6 PR Archetypes in Search of a Solution

In the age of high-technology, PR pros need a different skill set if they want to succeed. There are those who flourish in digital PR and those who tank. Here are the six types of PR professionals that dominate, their Achilles’ heel and how they can do their jobs even better.

1. The Social Adopter. Emerging social media channels have broadened the arena of communicating to the media. Social media channels, such as Twitter and Google+, have created amazing opportunities for public relations professionals to increase their organization’s share of voice.

Establish relationships in new ways with journalists. Social adopters are not afraid to embrace new technologies and social channels to help advance their practice.

They have given up their business cards for an optimized LinkedIn profile, replaced traditional media kits with branded eBooks and have embraced Twitter for finding, researching and engaging journalists.

Achilles’ heel: Traditional media relations.

The fix: A successful PR professional has a good understanding of traditional and new media. Don’t forget the value of getting on the phone to follow up with a reporter on a story. Social media creates opportunity for new ways of connecting with the media and amplifying your organization’s share of voice, but remember that there are traditional tactics that are still effective in PR, such as face-to-face or communicating via telephone.

2. The Newsjacker. Newsjacking, a term popularized by marketing guru David Meerman Scott, means that as a PR professional you can spot the perfect wave of trending news right before it gets stale. It’s not a novel idea that PR professionals need to be current-event junkies, but the modern-day PR executive is able to identify rising trends and correlate those trends to their give business.

Achilles’ heel: Evergreen content.

The fix: We’ve all seen it before: Blogs with killer news-centric content but thin tactical advice. When planning out your editorial calendar, include a healthy mix of evergreen “how-to” items and news-focused content.

Try a ratio of 50/50 and then evaluate your success via metrics, including click-through rates, time on page, visitors and social engagement.

3. The Optimizer. The new-age PR pro converges traditional PR with SEO, including practices such as keyword optimization, external domain link diversity, social media press releases and content marketing. The newfangled PR exec understands the value that integrating these practices can have for their inbound marketing leads.

Achilles’ heel: Humanizing campaigns and content.

The fix. People with strong search engine optimization skills sometimes need to remember that the content they produce need not only get indexed by Web crawlers, but also real people.

Don’t write keyword-and link-stuffed releases and blog posts. Target a few keywords, link naturally, edit your copy for readability, and if you need help consult an SEO agency.

4. The Publisher. Today’s public relations professional should leverage new digital communication channels to tell their organization’s story so they are able to identify the best opportunity for their organization.

Achilles’ heel: Two-way communication.

The fix: Sure, inbound PR is an ideal approach, but in real life the chances of the media always coming to you are slim to none. Become a publisher, but also know the value of social media. Educate yourself on the vast amount of channels you can use to tell your story.

5. The Human. Real, human communication tends to win the day. A PR professional who embodies humanity is able to edit her communication based on the journalists’ editorial needs, past coverage and publication requirements. They sometimes give with nothing in return. They cultivate relationships and value one-on-one messaging vs. mass messaging.

Achilles’ heel: Scale

The fix: As a public relations professional, you deal with finding a balance between quality and quantity. To achieve quality relationships and scale, deploy both one-to-one communication, as well as amplification tools like social channels and newswires.

So, which digital PR archetype do you most resonate with? The most successful digital PR professional blends characteristics from each archetype. PRN

CONTACT:

Allison Freeland is PR director of iacquire.com. She can be reached at [email protected].

 

 

This article originally ran in the December 23 issue of PR News.