How new media is shaking up the traditional comms playbook
Talking Points highlights the topics, trends, and technology defining the media and communications sectors.
How new media is shaking up the traditional comms playbook
As we near the end of 2024, there are more avenues than ever for getting your company’s message out to key audiences. The question is, as media continues to fragment, and big personalities find success going independent, how should public relations professionals respond?
Following an election cycle dominated by podcast appearances, Twitch streams, and more alternative media formats, many have questioned whether mainstream media is still a relevant method to reach today’s consumers. While legacy news outlets remain the primary barometer of success for PR campaigns, the industry model is being increasingly disrupted by alternative formats including social media, videos, newsletters, and other mediums. This, coupled with the much-discussed erosion of trust in mainstream media by some audiences, has opened the door to new media as well as new approaches to PR that don’t rely on tier-one hits to drive results.
But this isn’t an either-or proposition–nor should it be. There will always be a need for credible, national newsrooms, especially in times of widespread uncertainty and quick-spreading misinformation. Smart communications professionals understand that despite recent chatter–mainstream media will never truly “die”-- but in today’s landscape it is just as important to tread the newsletter-infested waters as it is to maintain relationships with traditional publications. After all, why do one or the other when you can do both?
The media you choose to target, as always, should depend heavily on the message you’re trying to convey and the audience you’re trying to reach. That can make Substacks, Beehiivs, or podcasts the primary target for your news if you’re aiming to reach a highly targeted, more niche audience, or to build thought leadership for key executives.
So, how do you decide when to tap into these new media formats? Take a hard look at your objectives, and if the goal is a call to action–to drive sales, signups, or another tangible outcome–a podcast, newsletter, or creator with an ultra-engaged audience might be the best place to start over mainstream outlets that reach a broader audience.
New media often reaches a highly targeted audience segment that has made an active investment (sometimes, literally) in being part of the community they’re reading, watching, or listening alongside–whether it’s The Ankler’s appeal for members of the entertainment industry to Taylor Lorenz’s User Mag’s draw for internet culture fanatics. That deeply vested audience interest means those readers may be more likely to click an affiliate link or subscribe to a new service that’s promoted. Meanwhile, reach is still king for straightforward awareness plays, and mainstream media remains the best conduit for building widespread visibility on a new product or service.
As traditional newsrooms shrink and individual personalities continue cultivating large, targeted followings, savvy comms professionals need to weigh these alternate media platforms into their overarching strategies and media contacts.
Integrated strategies defining the next generation of comms professionals
Over half of Chief Communication Officers are now reporting directly to the CEO, highlighting a growing shift where public relations is becoming a standalone vertical of the company, Axios’ Eleanor Hawkins reported earlier this month.
However, this increased executive visibility, coupled with a shifting media landscape, is calling for a much wider skill set that many believe will define the next generation of comms talent. Axios’ story points out that functional expertise is now considered “table stakes,” and communicators increasingly need to be able to “pinch hit” in different areas of the business.
The scope of comms no longer stops at media relations. CCOs need to understand and implement strategies to ensure earned, owned, and even paid are all working together to have consistent messaging and provide brand value.
Having a vision for what you’re trying to communicate and to what audience is a clear starting point but thinking strategically about how each of these channels ladder up to your value proposition is key.
Start with earned media
Effective media relations remains one of the most important channels for communications professionals. Nothing quite tops landing a great story or executive profile with a prestigious publication.
As influence has expanded from legacy media to individualized journalism, so has the opportunities to grow your audience. Finding the most value in earned media means that communicators need to always expand their network of journalists and find ways to tell compelling stories. Additionally, crisis communications and issues management cannot be underestimated as critical to a brand’s reputation.
Leverage owned channels
Communicators are starting to rethink jargon-filled press releases, and as social media continues to grow as a recognized thought leadership platform, companies are increasingly going direct with their communications. With dwindling newsrooms, owned channels play an even more important role than ever before – company blogs, Substacks, bylines, and curated LinkedIn posts can help amplify a business’ message and echo earned media placements as well as paid.
Recently, our client Aerodome was acquired by Flock Safety. As part of the communications strategy, the two company leaders sat down for a five-minute video interview explaining why the acquisition made sense, adding color to how the combined entities will be better for their customers. The result was an effective personal message to complement the formal press release and build enthusiasm about the acquisition.
Companies are finding creative ways to approach product demos through social, too. In March, Cognition Labs created an X thread of tutorials introducing its AI software assistant Devin, demoing the product across multiple scenarios with voiceover commentary from its founder; showing in clear-cut fashion what this impressive technology is capable of doing.
Amplify with paid
While paid media often falls under marketing’s scope, it’s still important that comms leaders work closely with their Marketing counterparts to ensure that paid messaging is consistent with the messages highlighted in your earned and owned opportunities. This can be in the form of a brand play, ie. a Super Bowl ad or using influencers to talk about your product on TikTok or Instagram. It can also take the form of paid amplification of an owned and operated channel or earned content. But no matter the form, the narrative should be consistent with your other channels.
On-Record with Digiday's Alexander Lee
If you’re in the gaming space, you’re probably a fan of Alexander Lee at Digiday.
His work has appeared in The Washington Post, ESPN, and The Nation, among others, but Alex has carved out a distinct name for himself covering the media and advertising side of the gaming industry at Digiday.
“[Digiday] just saw that there was a lot of brand activity and a lot of marketing spend going into gaming and esports at that point, and so it made sense for them to hire someone who was endemic to the space to cover it,” he said of his initial hiring.
Two years and hundreds of stories later, he’s covered everything from the launch of Sports Illustrated’s gaming vertical to how brands are inserting themselves in Fortnite and practically everything in between. Alex credits his success covering the media and advertising side of the business to his endemic perspective, understanding “how gamers think, and why esports fans watch what they watch.”
Just as Alex’s coverage has evolved over the years, he acknowledged journalism is going through its own transformation, particularly with the advent of artificial intelligence. He says he doesn’t feel threatened by AI in his role in the near term, but has some concerns for the long term.
“We’ve already observed that an entire layer of journalism as a business has been wiped out by AI,” he said, adding that things like aggregation, listicles, and explainers are being increasingly automated.
He described AI’s current place in journalism as “things that require you to synthesize knowledge into words but don’t necessarily require esoteric connections or new reporting. That type of journalism is deeply threatened by what’s going on with AI right now.”
Apart from his sources—which he spends four to five hours a day talking to, a perk of being based in NYC—Alex is in regular contact with comms professionals. He emphasizes that a key quality for publicists is understanding “how journalism actually works,” including being “realistic” about the stories he chooses to write.
Sometimes, this means taking a less-savory angle on a story—one that might not sit well with an agency or its clients’ executives. However, Alex says the comms reps who understand the realities of journalism and that some stories are “simply newsworthy” are the ones that handle these situations best.
“They get it,” he explained. “They don’t like it, but they understand that it’s newsworthy and something our readers care about… It’s good PR work to be realistic in that way.”
It’s a good reminder that communicators need to be ready and able to manage these moments internally with clients when they come up. It’s unfortunately not uncommon for an executive to advocate that comms teams attempt to have information redacted from a story, and we all saw how this exchange worked out between The Verge and Intuit.
What we’re working on ☕
[Billboard]: “A Video Game Version of Demi Lovato Is Raising Money for the Environment”
[Digiday]: “How news publishers are adapting post-election, with Yahoo News’s Kat Downs Mulder”
[VentureBeat]: “From Kickstarter to Netflix: The Exploding Kittens Journey | Elan Lee”
[Bleeding Cool]: “College Football 25 To Hold Army-Navy Esports Event”
[Esports Charts]: “Snapdragon Pro Series: qualifier without prize money attracts more viewers than major esports events”
[Rolling Stone]: “DreamHack Stockholm 2024 Brings the Culture Festival Back to Its Roots
Story ideas, feedback, or just want to get in touch? Email us at contact@jsapartners.co or drop us a line on LinkedIn.