Traditional public relations (or “PR”) and digital public relations (or “PR”) are similar in many ways, but there are significant distinctions between the two. This article will assist you to understand where the differences lie if you work in traditional PR or if you’re unsure what value traditional PR has in today’s digital world where companies are increasingly digital.
What are the similarities?
It’s important to remember where these two sectors overlap before diving in. Digital PR, like traditional PR, has a lot of parallels with each other, and the aim of both is to gain high-level marketing possibilities through relevant news-worthy placement in the public eye. The distinction between public relations and content marketing is subtle in terms of mechanics. Although there are some slight variations, the central goal remains the same.
Of course, while the goals are identical, if you’re engaging in digital PR, there are new KPIs to consider. It’s no longer about creating a double spread in a newspaper; it’s all about page rankings in Google SERPs, click-through rates, and shares now.
Digital PR needs links
If you’re a seasoned SEO veteran, the value of links should be obvious. However, for those in more non-traditional professions, it’s crucial to remember that this is one of the first places where traditional and digital PR begin to diverge. Niche Inbound has informed us that search engine algorithms concentrate heavily on the quality of links pointing to a site, so if you want to improve your position in search engine rankings, link building will be crucial. But, as you can see, this isn’t the case. You should focus your link building efforts on reputable publications that have a large audience and are credible. Too many low-quality links, on the other hand, will have a negative influence.
Authority is paramount
The first step is to include a link, but the publication itself is also important; this has always been a major component of traditional PR. Getting the material in front of the right people is critical to digital PR’s success, as it does with traditional since raising attention and promoting in the correct way are key to encouraging interest and selling items effectively. However, there’s another element at play here that differs from traditional PR: the site’s domain authority. The higher a domain’s authority, the better link equity it gives and the greater SEO benefit it has. Larger, more notable publications have higher domains, such as national newspapers, which are the most valuable to digital PR firms – but also the most difficult to obtain.
Which method is best for your business?
Traditional and digital public relations have many similarities, but there are other people who think that link building is all there is to digital public relations. This isn’t always the case, as the most effective outcomes require more than simply relevance. Although traditional PR isn’t necessarily obsolete, there’s still a lot of value in establishing a brand through publishers and media outlets. If measuring statistics and success is important to you, online methods should be your primary area of concentration. But, if your company’s marketing approach is more holistic, a mix of digital and conventional PR may be difficult but will be well worth it.