Is Media Relations Dying?

Media relations is the traditional core of public relations. With the demise of print newspapers and the corresponding rise of digital alternatives, some public relations veterans say media relations is disappearing.

Industry observers point to several trends.

Print circulation continues to dwindle. The sky is falling on print newspapers faster than most people realize, says Richard Tofel, president of ProPublica, in his Medium post. For instance, USA Today circulation fell from 1,424,000 in 2013 to 299,000 in 2015. Only two print newspapers in the entire country, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times, sell more than a half million copies per average weekday.

Over the past few years, the major press release services have distributed fewer press releases, indicating less reliance on media relations by companies and other organizations.

There are now far fewer journalists to whom PR practitioners can pitch – and those reporters are increasingly inaccessible.

Investing in Social Media

Companies now often use blogs and other social media to distribute their news and other announcements.

Content marketing is on the upswing. Chief marketing officers are investing more in content marketing. According to research from The CMO Club and IBM, 57 percent of CMOs expected their budgets to increase over the next two to three years. Content generation will account for 13% of their budgets, followed by digital advertising (11%). Many would argue, however, that content marketing is an extension of public relations and its media relations function – a new method to place editorial content in independent news sources.

More publishers are collaborating with brands to produce native advertising. Advertising Age cited 12 prominent publisher–brand partnerships, including Cocainemomics between NetFlix and The Wall Street Journal and #MakeTechHuman between Nokia and Wired. Native advertising has transitioned from an experimental to a conventional strategy. Major publishers and brands have discovered that stories can be more powerful than ads.

More Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing continues to accelerate. Social media advertising spending reached $23.68 billion last year, a 33.5% increase from 2014, according to eMarketer. By 2017, social media ad spending will reach $35.98 billion, representing 16% of all digital ads spending globally.

Those trends, particularly the demise of print newspapers, are causing many PR professionals to re-examine PR’s traditional focus on media relations. “Generally, I think we still may be putting too many eggs in the media outreach basket, and not enough eggs in those other buckets,” says Arik C. Hanson, principal of ACH Communications.

In addition, consumer behavior is changing. People now have practically an unlimited number of information channels at their disposal. Consumers often trust social media influencers more than news outlets.

“That’s not exactly a recipe for sinking more money into media outreach,” Hanson laments. “The more I think about this, the more I think we still are over-relying on media outreach. And, it might just be time to open our eyes to the harsh reality.”

Media Relations is not Dead

Other PR professionals disagree. Bloggers, social media influencers and digital publications are replacing print newspapers, says Kim Jefferson, vice president and director of accounts at Blast Media. PR pros use the same skills to reach these newer players as they do for more traditional earned media placements.

Native advertising partnerships attract attention, but most brands cannot afford that kind of one-time investment. “In a time when native advertising is blurring the journalism/advertising line, brands need seasoned media relations professionals more than ever,” Jefferson says. “Without traditional media relations chops, marketing pros might reach out to editorial contacts at outlets asking for native ad partnerships (bleck!) or spend thousands on an advertorial buy that isn’t as effective as a third-party review or interview from an actual journalist.”

Brands clearly place a higher priority on content marketing. Because creating content, including social content, blogs and infographics, requires substantial resources, content must be used to its fullest capabilities. Media relations is one of the best tactics for amplifying that content. “From pitching blog content to trade and national media, to earning thought leadership placements, to offering ebook and infographics to blogs for rich content, media relations is the key,” she asserts.

In spite of changes in media, the use of national press release distribution services remains an effective method to attract interest of journalists in a corporate announcement – and to gain substantive placements in print, broadcast, and digital media.

Bottom Line: Plummeting newspaper circulations and the proliferation of alternative mass communication strategies signifies the end of media relations, some PR experts say. Other say media relations is alive and well; it is evolving to adapt to the new digital environment.