Not too long ago, media relations components of PR plans typically had sections that read “print,” “trade,” “radio” and “TV.” They really shouldn’t anymore.
The always-fascinating 2014 State of the News Media report from the Pew Research Center is out and this year’s takeaways for the PR side of the media business demonstrate the continuation of trends we have talked about for the last several years. If they haven’t already, they need to start impacting the way every PR professional and every client thinks about “placements” and how its audiences consume news.
The study shows 82 percent of news consumers get news, at one time or another, on a desktop or laptop computer. 54 percent of them get news on their mobile devices. That’s more than half of news consumers, up from zero not too many years ago. 53 percent of smart phone users watch news video on their phones, while only 36 percent have shot video. That means that market for news video consumption, whether from a “newspaper” or “TV station” or even “radio station” is larger than the market for using the video function on phones.
The bottom line is that consumers want news when they want it on whatever type of device they’re using at that time. PR pros have to stop thinking in terms of the old “print” and “broadcast” and start considering if they have the right relationships and knowledge to get news into the hands of clients’ target audiences, through whatever news platforms are necessary. Clients also need to continue evolving their thinking. The “print clip” is no longer the brass ring. It’s about simply about reaching the audience (never mind that online coverage is easy to share via email, web and social media, extending its reach and life span).
Here’s a nugget that provides a reality check to those in PR and in news, who are obsessed with who breaks and announces what on Twitter. Only 8 percent of news consumers say they get news on Twitter. Think about that the next time it seems “everyone” is on any one branded platform.