The world of PR is undergoing a digital revolution. While traditional PR has long been the go-to method for brand building, digital PR is emerging as a powerful force garnering significant attention and budget. In fact, the global PR market is expected to grow by $133 billion by 2027.
But what sets these two approaches apart? Let’s dive into the key differences and explore how they can be used to elevate your brand.
Understanding Traditional PR
Traditional PR is a tried-and-true method of building brand reputation and shaping public perception. It’s a classic approach, relying on time-honoured advertising channels such as TV, radio, print media, and out-of-home advertising. For traditional PR, the aim is brand exposure — the bigger the platform, like TV and radio, the better. As a result, traditional PR professionals require a sizable black book of media contacts and the know-how to build enduring relationships with journalists.
Key Tactics
Whereas digital PR bows to the power of a link (which we’ll come on to later), for traditional PR, brand exposure is glory enough. Traditional PR tends to use the following tactics to ensure just that:
- Press releases: This is a document that announces news or information to the media. It’s the backbone of traditional PR, used to inform journalists about new product launches and company milestones.
- Pitching: Pitching involves reaching out to journalists and proposing story ideas that involve your brand. It’s a skill that requires understanding the media landscape, identifying relevant journalists, and creating a compelling hook.
- Building media contacts: Building and maintaining relationships with media contacts is essential for successful traditional PR. Media contacts are journalists, bloggers, and influencers who will help amplify your brand’s message through their chosen platforms.
While it might seem old-school in our digital age, traditional PR still holds significant value. Traditional PR professionals excel at making long-lasting relationships with journalists, controlling the narrative through carefully crafted messages, and reaching a targeted audience through specific media placements.
The Rise of Digital PR
The digital age has ushered in a new era of public relations, giving rise to digital PR. This innovative approach leverages online platforms to increase brand visibility, generate backlinks, and drive organic traffic. At its core, digital PR allows PR professionals to enhance their brand’s visibility in a way that resonates with a modern audience.
Key Tactics
Digital platforms have transformed PR, enabling agents to pivot from time-consuming processes towards real-time engagement and data-driven strategies. These strategies often include the following tactics:
- Link building: Link building works hand in hand with SEO efforts, focusing on acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable news publications. These backlinks act as “votes of confidence”, helping to improve your website’s search engine rankings.
- Content marketing: This involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a brand’s target audience.
- Social media: Social media has emerged as a crucial component for brands aiming to build a robust online presence and drive tangible outcomes. It’s a powerful digital PR tool for building brand awareness, engaging with customers, and driving traffic to your website.
- Influencer partnerships: Influencer partnerships are a game-changer for brand visibility and credibility. By collaborating with influential content creators who match your brand’s vibe, you can tap into their audience and drive sales.
Traditional PR vs. Digital PR
While traditional PR and digital PR share the common goal of enhancing brand reputation and driving engagement, they differ significantly in their approach and execution. While traditional PR is the classic approach, relying on traditional media channels (like newspapers, magazines, television, and radio), digital PR leverages online platforms and digital tools to reach a wider audience.
Let’s break it down:
| Traditional PR | Digital PR | |
| Media | Print and broadcast | Online platforms/publications, social media |
| Measurement | Difficult to measure the exact reach and impact of traditional PR | Backlinks, website traffic, social media engagement and SEO metrics |
| Audience and Engagement | Audience usually limited to national or regional publications | Offers opportunities for global audience and engagement |
| Speed of Results | Slower | Faster |
| Cost | Can be expensive, especially for large-scale campaigns, often running into the tens of thousands. | More cost-effective, especially for smaller businesses |
| Impact | Long-lasting — it tends to have a tangible impact on brand reputation and credibility | Immediate and measurable — you can see real-time effects on brand awareness, website traffic and lead generation |
While traditional PR remains a valuable tool, digital PR offers unique advantages in today’s digital age. Given the speed, cost-effectiveness, and immediate, measurable impact of digital PR, it’s best to develop a hybrid strategy that prioritises digital first.
Building Your Approach With Pitch
At Pitch, digital is our bread and butter. Whatever the industry, we specialise in creating relevant, impactful and wide-reaching digital opportunities to boost your brand awareness and domain ranking.
Don’t take our word for it — peruse our Pitch Platforms case studies and if you’re interested in learning about what we can do for your brand, feel free to get in touch.
