Examining the difference between traditional PR and digital PR
And why the two should continue to co-exist
Traditional or digital, PR is, and always will be, the same thing – the shaping and sharing of information to advise ‘publics’, to raise awareness or reputation, or to influence perceptions and behaviours. It’s so much more than its format, no matter if it ends up on a printed page, or a screen.
In fact, PR as a practice transcends many media channels, and was being used to influence people way before we took our information from newspapers, magazines and the internet. This was often achieved through ‘stunts’, such as an elephant called Little Hip who was used to promote a theatre and newspaper in Salt Lake City in 1910. Even days now firmly marked in our calendar such as ‘Blue Monday’ was dreamt up by a travel company to help drive sales.
So, the first myth I’d like to bust is that traditional PR is purely print and broadcast coverage. Traditional PR is everything we’ve ever witnessed to this point, today, as Little Hip proved.
However, digital PR has allowed everything we’ve learned to this point to evolve further, as it works with wider digital resources to do more than just spread the word; it boosts web traffic through high-authority links, improves your SEO rankings and adds ballast to your online presence.
And, with the intervention of search engine AI overviews, digital PR has perhaps become the catalyst by which all digital marketing emanates. Digital PR serves two functions, so to say – not bad, eh?
So what has ‘digital’ added?
If we take a look at this journey at its very basic level, the fact that many (if not most) publications across news, B2B, and B2C have added a digital offering to either supplement or replace its printed form has helped PRs earn their crust.
Long gone are the days when news would be issued by post, followed by a long wait for the clippings to arrive again by post. Likewise, monthly and quarterly publications would make us sweat it out, with long delays before we could finally mount our clients’ coverage. The introduction of online content initially allowed for news, opinion and features to literally be live within minutes. Add to that the ‘share’ buttons and we were further distributing that content and widening its circulation and readership.
And this is still highly relevant. It’s ‘traditional PR’ with a twist.
Jump forward and we are playing a completely different game now. All the above still applies, but digital PR now augments SEO and boosts digital marketing strategy.
The biggest difference between digital PR and everything that came before it, is that the objectives have changed, and therefore our campaigning strategy needs to take in wider, influencing tactics. Not only this, but the advent of AI is having an increasingly big say in how we deliver your prospects to you via SEO and digital PR.
Can ‘traditional’ PR and digital PR work together?
Yes, definitely. Many of our clients, particularly those that have invested in PR for many years recognise the value that PR has always brought them, and it’s not all about links. That share of voice, brand awareness, company value and spokespeople profiles have been raised means objectives are realised and KPIs reached.
Great stories, announcements or news continue to be authored in the same way. Media liaison remains key in that journalists (or today’s equivalent if it’s a high authority blog or content site) require contacting, pitched to and followed up in a timely manner. So there are many similarities, and overlap.
Aligning this with your digital marketing strategy needn’t mean this is lost. If anything, it should still be a core principle behind why we are working with you, but now we get you the add-ons, too. At Catalyst PR, we work closely with our SEO colleagues to ensure our clients’ content is optimised across all disciplines, and digital PR is no exception.
What are the key differences?
1 – The pace of return
As already alluded to, with digital PR you can see the benefits almost immediately. ‘Hot off the press’ news can be displayed online within minutes of distribution, while thought leadership articles can be published the very same day. If we are comparing this to the pace of traditional print, there’s no comparison. Even the most prolific ‘dailies’ have deadlines that must be hit to be considered, whereas digital publications, blogs or influential video portals are reactive, and timeless. Add the increased returns of boosted web traffic and domain authority (DA) from high ranking links and your PR’s value only rises.
2 – Your strategy has to be agile
I’m acutely aware I’ve said this before, but all of the above still applies. However, the importance of SEO, and understanding the new Google landscape now that AI is heavily influencing matters can not be underestimated. Likewise, GEO (generative engine optimisation), the optimisation of your web content to boost visibility in AI-driven search engines (think Google’s Gemini) is a game changer.
All this needs consideration in a digital PR strategy to ensure your coverage is placed in the right online publications, to drive traffic, and to boost your SEO rankings and DA.
3 – Reach and readership
It’s likely your digital PR strategy will work harder for you than print or broadcast. The natural algorithmic make up of the internet can give exponential results across wide and diverse markets.
This is because content is interactive and shareable, and the greater the interaction and the wider it’s received, the better the chances of an uplift in search rankings and DA, even before your potential customers are heading towards your website.
Furthermore, readership demographics have changed as generations lean towards online over any other media. So if your digital PR campaign is aimed at this demographic, be sure to relay your information across platforms they’re likely to consume, and through media they’re more likely to interact with and share.
4 – Everyone is a journalist these days
Until its recent demise with the spread of mis, and disinformation, Twitter (X) served as a great news source, and even as a conduit for journalists to disseminate live news updates, such as at a major incident, sports event or high profile court case.
But social media, and of course blogs and influencer sites, are nowadays a portal for the sharing and spreading of news – be it their own, or yours.
With digital PR, these newer channels need to be embraced, and managed effectively. There will always be a risk of ‘trolling’, but for most organisations operating either in the B2B or direct to consumer space, news, information, thought leadership and even financial results published online have a tendency to be shared and interacted with positively. And while it is, Google will continue to reward you for this in greater search rankings and DA.
5 – Measuring PR is now a thing…
We used to measure column inches, and give coverage a value based upon advertising spend (AVE – advertising value equivalency), but that’s pretty archaic. Print and broadcast measurement still tends to be measured by reach and circulation, and even earned media value, but the introduction of digital has meant impact can also be measured.
However, you can only measure what you’ve set objectives for, and by aligning your digital PR strategy with your SEO strategy, you can set KPIs and measure by so much more – not least web visits, leads and potentially, conversions / sales.
Final thought
I started by saying PR pre-dates the print and broadcast industry, and perhaps before the phrase was coined as PR, we’d have probably called it propaganda. Whether we refer to everything we’ve known before as traditional, and what we know today as digital doesn’t matter if pure PR is what you’re after.
But only the most vain amongst us are interested in PR. Most businesses want leads and sales. They want to change habits and attitudes. PR is a route to get there. With digital PR that route has been boosted, but it can’t be done in isolation, and needs support from SEO – especially with AI changing what we’ve always known.