What Does The Future of PR Look Like?

According to a recent study by Mynewsdesk, more than 85% of PR professionals expect technology to play an increasing role in the industry over the next five years. The majority of people working in PR think that their jobs will become more strategic and more analytical over the next few years, reflecting the growing role that technology plays in making PR into a more quantified and data-driven endeavour.

PR is Evolving

It's clear that the role of the PR professional is evolving. It's also becoming more specialised. As a result, it can be difficult for companies to have all the PR skills they need on their full-time staff. Expect to see an increase in outsourcing to PR agencies, who can provide the specialised skills necessary to reach out to particular groups of people, while also allowing companies to manage their workforce in a flexible way.

The Future of Communication

Changing communication methods are having a huge effect on the evolution of PR. By 2030, some experts predict that video and audio messages will be far more important than text as methods of communication. The nature of a press release could change almost beyond recognition, as companies begin to push out their messages in the form of video or multimedia content.

At the same time, you can expect the tone of communications to change. More than 80 percent of PR professionals expect technology will allow them to focus more on personalised communication over the next five years. Individually tailored messages could be extremely effective as a method of reaching out to younger generations, such as millennials, who expect to have much more personal connections with the brands they support than their Gen X and Baby Boomer predecessors.

Recruiting the Right Talent

As PR evolves, it's important to ensure that you have access to the talent you need to build a strong communications strategy for your brand. One option will be to bring in agencies and freelance PR professionals on an as-needed basis, rather than hiring them as permanent staff. Another option is to use recruitment agencies to search for professionals who have the particular skill sets you need to thrive in future. In particular, these skills will include the ability to use data to analyse the effect of your PR campaigns, and then develop strategies that take into account the trends that have been identified.

Developing Agile Teams

Moving into the future, agility is likely to be the key to a successful PR team. It's vital for PR professionals to be able to change the way they work in order to keep up with the latest trends. This might involve embracing new media types, finding innovative new ways to reach out to the digital generation that will be coming of age over the next few years, and taking action to redirect a PR strategy when analytics data shows that it isn't working.

How to Keep Up in the Future of PR

To find out more about the PR revolution that is starting to take off, you need to read this three-part series. You'll get practical advice on developing your PR strategy, using technology tools to make your communications more effective than ever, and staying up to date in the future of PR.