly from an executive? critical perspectives that
will shape how your company is going to market. Sometimes, the impact of
what you hear may be minimal, but at other times, your proactive
communication with peers could save the marketing team from having to
rework, or even scrap, a project in progress.
A few easy ways to keep your marketing peers in the loop and reinforce
collaboration:
- Share notes from journalist calls
- Record executive presentations
- Distribute press coverage
- Suggest ideas for owned media topics
7 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
3. Elevate the Organization?s Marketing Content
Your organization?s content marketing and product marketing teams can be
valuable partners when it comes to upping your media relations game.
Conduct Proprietary Research
Journalists are always on the lookout for informative visuals and new data
that tells a unique story. By working with your internal teams to conduct
proprietary research (like Deloitte?s CMO Survey), or analyze your proprietary
datasets (like Pinterest), you can provide that on a recurring basis. The
resulting reports provide compelling demand gen and content marketing
fodder while also being a good reason to reach out to the journalists whose
relationships you value most. For a quick primer on how to work with data to
craft powerful stories, read our guide on making a powerful impression with
statistics.
Pitch Journalists Using Marketing Content as Support
As publications cut costs and trim their full-time staff, many won?t want to take
the risk of working with an unproven source on tight deadlines. But when you
can show them owned thought leadership content from your subject matter
expert, and combine it with video or illustration that provides value to their
audience, you?re much more likely to get your foot in the door.
For more ways PR can collaborate with content marketing, social media, and
other internal teams, download our guide.
.
8 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
3. Modern PR Strategies
The modern PR pro?s day is significantly different from their Executive Thought Leadership
predecessors, with as much time spent online as on the phone or
in-person meetings. While there are hundreds of discrete tasks that can
A comprehensive executive thought leadership strategy helps your
make up modern PR?s day-to-day, the bulk of the work fits under these
organization build credibility with the public over time, by creating a
five umbrellas.
platform for your executives to become recognized authorities in their
fields. While many people assume thought leadership primarily consists
Influencer Marketing of guest bylines and media interviews, there are numerous different
thought leadership activities you can pursue? from keynote speaking to
While influencers will typically work with the marketing and content podcasts to live streams and more. Be sure to share this content with
teams on content creation and amplification, it?s beneficial for the PR your internal teams so they can be aware of the leadership team?s
team to own the relationship. Through PR?s ongoing social listening and perspectives, and repurpose and repackage the material as part of their
industry research, it?s the team that can best gauge an influencer?s efforts.
ability to reach your desired audience. PR will likely be able to broker a
broader relationship with the influencer, to include participation in BETAs,
product launches, and industry events.
9 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
Crisis Communications
When things go wrong with your brand, people start talking. How you respond could affect your
brand?s reputation for years to come. In fact, how your very first statement addresses the
situation, can mean the difference between diffusing a crisis or fanning its flames and leaving a
lasting, negative association with your brand. By conducting ongoing social listening and having
a crisis communications playbook in place, with an agreed-upon communications response and
escalation matrix, you?ll often be able to diffuse many concerning situations before they become
a crisis.
Media Outreach
It used to be that PR and comms professionals relied on what were known as call lists. They had to
?smile and dial? to get reporters?attention. There were giant printed Bacon?s media directories
from which the lists came. Today?s media outreach? fueled by media intelligence platforms like
Meltwater? on the other hand, has five critical components:
1. Uncover the right media targets
2. Build relationships and communicate with media outlets
3. Personalize your pitch (hint: it?s way easier than you think!)
4. Follow up and secure key coverage
5. Report back to the client or boss, justifying time and expense and proving ROI
Social Media
Social media is changing the world; it affects how we communicate and share news, how we do
business, and how our careers in PR evolve. If an organization hopes to stay relevant, they?ll need
a solid strategy for ongoing social engagement. While PR may or may not be the owner of the
organization?s official social channels, it?s a critical part of their toolbox. From building
relationships with journalists to social listening to keeping an eye on the competition, the modern
PR pro must be adept at navigating the social waters, and collaborating internally with all the
teams involved with keeping the channels relevant.
For a more in-depth look at each of the areas discussed above, check out the following resources:
- Influencer Marketing
- Executive Thought Leadership
- Brand Crisis
- Media Relations
- 10 | TheMedia
Social Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
| The Executives Guide to Thought Leadership
4. Measuring Your Goals:
Must-Have PR KPIs
The modern PR pro understands the importance of measuring how Share of voice (SOV)? Percentage of
earned media coverage has both indirect and direct implications on coverage for your brand, products, or high-profile
leads, including generating web referrals and increasing domain executive compared to competitors.
authority. When the PR team demonstrates they are supporting
business goals in this way, it helps move PR from being a ?nice to
have?? to a driver of business growth. Consider creating a dashboard Social engagement? How many shares and
to track a selection of key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with comments the coverage you generate receives.
your business goals. Here are 14 key KPIs for the PR team:
Active coverage? Coverage secured by the PR team. You Sentiment? Tone of the articles mentioning
may want to create a subset of this KPI specifically focused your brand or competitors.
on top-tier publications for your industry and audience.
Media outreach? The number of releases and
Potential reach? Sum of viewership for publications and pitches you send out and how they are
websites in which your coverage is featured. performing.
11 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
Quality of coverage? The placement of your brand mention (headline, body)
and its prominence in the article?s content.
Geographical presence? Volume of coverage based on location, targeting key
geographic demographics.
Key message penetration? Break your coverage down by key themes and
measure how strongly you are associated with each one.
Overall media presence? A combination of share of voice and sentiment that
provides a snapshot of your competitive landscape.
Earned traffic? The number of visitors that were driven to your website as a
result of your earned coverage and link placement.
Domain authority? A metric created by SEO software company Moz to predict
how well a website will rank on search engines, using a logarithmic, 100-point scale.
Event promotion? PR's success in driving event attendance, garnering media
coverage of events, and building relationships with speakers and attendees.
Crisis communication? When trouble hits, you?ll want to benchmark volume
and sentiment to baseline levels from before the crisis started.
For an in-depth guide into PR and social media KPIs? with tips on monthly, quarterly, and
annual reporting? read our eBook, Everything You Need to Prove PR and Social ROI. Then,
go even deeper by reading our tip sheet, created in collaboration with Ragan
Communications, on how to benchmark your results and find new ways to gain a
competitive edge.
12 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
5. Essential Tools
for Modern PR
While there might still be some organizations whose PR team gets by with only their
smartphone, laptop, and office communications suite, the most successful PR pros have put
technology to work for them in five key areas.
Media Monitoring
Keeping up with brand coverage is the bread and butter of any PR pro. You?ve got to be the first
Meltwater's media monitoring not only lets
to know when your brand is mentioned, when your competition?s message might be displacing
you keep up with critical coverage but points
yours, and when new trends in your industry are just taking shape. A sophisticated media
monitoring platform will do all the work for you, from proactive alerts on new coverage to easily the way to new opportunities by uncovering
digestible charts and graphs comparing you to your competitors, surfacing keywords related to insights and trends in the media.
your brand, measuring sentiment.
13 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
Influencer Identification and Management
Influencer marketing platforms streamline the process of identifying influencers
whose audiences are a match for your brand, recruiting them to collaborate with
you, and measuring the outcomes of the influencer relationship. The best tools will
allow you to search for influencers based on topic and platform/ channel; create
custom influencer lists; view, annotate, and save influencer profiles; create and
report on campaigns overall and at the influencer level, and monitor campaign
success with social monitoring tools.
Meltwater's influencer tool lets you discover key influencers as well as manage
end-to-end influencer campaigns.
Media Relations
A modern media relations platform is far more than an online database of
journalists and the beats they cover. The best of today?s media relations
technologies enable you to identify journalists by their most recent coverage
(rather than often outdated beats), customize your message, and easily
personalize pitches to increase response rates.
Meltwater's media relations tool lets you build meaningful connections with
journalists and bloggers.
14 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
Social Media Management
Comprehensive social media management platforms have moved beyond just allowing
you to schedule content in advance. Now, the best-in-class platforms enable you to do
that and easily track social performance across one or multiple social media profiles,
monitor social media for your brand and key keywords, and provide a history of prior
engagements you?ve had with a particular social handle to provide a personal
experience for your most engaged followers. Additionally, they have built-in support for
team workflows, which is critical in crisis communications scenarios where the person
watching the social commentary might not be the right one to reply.
By integrating social media management with social listening and traditional media
monitoring, Meltwater's social media solutions let you manage your reputation across
channels while driving brand storytelling and engagement.
Reporting Results
While you can still report your PR outcomes by circulating a clip book and manually
preparing a metrics dashboard, PR reporting can automate and templatize much of the
related administrative work. The most useful platforms will allow you to customize? and
share? your dashboards and generate reports instantly based on metrics such as share of
voice, tonality, media exposure, top publishers, top influencers, and the other KPIs that matter
to your executive team.
Meltwater dashboards provide real-time analytics on your brand in the media landscape. Add
to that product, executive, and competitor dashboards, and you?re ready to report on every
aspect of your operations.
Productivity and Workflow Management
PR teams perpetually have multiple irons in the fire. That makes it critical to have a single
source of truth that provides an accessible overview of all the projects in play and where they
stand. PR teams rely on these tools to provide custom notifications that allow you to focus on the
things that matter most to your success, built-in workflow automation and integrations with
15 | The Ult
enterprise im atlike
tools e Guide t o PR
Slack andin Dropbox,
2022 and ready-to-share reporting dashboards.
6. Conclusion
Getting Your PR Strategy Off the Ground
Learn More About Tracking and Measuring Your
Every business needs PR, no matter their size or age. From establishing Brand Using Media Intelligence
relationships with relevant journalists to managing the messaging
To keep track of the latest PR best practices,
during a crisis scenario, PR professionals wear many hats and can
take a look at additional resources.
support many different areas of a business.
And now that you?ve gotten this far, it?s safe to say that you?re well on Meltwater Blog Meltwater Resources
your way to creating a result-oriented PR strategy for your organization.
But remember, the goal of a sound PR strategy is universal: deliver the
right message to the right audience at the right time.
Get In Touch
And to do this successfully, it?s essential that you have a media
monitoring solution to help you monitor, analyze, and report on the
success of your campaigns. With the right strategy and the right
technology, you?re ready to start pitching your next product or service.
16 | The Ult im at e Guide t o PR in 2022
