How has the web changed the practice of public relations (PR)?

First there was PR, and then came the web. Ever since then, the longstanding practice of public relations has had to adapt to wider and wider use of the Internet and the worldwide web for PR campaigns, to the point where now, when a press release is distributed "over the wire," the wire IS the Internet. Conversely, PR campaigns also have changed the web and its users, by becoming a source of rich news content and also helping companies improve their search engine rankings. It's a very symbiotic relationship at this point in time.

The web is now the primary medium for PR
Getting ink now means getting "online ink" because most publications and trade journals now have an online version of their publications. It also means that press releases and PR-generated content appear almost instantly because publishers post information to their online versions first, whereas it still takes a while to print and mail the hard copies, usually several weeks. When press releases are sent out via the Internet to targeted media outlets, many of these outlets automatically format and post the releases in a news section at their websites. Keywords associated with the press releases help get the releases to the right media or portals that then automatically distribute material to other online publications. It's instantaneous news, with global reach, 24/7.

Because it's so easy and effective to conduct PR via the Internet, it's become much more affordable. In the pre-web days, PR campaigns were limited to companies with a budget big enough to handle the planning, development and distribution of regular press releases. With everything being done via the web today, small companies with small budgets and even individuals can afford to send out targeted, professionally prepared releases that have global reach.

PR has also had a positive impact on the web
Press releases themselves have become important online reference material for those who research products, companies, competition, and business trends. Do a search on any business or technology topic, and chances are that a good portion of your search results will be in the form of press releases. Although press releases are very short documents (usually no more than 2 to 4 pages), they are content-rich, and the information is very current. Releases now routinely contain photos, videos and other multimedia, as well as hyperlinks to supporting material and other related websites. Photos in jpg format are easy to embed into a press release, and you can do the same with a video clip (or link to YouTube).

The goal of the press release used to be getting editors to write about your product or company; the press release wasn't an end unto itself. Does this mean that editors are getting lazy and would rather just post the release than try to edit, rewrite, or develop an article from it? Not really. Because there is a daily deluge of releases, there is a lot more information being developed and distributed; we all often feel we are drowning in it. Editors can therefore pick and choose from a wide array of releases for developing a more in-depth piece. When they do, it's a win-win for everybody: more coverage for your company, more information on the web because it is the online version of their publication where editors will post it first.

As part of an overall marketing campaign, PR efforts also help drive traffic to the company's website and increase a site's search engine ranking. This happens in a couple of different ways: hyperlinks, and the instantaneous posting of releases at news sites. Hyperlinks can easily added to any word within a press release; these hyperlinks take the reader to various pages of the company's website to view a new product or other key content, increasing traffic to the site. Search engine rankings can be improved by carefully selecting the keywords that are affiliated with your press release or embedded within the release. (Your PR distribution provider can help you select the right keywords.) When the release goes out and several news outlets post it instantaneously, these listings will appear in the search results when a search is done on one of the keywords, helping to improve the search engine ranking for your website.

An exciting era for PR
For anyone working in the PR field today, it's a time of change, but also of greater potential. Because of the web, there are more opportunities to achieve publicity than ever before. The web provides a creative way to deliver news in multiple formats, with instantaneous results, and provides unique ways to share information on a global basis.