Just like bell bottom jeans, public relations and communications trends tend to come and go. One thread remains consistent quality communications planning and execution.
I’ve been working in the communications field for about 30 years. When I worked as a journalist reporting the news, I relied on the AP wire, good information from sources, well-written and informative news releases and background information to bring the news to our listeners and viewers.
Over the decades working in public relations, I’ve seen the advent of the Intranet, blogs, websites, social media, texting, emails and more for communications tools. A recent study impresses on me that regardless of the communications tool, it’s the message and quality information that continues to be appreciated by journalists.
According to a 2018 Cision study: 78 percent of American journalists surveyed say that ensuring content is 100 percent accurate is the most important element to their stories in 2018.
Some say there’s a benefit to the fake news phenomenon.
- 21 percent saying that’s increasing the importance of journalistic standards.
- 9 percent said that it’s improving the popularity of trusted and established media brands.
When everything else in the media industry is being disrupted, journalists continue to trust press releases for high quality, authentic and relative information. And reports say relationships with public relations professionals are more valuable now than ever before with:
- 63 percent saying news announcements and press releases are what they want from PR contacts.
- 44 percent saying press releases are the most trustworthy source of brand-related information.
To read the full study, click here.