As we bid goodbye to 2023, a year which has seen Digital PRs scramble to get to grips with the ethics and usage of AI, refer to TikTok only around a trillion times a day, and deal with the potential loss of X (Twitter) as a bountiful land of journalist requests, it’s time to get stuck into a new year.
But what trends are we expecting to be big in the world of Digital PR in 2024?
Say goodbye to silos
Social media has always been a heavyweight in online marketing, and with the launch of Google Perspectives on the horizon, if you haven’t been integrating your social and digital PR strategies, now’s the time! UGC and short form videos are on the rise – with social videos generating 1200% more shares than images and text posts combined (GWI) – and now with the ranking implications, cross channel campaigns are more important than ever.
Consumers also want to see authenticity from brands (the second most important brand value after reliability in 2023, GWI), with campaigns making sense online and in the real world. So, while you can’t get a link from a pop up, it doesn’t mean they don’t have value for your digital campaigns!
Press coverage can support the event or activation with teasers beforehand, and related stories with case studies, data and wrap up information can support ongoing press office after the fact – just remember to consider the objectives of your digital strategy to see real impact.
AI
The world is turning to AI for efficiencies, and it’s no different in the world of digital PR. Chat GPT reached a staggering 1 million users just five days after launch, and since then it seems like every person and their dog thinks robots will be taking over our jobs.
The answer to that is, they won’t.
Human generated content is still as important as before, and if we stop creating, what will tools like Bard and Chat GPT churn out to us??
Rather than using AI for content generation, 2024 will see us increasingly turn to these tools for keyword research, inspiration and data analysis.
AI doesn’t stop there however, we also need Google’s Search Generative AI at the forefront of our minds, ensuring we’re creating campaigns which could potentially be generated in the SERPs; think E-E-A-T at every turn.
Reactive
A tried and tested technique for many years, reactive PR will be a huge opportunity for driving coverage and links in 2024. With the increase of PRs to the industry, and the rise in journalist redundancies, it’s become increasingly difficult to cut through, and reactive could be just the answer, directly answering journalist demand in the moment.
There’s also plenty of opportunity to prepare to be reactive and ensure your comments, press releases and video content are optimised ahead of time with SEO objectives in mind. Do your research and find the recurring topics your brand could capitalise on in 2024.
On the flip side, you don’t have to follow the news agenda to be reactive; your reactive strategy could align with your current keyword performance and visibility; creating campaigns that respond to your ranking position changes.
Audience, audience, audience
…and one more time, audience! The news that campaigns should resonate with a brands audience shouldn’t be new to anyone in PR, but in 2024, deeper insights into audiences are going to be pivotal for success. Not only do we need to know who we’re talking to, but where we should be talking to them, and about what!
With the rise of new ‘search engines’ such as TikTok, brands need to consider how they can optimise their campaigns across different channels, altering messaging, considering different keywords, search terms and intent, to get the best results and reach an engaged audience.
Measurement
The days of reporting on number of follow links are long gone, and when there are so many metrics to show the impact of digital PR activity, 2024 will see brands demanding more insights and wanting to see the real value for their buck.
As Digital PR’s we can arm ourselves with multiple reporting metrics, showing real, tangible results of our work, so think out the box, don’t be afraid of the data and show the true value of campaigns.
If you want to chat about your digital PR plans in 2024, drop us a line at hello@hatch.group
