‘If the content is compelling, it instantly becomes viral, attracts global audience’

Sanskriti Singhal completed her Post Graduate Diploma from Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC) and is currently working as an Account Manager with Hill + Knowlton Strategies, an American global public relations consulting company. When asked why she chose to pursue public relations, the Apeejay alumna enthusiastically replied “Public Relation provides a fast-paced and energetic environment. Every day is different. Functions like handling big campaigns and monitoring the media will be your responsibility. You will be learning new things every day, you will get the opportunity to meet some of the best people from the industry and most importantly, you will get the opportunity to experience a high energy environment and this is what keeps me motivated everyday.” 

Tips to establish career in PR

Even though it may seem obvious, it’s important to keep up with current events in the news and online trends. We’re in an industry which is constantly evolving. In order to develop strategies for your clients that bridge the gap between digital and traditional PR, it’s important to consume each and every media detail, right from newspapers to blogs, magazines to social channels. Some don’t see a divide between digital and traditional PR, so the campaigns we create need to exist across all platforms. Along with consuming media, it’s a good idea to focus on creating an online profile, which will be a helpful tool for demonstrating your abilities and goals.

Is content the most important component of communication?

Content is always viewed as an enabler in the reputation building of a brand. However, the relationship-building element in Public Relation always overshadowed the ability of the content to break barriers giving the former a distinctive advantage. In many instances, it was also partially true that a strong media strategy and well-established networks could easily overshadow the requirement for producing top-notch content to advance the desired narrative through PR. But as the media landscape is transitioning, new methods of consuming information have emerged, which has brought attention back to the fact that content does play an integral role in order to engage the desired target audience as well as create an impactful connection with the relevant audience.

Transformation in the media industry 

It would be also prudent to mention here that one of the effects of the evolving media ecosystem is that the traditional media is on a steady decline. Even though that might not be visible in circulation figures, the readership for sure is now fast moving online. In today’s time and age, print media and traditional TV viewing have shrunk by the new-age consumer. So have the number of pages dedicated to genuine news stories that are not paid. There are no new big entrants in the newspaper business and even TV channels are now increasingly moving their content online while building dedicated content for the digital platform.

Role of social media

The social media revolution has expedited the demand of content even more and lessened the crucial function that PR formerly played in spreading the word. A typical internet user has five social media accounts, all of which allow users to share content with each other. As a result, we have entered a new era, when if the content is interesting, it instantly becomes viral and has a global audience. In that regard, content has begun to triumph over networks that are governed by algorithms.

To end, from a PR professional’s perspective, the current scenario puts the focus back on acquiring storytelling skills. It is the most important thing for a brand to grow and reach out to the correct target audience. In the future, I think the PR fraternity will be those that continue to support high-quality content and use media networks based on merit rather than connections.