Media Consumption: A Guide for PR Pros

Nowadays, it is no longer possible to guarantee media coverage and reach a great audience with just a single media release. The evolved media landscape is very complex, with its audiences spread across numerous social media platforms. For public relations practitioners( PR) to thrive in this environment, they must become the daily investigators of media consumption. With this guide, I aim to provide you with an understanding of how the public consumes media.

Adaptable from: User Content

The Incredible Shift of the Media

Remember those boring old days when you used to wait for the evening news or grab the morning paper? Traditional media is still valuable, but let us admit, that it has lost its blueprint. The dominance of social media has resulted in a world where people are forever glued to their smartphones waiting for updates (Ortiz-Ospina, 2019.). Streaming services have transformed in an even better way, it has transformed entertainment in such a manner that people can now choose what they watch and how they watch it. Podcasts have also taken over and gained popularity when it comes to busy audiences, they can just listen to audiobooks while going on with their day. However, this sudden shift in the media landscape presents both opportunities and challenges for public relations practitioners.

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One of the challenges that PRPs face is audience separation. Imagine having a target audience that is dispersed across Twitter, Facebook, etc, reaching them all with a one-fits-all strategy will rather be ineffective. The win lies in identifying specific demographics and their preferred media channels (Schechter, 2023).

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Content is the Ruler

In today’s media landscape, nothing breaks the internet like high-quality content. Press releases are no longer the “it girl” when it comes to PR, it is now time for us to embrace what we have, we need to embrace content marketing and create engaging content for our target audiences.

Targeting the Relevant Channels

The analytic tools of social media do help one determine which platforms one’s target audience uses. Once the appropriate channels have been identified, one can then tailor their message accordingly.

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Tracking What Matters

By understanding the media consumption of your audiences, you have the advantage of improving your content in a manner that suits their interests. Resourceful things to track are social media engagement across the various platforms, brand mentions, etc. Did your blog topic increase website traffic? Did your Twitter post receive positive comments? Did your Facebook page gain viewers and traction? Tracking this kind of information ensures that your public relations efforts do not go to waste when it comes to planning future campaigns (Robbinson, 2022).

The one thing to keep in mind is that the landscape of today requires consistency; You need to identify the relevant channels, track their outcomes when it comes to media consumption, and create compelling content (Yellowbrick, 2023).

So, which one do you fall under? A PR practitioner who fears change, or one who embraces it?