Viral TikTok sound bites, Billionaire Twitter takeovers, quiet quitting. It’s been a year. And if you work in PR, it has certainly been a rollercoaster keeping up with the dissemination of news, public sentiments, and trends.
Despite all this, a new year means exciting opportunities for change and growth. With the promise of a fresh year full of digital practices, new media, and a full-fledged return to in-person engagements, 2023 may just be the year PR gets her groove back.
So, here are my predictions for 2023’s biggest PR trends.
1. UPSKILLING IN DIGITAL
It’s been a long time coming, but PR professionals can no longer avoid the integration of digital training into their practices.
PR pros are the storytellers of the marketing world. It’s our job to build narratives around brands and connect those narratives with the correct audiences. But in a world where audiences are becoming increasingly more and more online, it’s becoming harder for PR to prove the ROI of its work.
In 2023, we’re going to see more PR pros and agencies looking to upskill more in digital marketing, allowing us to advocate for those great client media wins by supporting them with back-end data delineating how each piece of coverage helped increase a client’s web authority and overall brand visibility.
At Agent99, digital PR is becoming an essential part of each of our client’s brand strategies. We think 2023 will be the year we see the digital era of PR emerge in full force.
2. NEW MEDIA (RELATIONS)
Media relations is the bread and butter of any PR strategy. As newsrooms continue to shrink, however, publicists are becoming nimbler and more creative to secure coverage for their brands.
A recent study in Infinite Dial Australia revealed that Australia has overtaken the US as the biggest podcast listening nation on the planet. 40% of citizens have claimed they’ve turned to podcasts this year as their main content source.
In 2023, we predict PR pros will diversify the channels they pitch their clients’ stories to. Instead of fighting for space in a dwindling traditional media landscape, we will broaden our targets to the unstoppable new media landscape of podcasts. With traditional media also using their built-in audience to launch podcasts, the opportunities are becoming endless. Pass the mic!
3. AFFILIATION, BABY
In a similar vein, a popular 2023 trend will see PR pros leveraging affiliate marketing programs in a more integrated capacity. These incentives have been around for a while, but as earned product placement opportunities are becoming harder to land, and as the ongoing struggle to retain revenue continues, affiliate programs are going to become harder to deny.
Of course, securing that earned piece of coverage will always be the golden standard, but for any product-based brands, PR pros are going to have to reconsider how these affiliate programs fit into their media relations plans and then utilize them strategically.
4. RETURN OF THE NEWSLETTER
Remember earlier this year when Jennifer Lopez launched her newsletter “On the J.Lo.” Fans were so bewildered that the entrepreneurial queen that is Jennifer Lopez would launch an old-fashioned newsletter. While she still might be Jenny from the Block, this felt a little 2010. But guess what? I subscribed. I wanted those juicy, juicy Bennifer 2.0 wedding details and as a result, she got my rapt attention and some important consumer data from me in a one-two punch.
When I took time to reflect on this, I realised I signed up for five newsletters from authors and brands I genuinely wanted to hear more from. And I don’t think I’m the only one hitting the subscribe button.
In 2023, we’re going to see big brands and public figures rework this underestimated owned channels as a powerful storytelling tool to hook new audiences and keep current ones engaged. PR pros will be integral in helping build the tone and narrative of these newsletters, while bolstering the platform to highlight a brand’s earned media wins in a holistic way.
5. BACK TO THE FUTURE
All this talk about looking into the future, it would be remiss to not mention how the nostalgia narrative device is going to continue to play out into PR campaigns into 2023. But where will it go next?
2021 saw brands leverage the 1990’s into their campaigns and 2022 was all about Y2K throwbacks. Even this year, thanks to the popularity of smash- hit franchise Stranger Things, the 1985 Kate Bush song “Running Up That Hill” became the most streamed song on iTunes and a trending TikTok sound, while brands like Dominos tapped into the 80’s fever brought on by the show. Will we see more leg warmers and big hair trending in 2023 PR campaigns? It’s highly likely.
Whatever comes next, nostalgia is a powerful storytelling advice because it introduces new ideas to consumers through a framework that they trust. In a time when distrust and discomfort is at an all time high, brands will continue to get creative with nostalgia campaigns to connect with their audiences. Gen Z — a consumer market that is now impossible to ignore — are also attracted to campaigns that throwback to times from before they were born. It will be interesting to see publicists use decades past as inspiration for fresh campaign ideas.
So, if you’re looking to level up your brand’s PR strategy in 2023, check out our work with Agent99’s recent case studies or get in touch with us today to see how we can be the trendsetters next year.
If you’re feeling nostalgic and would like to look back through some other fantastic PR campaigns from 2022, take a read of our previous blog posts including the top booze campaigns and biggest publicity stunts!
Agent Meriha
