Public Relations Trends For 2023

Reach a Wider Audience with Targeted Public Relations

Technologies and methods of communication are constantly emerging as we move further into the 21st century.

The public relations industry has seen many changes in recent years, and these trends are only expected to continue in the years ahead.

Exclusive Insight into Industry Strategies and Trends

7 Public Relations Trends For 2023

Here are the newest PR trends that will shape the industry in 2023:

Simplified Brand Messaging

Gone are the days when people were willing to read long brand messages. Today, the human attention span is only 8 seconds. This attention span has shrunk by nearly 25% in the past few years. So, it is important to tailor your brand messaging for the uber distracted target audience.

One trend to keep an eye on is concise and punchy brand messaging that does not skimp on value-based content. Shorter social media messages receive more engagement and are easy to publish across multiple platforms. Coupled with images and videos, these messages could be the key to engaging your target audience on a deeper level.

Multimedia Content Creation

Consumers spend most of their time on their phones. Despite the fact that there are platforms where your target audience is predominantly active, there’s a growing need to capitalize on the preferred interests of each member of your target audience. That’s where multimedia content creation comes in.

PR experts must be keener to implement their brand messaging in written, audio, and video formats to reach the target audience in a way they enjoy. This can be achieved through YouTube vlogs, podcasts, infographics, and blog posts. Ensure you keep an eye on this trend and identify the different channels your target audience enjoys.

Artificial Intelligence And Technology

The PR landscape is quickly becoming a digital landscape. Technologies like AI, VR/AR, and Chatbots are now being used by PR experts to better monitor brand sentiment and measure the effectiveness of their PR strategies.

New technologies help to:

make internal processes more efficient
create and optimize content
and even interact with customers on behalf of the company

As a result, PR experts must be well-versed in technology and its applications to maximize their effectiveness. This increases flexibility as more strategies can be implemented in less time.

Focus On Mission And Value

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the center stage of every brand message today. This trend will continue into 2023.

Aside from customers wanting to know what value your products or services offer them, they want to know how your brand aligns with their personal values. Therefore, businesses must be more vocal about their mission, values, and commitments. Be careful not to cross the line into ‘political speech’. As seen recently with Disney and other major brands having to walk back their messaging, there is a fine line between honoring value systems and acceptable political theatre for brands.

In 2023, expect to see more socially-aware storytelling as brands try to tap into audiences’ value systems and differentiate themselves from their competitors. Also, look out for increased highlighting of behind-the-scenes actions as PR experts show that their brands can walk the talk.

Personalized Content For Stakeholders

Your stakeholders include employees, customers, and investors. It is important to tailor your messages to each of these audiences in order to communicate with them effectively. For example, employees need more frequent updates about their shifts or changes in the company structure, while customers may want promotions or discounts.

Using data analytics, brands can now figure out how to create personalized PR pitches that strongly engage audiences and are more likely to be promoted by influencers, journalists, and media outlets. These will be major PR trends in 2023 as experts seek to demonstrate credibility and increase trust in their clients’ brands.

Empathy Is Key

Empathy humanizes your brand and demonstrates that you care about your customers. No one wants to do business with a brand that does nothing during a crisis. Through empathetic PR, businesses can showcase their values and create a sense of loyalty among customers.

In 2023, PR experts will be on top of every global news story to help brands identify the areas where they can demonstrate empathy.

Look out for PR campaigns that focus on creating meaningful connections with audiences and show that the brand genuinely cares about their well-being. This could involve launching charitable initiatives, sponsoring events or programs, or simply offering discounts to people in a crisis.

Staying Authentic

Audiences want to identify with a brand that stays true to its course and values. Now more than ever, PR experts must demonstrate that their clients believe in what they claim to stand for.

Due to increased fake news, audiences want brands to be more authentic. Consumers quickly notice changes to a brand’s authentic voice, which reduces credibility.

PR pros must stay aware of this trend, examine the authenticity of their brand’s voice, fact-check everything, and prepare to back-up statements with evidence.

Final Thoughts

It is important to keep up with the ever-evolving PR landscape to ensure that your brand does not fall behind. By following these trends for 2023, you can stay on top of your game. Make good use of owned media to control your brand messaging and give your brand an authentic voice that audiences can trust.

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Leeza Hoyt

Founder and President at The Hoyt Organization

With over 25 years of experience, Leeza’s campaigns have garnered over 150 awards from top public relations organizations nationwide. Additionally, THO serves as the Los Angeles area partner of the Public Relations Global Network, granting clients access to over 50 global markets. The agency was also named to one of the top 200 firms in the country by Forbes magazine in 2021, and she has been named by Globest.com as a Woman of Influence and a Woman to Watch, among other designations.