How public relations supports content marketing efforts

Content creation is an obvious marketing component for most businesses these days. Technological advances have meant that pushing content out to the masses is easier than ever, but with so much published online daily, it is not unusual for content to go unnoticed. Companies constantly try to think of more creative ways to make their content stand out. Here are a few benefits you will see when public relations and content marketing work together.

A creative and informative content marketing strategy is critical, but combining this with dynamic PR outreach will amplify your message, place newsworthy stories in front of the right audiences and increase backlink opportunities.

The differences and similarities between PR and content marketing

Public Relations is all about the way organisations communicate with the public, promote themselves, and build a positive reputation and public image. (PRCA.co.uk) In other words, it is about creating and maintaining a company’s public perception by producing and distributing newsworthy content to key stakeholders.

On the other hand, content marketing focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. (Content Marketing Institute) This is done by leveraging online material – emails, blog posts, videos, and social media – that do not explicitly promote a brand but intend to stimulate interest in its products or services.

So, although they are different, content marketing and PR have many shared goals, such as increasing brand awareness, generating new leads, fostering a positive image, and building relationships between industry experts and influencers.

These shared values allow them to work together to spread a message while using different mediums and potentially reaching separate audiences.

Here are a few benefits you will see when public relations and content marketing work together.

Increasing SEO

Both content marketing and PR tactics serve inbound links to a company website, which improves SEO. Content marketing and SEO are woven from the same thread, focussed on unique, well-written, valuable, and attention-grabbing content that will enhance web rankings and ultimately drive visitors to a website.

Public relations plays a vital role in SEO efforts because Google has placed increased importance on backlinks when determining search engine results. Therefore, all marketing efforts should focus on sharing company news and other PR content on as many reputable websites as possible. Those mentions, citations and buzz lead to valuable backlinks and help content reach a wider audience and gain referral traffic.

Content marketers, on the other hand, are experts at including the right keywords and perfecting on-page SEO optimisation. This means they can help optimise press releases and other PR content to gain traction and interest in a story.

The bottom line is that for optimal SEO performance that builds customer trust, a brand has to have it all: an optimised website with engaging content and third-party mentions from high-ranking outside sources.

Building relationships with influencers and journalists

One of PR and content marketing’s shared goals is to foster relationships between industry experts, journalists and influencers. While content marketers can plant a brand’s content across various platforms for influencers and journalists to see and interact with, PR mainly focuses on outreach to build mutually beneficial relationships with the media.

Companies love the idea of working with journalists and influencers because they know it can be an effective way of scaling their marketing efforts. However, they often don’t have the PR know-how, time, tools and trusting relationship necessary to do this effectively. This is why PR experts, who have built up relationships with journalists and influencers over time, are an invaluable part of the puzzle. Whether through an agency or in-house, PR cannot be replaced solely by SEO, link building and content seeding because you lose the face-to-face, human element that is so vital to relationship building.

Becoming a thought leader in the industry

Thought leadership content is a tactic that involves producing and distributing innovative, thought-provoking ideas and data that builds credibility towards a business leader. It can be difficult to accomplish this because it has to be authentic. and “deeply rooted in your unique perspective or experience or expertise.” (See this to learn more.)

Public relations tactics such as interviews, media coverage and speaking engagements are great ways to promote and strengthen thought leadership. Having reputable publications share your message and ideas will strengthen trust and leadership potential. Meanwhile, content marketing efforts in thought leadership can not be underestimated. Content marketing can publish thought leader pieces on various platforms where consumers and industry leaders see them. This is why thought leadership is a great example of how PR and content marketing can blend to produce strong results.

Improving content visibility

Given what we’ve just highlighted above about using different channels to reach varying audiences, this requires little additional information. So, rather than reiterate how PR supports content marketing to improve visibility, it’s important to highlight that when they work in silos, they suppress their potential.

Content marketers often use a proactive approach with their content, producing a compelling piece of content and pushing it out on various platforms. Combining this with a more reactive approach that PR professionals use – responding to media inquiries, journo requests and knowing where opportunities lie – increases the chance of having that content picked up.

Conclusion

Combining content marketing and public relations is the best way to tackle the issue of a very saturated digital space. By harnessing real relationships, while also understanding the value of digital currencies such as partnerships and backlinks, you will be more effective in spreading your message.

The combination allows you to expand your reach, increase brand awareness, build thought leadership, promote consumer interest, foster a positive image, and nurture relationships between industry experts and influencers, which are all goals that public relations and content marketing share.