Why is it important to stay updated on upcoming public relations trends? Good question!

Jennifer Berson, the founder of Jeneration PR and Profitable PR Pros, said, "If you want to create impeccable PR strategies, you need to know what's working in the media."

The gist is this: Learn what others are doing and use that to your advantage to keep ahead of the game. This is a sufficient reason to keep up with all these new trends.

media update's Robyn du Preez contemplates the trends highlighted in the 2023 conversation. Join in on the thought process here:

2023's tools

Many still debate whether or not learning approaches should be considered as generationally or individually driven. While both play a role, we must add societal trends to this hot mix.

Why do the specialists stand by this argument? If someone you like and admire tells you to try out a podcast, you'll probably do that — with no questions asked. This is true no matter what generation you belong to or the kind of person you are.

And yeah, this is how podcasts are actually getting around and making an impact worth mentioning. It's not because we are an audio-driven learning generation; it's because there's cool stuff being put out through this medium that's making people stop and … listen.

PRs, there was a 17% increase in podcast listenership in 2021, and it's on the rise. This means audiences want — and expect — this content from businesses (and video, might we add), and we have to give them what they want to reach them.

But we must actually reach them to get them. So, now, how do we do that? The answer is Twitter! Although things are up and down now with the Musk takeover, it's still the speediest way for subject matter experts to reach the media, so it is a no-brainer that this will affect PR as a whole too. So, get on there for the deets, peeps!

This tells us that public relations specialists should dive into multiple and omnichannel mediums to gain the experience that 2023 will bring fully.

So yes, you should be on many mediums and create content for them. Multimedia content creation is the best way to garner the kind of reach that every client — by and large — wants to ideally reach.

Oh, and one other thing — look into owned media. Yeah, we could not choose who to link back to on this topic, since it's the talk of the town.

2023's people

The townsmen themselves are another topic altogether. What do they bring to the 2023 table?

Well, there's definitely been an emphasis on equality, acceptance and inclusivity. So not only are audiences bringing this to the table as a requisite, but they expect a certain degree of empathy to be shown by brands.

"No one wants to support a brand that carries on as usual in a crisis, even if it's happening on the other side of the globe." — Jennifer Berson.

With social consciousness and the desire to see brand authenticity growing within audiences, it affects:
  • consumer behaviour
  • how PR pros prepare clients for the change, and
  • how to react when the public is watching them with twitching 2023 eyes.

Smile and wave (with intention), boys — smile and wave!

2023's methods

With the arrival of Web3 and the heavy focus on data, we will see more direct engagement between brands and consumers. PRs, you'll need to be prepared for that. How?

Well, direct engagement could see more in-person interviews being arranged, as well as more tailored pitches being requested.

We also noted that user-generated, interactive content and video marketing have been mentioned again and again … so keep a squiz on that to see what it will mean for your clients and their tasks for you.

What does this kind of content tell us, public relations pros? Well, simply this: Storytelling will be invaluable in 2023. This means that everything that you put out there will need to tell a story to keep audiences relating, engaging and approving.

It also means that customisation, tailoring and personalising offerings are now the biscuit.

Media outlets are furthermore expecting to be more reliant on contributed articles due to staff capacity. So, comms might be more integrated than we have previously seen. And yet, the quality-over-quantity mindset still reigns.

Partnerships with influencers, remote working and proving one's ROI are all other approaches worth mentioning as predictions for 2023. These have all — and continue to — significantly impact how PR functions.

The industry itself

One last thing that we want to note here is that "successful PR will have to be part of a larger marketing ecosystem" to emerge at the top of 2023's success list.

PR is finding itself being more and more integrated into other areas of everyday solution assembly lines. This could mean that PRs might find themselves being more exposed to new things, or is expected to start dipping their toes into new ways of meeting client requests.

Take a look at how integrated the SDGs are, for example — integration is pretty big right now!

What else do you think 2023 will see for public relations? Let us know in the comments!

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Need a bit more elaboration on what we meant by owned media? Then check out our article, Earned, paid and owned media: What's the difference?
*Image courtesy of Canva