Traditional PR v Digital PR

In today's digital world you could be forgiven for thinking so called 'traditional PR' is dead but the reality is it's very much alive and kicking.

Indeed for some brands the less digital and more traditional form of PR remains far more important than online marketing while for others, especially those who sell primarily online, digital PR has become much more of a priority.

While digital and traditional PR both serve the same purpose of increasing brand awareness, they have some major differences in execution and target audiences. 

Before choosing which PR approach is more beneficial for your business, it’s important to understand the key differences and benefits of both strategies. 

Traditional PR is typically used to gain coverage in print newspapers, magazines and industry-specific publications, as well as traditional broadcasting channels such as TV and radio. It can also include PR events such as press conferences and product launches 

Digital PR, by contrast, focuses on digital channels like online news publications, websites, blogs and social media. 

In this blog post, we will explore the factors that distinguish digital PR from traditional PR to provide insights that will assist you in determining where to channel your marketing efforts most effectively. 

Different channels and platforms

One of the most apparent distinctions between traditional and digital PR lies in the channels they utilise to achieve coverage. Traditional PR relies on more ‘old school’ media outlets such as print newspapers, magazines, television, and radio. On the other hand, digital PR utilises the power of the internet and online platforms. The goal is to gain coverage and links on high-quality online news outlets, websites and blogs. 

Target audience

Since the channels are different, so are the target audiences. Traditional PR is great for targeting groups who consume a lot of mass media and are less active online. If your target demographic consists of people who read print newspapers, listen to car radio and watch TV news programmes then traditional PR is the way to go. On the other hand, digital PR is a better option for reaching younger demographics who get most of their news from online. 

SEO

When you utilise digital PR, you’re not only securing coverage but you can also gain backlinks to your website which boosts your SEO (search engine optimisation). This is extremely beneficial for enhancing the online visibility and credibility of your brand. Relevant content and strong backlinks help you rank higher on Google, making it easier to find you online and increasing the traffic to your site. 

Speed

The pace of communication has accelerated remarkably in the digital era. Traditional PR often operates on a lengthier timeline, with press releases scheduled for specific dates and media coverage subject to editorial calendars. In contrast, digital PR provides immediacy and more opportunities for reactive PR. This speed and agility are crucial because in today’s world news travels at the speed of a click. A well-timed reactive press release can help you secure tons of coverage. 

Reach

Digital PR can reach a broader and more diverse audience that can’t be reached with traditional offline tactics. This is because the digital realm offers multiple online channels and a vast range of new opportunities. It’s also because if a story is published online, it can remain there for years and appear high up in Google rankings if it stays relevant enough. 

Measurability and analytics

One of the challenges often associated with traditional PR is the difficulty in measuring its impact. The only way to analyse the success of a traditional PR campaign is to check the average readership of the publications that published your content. This can give an estimated figure on the reach but it doesn’t provide much insight. On the other hand, with digital PR there are multiple tools to track and analyse various key performance indicators (KPIs), from website traffic and domain authority to the number of backlinks and leads. 

Multimedia in storytelling

Storytelling is important in both traditional and digital PR for conveying brand messaging. In traditional PR, storytelling often takes the form of articles and interviews in established media outlets. However, digital PR introduces new possibilities and formats for storytelling by incorporating multimedia elements. Utilising videos, infographics and interactive content can improve audience engagement and allow businesses to create a more immersive and memorable brand experience.

Building relationships

Relationship-building and networking are at the core of PR. Traditional PR is based on building strong ties with journalists, producers and editors. These relationships involve personal communication and even face-to-face contact, which can help feature a brand in an article or interview. Digital PR is more anonymous and the relationships are built by reaching out to online journalists, bloggers, editors and influencers. Social media can be very useful for digital PR campaigns because it provides a direct line of communication between the business and the audience. Brands can engage in conversations and respond to comments, which makes them more approachable and relatable.

Crisis management

Both traditional and digital PR help protect your reputation and manage crisis communication. Traditional PR may find itself constrained by the slower pace of communication, making it challenging to address and mitigate crises swiftly. Digital PR enables brands to respond in real-time and address concerns immediately. When it comes to PR crises, quick reaction is crucial. You want to release a statement as soon as possible to balance out any negative information about your brand. Whether you’re using traditional or digital PR, it’s important to have a crisis strategy set up before it’s needed to protect your company from future damage. 

Conclusion: Traditional vs digital PR

Ultimately, choosing between traditional or digital PR depends on what the needs of your business are and who you want to target. Some brands will benefit from more traditional methods and media outlets, whereas e-commerce businesses looking to boost their online visibility and SEO should focus on securing coverage through online channels. 

That being said, you can also choose to integrate both approaches to maximise your PR efforts. By embracing the strengths of both digital and traditional PR, you can widen your reach and attract the attention of traditional media outlets, as well as online channels and social media. 

So which is most important: Digital or traditional PR? Here at Motive PR we believe both are important, although it is useful to outline the differences between them, and why they are both critical to grow your business - and protect its reputation.

‍Traditional PR sees PR practitioners engage with newspapers, trade and niche magazines and broadcast outlets for coverage. Since the advent of the traditional media, being able to land a TV or radio interview or land a front page story or feature length article in a client relevant magazine has been the focus of PR organisations across the globe.

‍Digital PR opens up even more possibilities and more channels - with blogs, social media platforms, online news, video portals and influencer campaigns to name just a few. Many influencers have become household names, with millions of followers, so it is useful to engage with influencers relevant to your client’s particular subject matter. 

Both digital and traditional PR command respect. The more your story or campaign ‘travels’ in the traditional press, the more people it will reach. There is also great kudos in knowing an established newspaper such as The Times, Daily Mirror or the Boston Globe has covered your story in print. And if it makes headlines, that could help feed into digital news channels with many outlets operating ‘what’s in the news’ sections. It can spark debate to appear on a primetime news channel, with viewers then turning to the internet to learn more. You are helping set the day’s news agenda.

Digital news can spread like wildfire. A story appearing on a website one day can be across many news outlets within hours, while popular influencers endorsing a particular product can also be very powerful. The emergence of video news which can tell a whole story in moments with powerful footage cannot also be underestimated. If reputable news websites carry a link to your client’s website as well as the article that is also hugely beneficial to boost traffic to it.

It is not just positive news to be considered. Things go wrong and there are organisational crises from time to time. Be certain both traditional and digital outlets will be there to report on the news. PR agencies must be adept to help the client through such periods of difficulty to protect its brand. Neither traditional media and digital media channels must be discounted in terms of their value and importance.

Contact Motive PR today to see how we can help you boost your presence positively both digitally and in traditional media.

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