With the technological advances of the 21st century, as communication professionals, we must adapt our skills to stay ahead of the curve. Trends in communication and public relations (PR) are constantly changing, and those who want to stay ahead of the game must be aware of the latest developments.
Today’s short episode covers communication and PR trends to look out for in 2023.
Let’s dive in!
Liked Listening today? What to do next:
Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business.
Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource: Find out more here.
Hire my expertise
Whether that’s support with a one-off comms project or an entire strategy for your business, drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor – emma@henbe.co.uk
Work with me closely
If you’d like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas, and lots of accountability and up-skilling, then email me at emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.
Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback on this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.
Full transcript (unedited)
With the technological advances of the 21st century, as communication professionals, we must adapt our skills to stay ahead of the curve. Trends in communication and public relations (PR) are constantly changing, and those who want to stay ahead of the game must be aware of the latest developments.
Today’s short episode covers communication and PR trends to look out for in 2023.
Let’s dive in!
In 2023, two major trends will continue to shape communication professionals and PR, derived from talking to professionals on this podcast this year, as well as insights I observe in my networks and the work I get asked to do by clients.
- The growth of digital media
- The continued need for authenticity
Why is this?
Firstly, as digital media continues to grow in popularity, we, as communication professionals, will need to be comfortable creating and distributing content across various platforms.
And we will need to be able to measure the impact of our work and adapt strategies accordingly. So the ability to be agile will increase – maybe long-running campaigns are a thing of the past in the age of short-form and TikTok.
Secondly – concerning authenticity – in an age of fake news and increasing scepticism of institutions, it is more important than ever for us as communication professionals to be authentic and understand:
- what fake news is
- the difference between misinformation and disinformation
- how fake news affects us
- how to spot fake news
More on that soon on the podcast as I dive deeply with Shyoni Lynn of Lynn Global.
Several skills are needed that fall under these two significant trends, as being a successful PR professional requires more than just creating content and managing media channels.
So here are the five most important ones:
- creativity,
- adaptability,
- attention to detail,
- storytelling,
- and data analysis.
Creativity is essential for PR professionals to develop new ideas that set their work apart from their competitors.
Adaptability is essential for responding to changes in the industry and meeting the needs of the target audience, often at pace, as we have seen with Covid and world events outside of our control.
Storytelling – as this is an essential part of what we do, but not part of everyone’s role, even if it isn’t; I bet you are doing an element of this when you give talks and bring the subject to life for your audience, whatever it may be.
Understanding data is becoming increasingly important for PR professionals, as it provides us with the insights they need to make informed decisions.
With the correct data and analysis, we can make better decisions on creating content, which channels to use and how to measure their success. By leveraging data-driven strategies, PR professionals can stay ahead of the competition and achieve communication goals. From finding the right influencers to creating impactful campaigns, understanding data will be critical for successful PR professionals in 2023. More on this from LPR Legend Andy Barr as we dive deeply into essential digital PR tools and trends.
Finally, I’d add empathy – which always tops my list. Reading the room and engaging an audience appropriately, whatever the medium, is a core part of what we do.
Can it be taught? Maybe not, and it is one skill that separates a good comms pro from a great one. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on that.