With so much information available out there in the big, wide world, it can often be difficult to find those golden nuggets of wisdom.

We’ve made things that much simpler for you by sharing some of the content we’ve found to be helpful.

Here we go:

1. Crack the small business PR code with these three pro tips

In this article for SmallBizTrends, author Dmitry Dragilev explains that it isn’t only big businesses with sizable budgets who can reap the benefits of PR and media coverage.

According to Dragilev, small businesses can use the fragmented media landscape to their advantage. “By being able to reach your specific audience directly, you ensure that you have control of the message you put out and who reads it,” he writes.

So, how exactly can small businesses ‘crack the PR code’?

  1. Use tools to find opportunities
  2. Become exceptional at media relations
  3. Create an editorial calendar

While big corporations have bigger budgets, brands and weight behind them, Drailev says that “small businesses can be agile” and, as a result, they can react quickly when ideas come together to “provide creative freedom”.

2. Porter Novelli offers young women a taste of PR

Since it’s Women’s Month is South Africa, we thought this article was of great relevance.

PR firm Porter Novelli has partnered up with girl-focused charity BelEve UK to offer young women a taste of the agency life.

The article, by Stephen Delahunty for PR Week, outlines a campaign that Porter Novelli worked on with nine young girls through the charity. Together, they created a campaign around sexual harassment called ‘It is that deep’.

“Marsha Powell, one of the founders of BelEve UK, said the experience was essential for young women to think about their future, and that more opportunities like this are needed if industries are to be more diverse.”

3. There’s no predictive PR revolution — only an evolution

As the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more and more a part of every conversation, this article, by Dervilla Mullan for The Holmes Report, deals with the inevitable evolution of PR. 

She says that “in the PR space, the topic of AI is treated with justified skepticism”.

This article delves deep into the idea of PR and AI working together, providing PR professionals with “complementary intelligence”.

This article is the first of a three-part series, offering some interesting ways of thinking about how AI and PR can lead to more effective, data-driven communications.

4. How the PESO model can prevent the convergence of PR and marketing

The line between PR and marketing is becoming increasingly blurred, but is that really a good thing?

In this article for SpinSucks, author Gini Dietrich explains that if PR and marketing continue to converge, “the PR industry won’t exist by 2015”. And if that doesn’t scare you — nothing will!

To combat this absorption of the PR role by marketing, Dietrich says the PESO model (paid, earned, shared and owned media) can make all the difference.

Building relationships with journalists, customers, communities, influencers, employees and stakeholders is vital, as is serving relevant content.

However, when it comes to earned media, we’re faced with a paradox. While earned media is seen as more valuable than paid media, “the 2019 Global Communications Report shows CEOs want earned media to sell—and they want communicators to be able to prove that’s what we’re doing”.

“To be able to do that, we have to measure attribution. In other words, where did the lead, prospect, or customer come from?”

5. For clearer writing, ditch ‘etc.’, ‘i.e.’ and ‘e.g.’

In this article for PR Daily, author Josh Bernoff explains that using Latin abbreviations in your writing is not the way to go.

“They annoy readers, they’re lazy, and you don’t need them,” he says.

Using ‘etc.’ is a way to show that the list you have included is incomplete, and Bernoff says this shows readers that there are more things on the list, but the writer is unwilling — or unable — to complete it.

As for ‘i.e.’, Bernoff believes that including it in your writing means that you tried to say something, but it wasn’t clear enough — so you had to say it again.

“It is useless and signifies only that you have your nose in the air,” he says, plainly.

Have you read any interesting PR articles lately? Share them with us in the comments section below.

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In other news, an Australian PR company has said Goodbye influencers — hello traditional PR! Find out more in our article.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy