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Written by: Matthew Celestial, Executive Director, Statement Strategies & Mentor, CPRS Toronto

I was living above a restaurant in The Village when I launched my public relations firm, Statement Strategies. Back then, I made sure to keep my personal life a mystery, to present myself as a PR enigma. The closet is a terrifying place to be in. It isn’t for the claustrophobic. For many years, I struggled a lot with my identity. When I came to terms with being queer, I knew that life would present itself with challenges. For queer people of colour, like myself, our solution is to remain hidden. These feelings aren’t foreign. We often try to stay away from the spotlight. 

This isn’t always the case in public relations. If anyone had told me I’d land a career in public relations, I’d simply be confused. After all, I was a timid teenager infatuated with MuchMusic, reading Vogue late at night from underneath my bed, and dreaming about becoming a dermatologist because I felt self-conscious about my own skin.

Life doesn’t always work out that way. I fell into this career with an excitement to tell stories, share the work of some of the most talented people I’ve had the privilege of representing, and to empower others. The journey has been difficult, and being a queer person of colour, I haven’t always been immune to the bigotry in the world. But being queer gives you a lot of life lessons, and sometimes, I find myself reminding my teenage self a lot of things. 

You belong here. 

There is room and a seat at the table for you and your ideas. No one is too small to contribute to the team effort. No matter how many times people try to close the door on you, remember that you are right where you need to be. 

There are people who want to see you win. 

For so long, queer people have spent a lot of time being alert. Sometimes, it’s a learned habit to be on guard, terrified of what people might think about you, and defensive. However, there are people who want to see you succeed – from your mentors to colleagues to family and friends.  

You are a leader. 

A career title might mean a lot to people, but I believe the title that everyone can earn is ’leader’. This doesn’t always mean you need to lead a large team or be in a management role. Queer people have spent many years leading themselves through some of the most difficult times. You can make a huge impact by drawing from your experiences and reflecting those takeaways into your everyday actions. 

Be yourself. 

The only person you need to be in this career is yourself. Along the way, you’ll find what works for you, what doesn’t, and you’ll learn from your mistakes. There is no one single pathway to success, so show up for yourself and be the most authentic version of you each and every day.

You’ll make mistakes. Just own it.

There are going to be tough days in this career. It’s a reality of being human and the world we live in. While we may not always have control over what happens in every situation, what we do hold power over is how we bounce back and move forward.

Empower others. 

One day, you’ll be comfortable under your own skin. When that day comes, pay it forward. Help others speak up when they can’t. We already do that work for a living and it can mean more than you know for someone to see a piece of themself represented through you. Let’s build each other up together so we can create a more inclusive and prosperous industry.

Stay curious and continue to learn.

Everything is constantly changing. We don’t have to be fixated or contained in a box. Keep learning. Whether that’s about yourself, the world you live in or where you want to go. Life is meant to be dynamic and ever-evolving, so go with the flow and embrace every opportunity.

One last thing: Enjoy the process. Because it’s going to be a wild ride. 

For more resources, check out the following organizations:

• Pride at Work Canada
• RainbowConnect.ca
• Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC)
• The 519

About Matthew Celestial 

Matthew Celestial is the Executive Director of Statement Strategies, a communications and public strategy firm, specializing in technology, entertainment, and innovative lifestyle brands. He has handled PR campaigns for Pixar Animation, DreamWorks Animation, Corus Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, and others. He is passionate about professional development programming for minority groups.

Written by: Kaila Currie-Bartlett, Account Executive, Craft Public Relations & Digital Communications Coordinator, CPRS Toronto

For our June In Conversation With series, we connected with Melissa Retty, Senior Vice President at Craft Public Relations and previously named PR in Canada’s Top 30 Under 30. She is a seasoned PR practitioner and industry thought leader, who has helped some of the world’s leading brands build and execute award-winning communication plans including GE Appliances, Tetley Canada, Keurig Dr Pepper and many, many more. 

How did 2020 change your role as a PR practitioner?

There’s been no shortage of change in the PR world during the past year! The Canadian media landscape continues to evolve and unfortunately, has taken a hard hit in 2020-21 – and this in and of itself has made the role of PR more challenging than ever. We’ve had to completely rethink the way we execute events, adapting to a virtual world. And we’ve seen many shifts in the influencer landscape as new platforms and channels continue to emerge on a weekly – if not daily – basis. 

But the core of everything we do as PR practitioners is storytelling. And even as we work our way through the biggest global pandemic, that hasn’t changed. Of course, we’ve had to adapt and evolve the way we choose to tell those stories to reach the masses but whether we’re pitching a magazine, working with a TikTok creator or leading a brand partnership program, we’re just using a different approach to tell our stories and I don’t think that will ever change.

What other changes to your career/role as a PR practitioner do you see emerging in 2021 and beyond? Why?

With clients busier than ever working to adapt their businesses to meet the new realities of the world, there’s never been more of a need for smart, strategic counsel from PR agencies. 

The ability to come to the table with creative, strategic ideas and be nimble enough to adapt and implement these ideas with the world on fire around us has now become table stakes.  I think the role of PR agencies on the whole will only continue to evolve in this way.

 What is your biggest piece of advice for PR practitioners moving forward? 

Every day at Craft, we challenge ourselves to be creative and think outside the box. We are constantly asking ourselves – is this the right approach to drive our clients’ business forward? And if it’s not, we’re not afraid to change course to make sure our PR efforts are making an impact. Fostering an environment where everyone on the team feels empowered to be creative and ask themselves this question every step of the way will not only make our work stronger as individual practitioners, but I do believe it can help breathe new life into the industry as a whole. 

About CPRS Toronto’s In Conversation With blog series

Once a month, CPRS Toronto’s communications and marketing subcommittee will post quick conversations with GTA public relations practitioners and industry thought leaders. During these conversations we look to explore the impact COVID-19 has had on communication practitioners, as well as provide insights into the future of public relations moving forward. If you are interested in participating, please contact our Digital Communications Coordinator, Kaila Currie-Bartlett at kailacurriebartlett@gmail.com.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a rollercoaster ride for everyone, personally and professionally. However, the past year has allowed us to reflect and change, hopefully for the better. A key takeaway from this pandemic is that growth is imperative in all facets of life, especially in the workplace. We understand the need to pivot, which will help our CPRS Toronto chapter evolve and help our profession and the communications community. We will do this with the launch of our new strategic plan and a revamped mission statement. 

Mission Statement: Our mission is to strengthen the communications industry in Ontario by providing leadership on best practices, ethics, diversity, and inclusion while providing professionals, students, and new Canadians with awards of excellence, certifications, networking, and professional development. 

Our strategic plan outlines the changes we plan on implementing over three years to support our mission statement. During this time, we will be focusing on three core priorities; identity, membership, and financial health. After multiple discussions and meetings, the consensus was that these three are the most integral aspects of our organization that we need to focus on and improve.

Identity: The past year has been a whirlwind, politically and socially. In many instances, we are different, but unity has been at the forefront of all movements. Unity in our communities is who we are as an organization and how we can enhance the industry, and our professionals are imperative for our strategic plan. To support these goals, we will broaden our reach and connections in our communities, encourage and create networking opportunities, and elevate the profession. 

Membership:  Our organization should represent all Canadians; therefore, we need to increase and diversify our membership. We want to create an environment that is inclusive of all communicators. Membership gives an individual a sense of belonging and holds great value in the industry. To diversify our membership, we have decided to focus on cost efficiency for students and young professionals and create greater avenues and connections for new Canadians and visible minorities. 

Financial health: Ensuring our financial stability and sustainability is vital now more than ever. The pandemic has left many businesses with no real future. As a non-profit volunteer organization, we need to be proactive in strengthening our financial position. Creating greater revenue opportunities is one of our goals, followed by increasing sponsorship opportunities, creating a legacy fund, and decreasing our costs. 

As an organization, we are committed to inclusion and growth. Following the landmark year that was 2020, we need to implement changes that will make us stronger as an organization. Our revised mission statement and strategic plan are essential tools to provide our industry and professionals with greater inclusivity, diversity, and financial stability. 

Written by: Business Wire Content Team

If you do an internet search on “how to write a press release” almost every article you read will include a section on how to write a press release quote. And for good reason. A well-written soundbite can often turn a page 2 story into front page news. 

But the fact is, despite being a consistent part of press releases, most quotes are ignored by reporters. While quotes have the power to emphasize and expand your announcement, most PR quotes are overly complicated and organizationally-focused. 

It is time for PR pros to take a new approach to how they write and present quotes. 

But where do you start? In this recap of Business Wire’s recent webinar featuring Ann Wylie of Wylie Communications, we look at the four ways to quickly and easily create more effective quotes.

Good quotes, when smartly written, turn your news releases into storytelling opportunities that can encompass a problem, solution, and results in a single narrative arc. 

Check out the full piece by Business Wire here: Best Practices for Presenting Quotes in Press Releases.

Written by Anjali Rego, Corporate Communications Specialist at Corus Entertainment

• What is the most significant shift in influencer dynamics in recent years? 
• How do you differentiate yourself from other influencers when competing for campaigns? 
• How do you determine rates?

These questions and more were addressed by Jenny Shin, President of CPRS Toronto and CEO of Milestones Public Relations and Talent Management, and guest speakers Krystal Ng-A-Mann (also known as dineandfash), a lawyer, content creator and lifestyle blogger and Bria Weaver, Freelance PR and Marketing Consultant during the recent event titled ‘The Evolution of the Influencer in PR,’ sponsored by Business Wire.

Michelle Dias, Vice-President of CPRS Toronto, welcomed the attendees and the panellists to the event before handing over the baton to Shin, who moderated the session.

The shift in influencer dynamics

Weaver kicked off the conversation talking about how her entrance into the industry 10 years ago focussed on bloggers and has now moved on to social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. 

Ng-A-Mann began her journey as a full-time influencer four years ago when brands were reluctant to get into influencer marketing. She is now a part of more extensive campaigns with significant amounts of money being spent and long-term investments in influencer relations.

Seeing a campaign come to fruition

As an influencer, Ng-A-Mann explained her experience in seeing a campaign come to fruition. In most cases, she has already worked with a PR agency or a brand, who are aware of her work and her metrics. However, Ng-A-Mann shares her media kit and audience metrics, the percentage of Canadian following being a vital metric before the campaign. Post-campaign, Ng-A-Mann shares screengrabs of comments and messages she receives while being mindful of the privacy implications of sharing comments, especially in messages.

What’s it like to work as an influencer?

Ng-A-Mann explained the two aspects of working as an influencer – the admin part where she answers emails, negotiates contracts, meets deadlines and the creative part where she establishes her voice and provides value to her audience. She has recently shared her fertility journey and has attracted a whole new audience. 

Ng-A-Mann also mentioned there were times when her calendar was very busy with campaigns, especially during the holidays, and then there would be times when campaigns were slow. Even though Ng-A-Mann’s calendar fluctuates, she creates organic content for her followers rather than depending on sponsored content all the time. Ng-A-Mann emphasized the importance of prioritizing organic content over sponsored content as it is more relatable to followers and increases her number of followers and engagement rate.

Macro vs micro vs nano influencers

Shin, Ng-A-Mann and Weaver discussed what makes an influencer a macro-influencer, micro-influencer and nano-influencer in terms of the numbers of followers. Still, they could not achieve a consensus on the number of followers. Weaver suggested combining macro, micro and nano influencers across engaged audiences. At the same time, Ng-A-Mann mentioned that when the number of followers was too large, their audience would spread too far, and the brand message would not always reach the right audience.

Credibility and accountability

Shin, Ng-A-Mann and Weaver stressed the importance of credibility and accountability. Weaver announced her pilot project – The Influencer Review – an online tool where PR agencies and brands can post reviews of influencers and rate their experiences working with them.

Ng-A-Mann explained the best practices as influencers where they have to use the product or service they are endorsing and speak about it truthfully. They also have to mention whether they have paid for the product or received it as a gift. Ng-A-Mann admitted hesitancy towards declaring sponsored posts initially, but now she is open to it because more work is involved in promoting a product in her voice that aligns with her values.

Rates of influencers

Shin spoke about her challenge in convincing clients that they couldn’t expect influencers to create content for free or in exchange for swag. When determining rates, Weaver is not afraid to ask influencers for past successful campaign case studies to ensure her clients’ maximum ROI. 

When discussing rates and negotiating contracts, Ng-A-Mann mentioned she did not favour having a standard rate card and being flexible when negotiating rates based on the value they bring to the brand, the scope of work, the deadline and its complexity. Being a corporate commercial lawyer, Ng-A-Mann reviews contracts for herself and other creators but advises them not to use online templates because she notices a big disconnect between brands and influencers regarding usage terms, copyright and ownership. Ng-A-Mann also discourages charging rates based on cost per impression (CPM) because following and engagement can be purchased, inflating the quantity instead of quality. 

Ng-A-Mann gets approached for pro bono work for non-profits, and she donates several posts and stories. However, time constraints don’t always allow Ng-A-Mann to help everyone, even though she wants to, especially if she has a relationship with the brand or a connection to the cause.

Pay to Play and Whitelisting

Ng-A-Mann explained that Pay to Play is a legal concept where brands are obligated to pay the influencer to create the content, but they are not obligated to post it. 

In terms of whitelisting, Ng-A-Mann explained how the reach of sponsored content is lower than organic content and how brands are aware that Instagram wants users to pay to play. Ng-A-Mann prefers brands to pay to promote her content as it helps her reach new audiences. However, the whitelisting is done by the brand, and she is not in control of the parameters, thereby attracting trolls and negative attention.

The event ended with an informal conversation with the panellists and the attendees.

To stay up to date on the latest news, blog articles and upcoming events, subscribe to CPRS Toronto’s newsletter.

Written by: Kaila Currie-Bartlett, Account Executive, Craft Public Relations & Digital Communications Coordinator, CPRS Toronto

For our May In Conversation With series, we connected with Jaclyn Cossarini, one of CPRS Toronto’s social media coordinators and current student in Humber College’s Public Relations Graduate Certificate program. She is a Queen’s alumni with a Honours Bachelor of Arts in history and health studies and is very passionate about public affairs, advocacy, and all things communications. 

What is it like completing your graduate certificate during COVID-19? 

Starting and completing my graduate certificate in a virtual learning environment has been a unique introduction to the communications industry. My classmates and faculty have adapted to a new method of collaboration and communication. I have found that the independent learning style has provided more time to focus on the work at hand, and improved school-life balance.

Unfortunately, remote learning has limited opportunities to form professional connections in the industry. I find myself missing out on the opportunity to tour agencies in person and network with professionals over a cup of coffee. While virtual coffee chats are admittedly easier to schedule, there is something to be said about the difficulty that comes with forming meaningful connections with someone through a screen.

What are you most excited for when thinking about entering the working world/starting your internship?

I am most excited about applying the skills I have learned at Humber College and my practical experience with CPRS Toronto as a social media coordinator into client-facing work for an agency. Through various projects at Humber, I have grown to love working with clients to approach problems and collaborate to build meaningful solutions as a team. I am also hopeful that I will be able to integrate elements of my undergraduate research at Queen’s University into a role in public affairs. My research on Indigenous advocacy and reconciliation has been a formative part of my education, and I would love to find a role in public affairs that allows me to combine this experience with my love of communications.

Do you have any advice for those looking to learn more about or get involved with the PR and communications industry?

I highly recommend getting involved with a professional association like CPRS. Volunteering is a great way to develop your industry experience and grow your network. A membership will provide you with countless opportunities to attend events with industry professionals, which is a great way to learn from the best in the field. 

I also recommend using social media platforms to your advantage. Start connecting with industry professionals on LinkedIn, follow relevant hashtags on Twitter and even consider starting your own blog. Staying relevant, informed and being an active participant in the landscape are great ways to learn more about PR and communications.  

Any advice you would offer to future students considering the Humber PR postgraduate certificate program? 

If you are considering the program and have questions, do not hesitate to reach out to alumni. Simply search ‘Humber Public Relations’ on LinkedIn or Twitter, and you will find countless individuals who would be more than willing to chat with you about the program and their career paths. There is no doubt that Humber PR is a challenging program, but I have learned (and heard from many alumni!) that it really does prepare you for work in a real-world communications environment. If you can manage your time effectively, collaborate with your peers and work hard, you will find this program to be a rewarding path to a future career in PR and communications. 

About CPRS Toronto’s In Conversation With blog series

Once a month, CPRS Toronto’s communications and marketing subcommittee will post quick conversations with GTA public relations practitioners and industry thought leaders. During these conversations we look to explore the impact COVID-19 has had on communication practitioners, as well as provide insights into the future of public relations moving forward. If you are interested in participating, please contact our Digital Communications Coordinator, Kaila Currie-Bartlett at kailacurriebartlett@gmail.com.

Written by: Mahlet Sintayehu, Public Relations Student at Ryerson University, Professional Development Sub-Committee Member, CPRS Toronto

The CPRS Toronto Society recently wrapped up a free event entitled “2021 Reset: Member Survival Guide,” moderated by CPRS’s Director of Social Affairs Robert Plant. The event kicked off with a presentation from inspirational author and life coach Carol-Ann Hamilton, who offered attendees practical tools to help combat mental burnout amidst the ongoing pandemic. 

Carol-Ann explained how often, the goals and resolutions we create for ourselves feel like a laundry list of to-do’s and argued that creating intentions is a more effective and efficient way of obtaining our desired outcomes. Although these three terms share similarities in meaning, it is a well-thought-out intention that allows one to understand the underlying purpose behind your desired outcomes, answering the question, “why am I actually doing this?”

Next, Hamilton introduced her stress management method, which she bases on practicing what she calls “energy mastery.” According to her research, out of the 60,000 to 75,000 thoughts we have in a day, roughly 77% of those thoughts, are counter-productive in some form or another. She dispelled ideas typically held amongst working professionals that productivity and efficiency are opposites to leisure time and self-care. One of the biggest takeaways of the event is that taking more time for ourselves will greatly aid in the inspiration and execution of our work. Engaging in extreme self-care is NOT selfish.

“We attract people and circumstances aligned with the energy that we put out there. If we put out positive, we get out positive, and vice versa.” –  Carol-Ann Hamilton, Inspirational Author and Life Coach

She concluded her presentation by discussing the process of career and life planning, more specifically, if it is even possible to formulate a plan in 2021. She argues that thinking about your big “why” based on what is truly meaningful to you is the first step to appropriate career and life planning. She argues that unless one considers what nourishes them first, any planning will not prevail. Finally, she challenged attendees to start this process by thinking about what is important to us as individuals, what qualities we would like to embody, and what we must let go of as it no longer serves us.

The conversation continued with a panel discussion and Q+A with Elizabeth Axiak, the host of “Living Intentionally with Elizabeth,” and Craft PR Intern Robert Van Horne sharing their tips on being mindful and grounded while living busy lives. Adding to Carol-Ann’s points on self-care, Elizabeth did a fantastic job of emphasizing that self-development must come from a place of compassion, as she understands the tendency for PR professionals to prioritize clients and employers over their own total wellness. Robert used his years of experience in management, sales and event planning to articulate that we must be honest about what we’re experiencing as we adapt to our current times. Van-Horne provided attendees with practical tips to help maintain a healthy work/life balance during this period of working from home, like creating different spaces designated for working and resting, and closing your laptop when finished work to signal the end of a work-day.

“Ask yourself, ‘Am I waiting until it’s a problem to admit that I’m having trouble adapting, or am I being proactive and giving myself a chance to deal with the issue?” – Robert Van-Horne, PR Intern, Craft

To stay up to date on the latest news, blog articles and upcoming events, subscribe to CPRS Toronto’s newsletter.

Written by: Carolina Salinas, Professional Development Co-Chair, CPRS Toronto

What does a content marketing agency do? How can content marketing work within your PR strategy?

These were some of the questions addressed during the Fifth Story Content Marketing for Public Relations Workshop held on April 23. Many PR professionals work daily with integrated content marketing strategies to ensure that they are broadcasting a clear and consistent message across all marketing channels. It helps to build brand awareness, trust and put your brand top of mind.

The event was hosted and moderated by Michelle Dias, CPRS Toronto’s Vice President. Guest speakers included Fifth Story experts Victoria Procunier, SVP, Sales & Client Success, Jenny Cruxton, Director, Measurement and Analysis and Niharika Mohanty, Account Director, Marketing Strategy. Each Fifth Story member offered their expertise on how to use content strategically to provide insights and information to an intended audience. Highlighting that content marketing can be used by marketers and PR professionals. The event went in-depth on topics like how Canadians are getting their information today, including newspapers, print vs digital linked to Gen X, Y, Z and older generations, radio and methods for accessing news online.

The workshop kicked off with Victoria explaining that content can be an article, a video and/or a photo published on your website, social media property or a news publication. The purpose of the content is to establish trust and rapport with your audience to be familiar with your brand.

“As a content marketing agency, we help to determine the best course of action to reach your intended audience, we help you choose the right channels and create the right assets and measures results to evaluate success.” – Victoria Procunier, SVP, Sales & Client Success, Fifth Story

Victoria pointed out the evolution of Fifth Story by starting with News Canada, an earned media tool in 1981, followed by the development of the Media Relations Points (MRP), a media analysis measurement service through the CPRS partnership. Then in 2014, it extended through a content marketing agency as Fifth Story.

Jenny Cruxton talked about the Media Relations Points (MRP), an online, subscription-based service that helps communications professionals measure, evaluate and report on earned, paid, shared and owned media resulting from media relations campaigns.

“One of the most important things of MRP is that it is subscribed with Comscore and Vividata, whose numbers are updated regularly via these suppliers and is how Fifth Story reports results on their campaigns.” –  Jenny Cruxton, Director, Measurement and Analysis, Fifth Story

How Canadians are getting their information today 

Newspapers. Daily newspaper brands reach 3 out of 5 adults across Canada on a weekly basis.

Print vs digital. Gen X, Y and Z have greater digital reading than older generations.

Radio. Radio listeners are engaged consumers. 

Online. The top methods for accessing news online, Google searches and Facebook.

Current trends

• Shop local. Two-thirds of Canadians prefer making online purchases from Canadian retailers when they have a choice.

Integrated content marketing

Niharika addressed that an integrated content marketing strategy works towards the well-coordinated use of different promotional methods that are intended to reinforce each other.

“A well-integrated content marketing strategy today requires well-defined messaging, adaptation to the context of each platform you use, and unified goals to measure the efficacy of your program as a whole.” – Niharika Mohanty, Account Director, Marketing Strategy, Fifth Story

How to launch a successful integrated campaign 

1. Define your goal and KPIs
2. Build out consumer personas
3. Map out the buyer journey
4. Identify core promotion channels and create content
5. Launch, measure and integrate your campaign

At the end of the presentation, there was a two-way dialogue between guest speakers and workshop attendees through the Q&A section. It was an excellent learning workshop that provided the audience insight into current content marketing trends. 

Fifth Story speakers and the CPRS community invited the attendees to participate in a contest to win a 6-month subscription to MRP, with a value of $1,785. 

CPRS Toronto will continue hosting professional development events; stay tuned for those.

For more information on Content Marketing for Public Relations, check out these Fifth Story resources below:

• Earned Coverage Statistics
• Radio FAQS
• COVID-19 Filming Guide
• Workshop slide deck

Written by: Kaila Currie-Bartlett, Account Executive, Craft Public Relations & Digital Communications Coordinator, CPRS Toronto

For our April In Conversation With series, we connected with Samiha Fariha, who is an account executive at Torchia Communications, a PR agency based here in Toronto. Before launching her career in PR, she worked as a marketing specialist at Bosley Real Estate, a real estate brokerage firm. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in political science from the University of Toronto, a post-graduate certificate in public relations from Humber College and a certificate in digital marketing management from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. In her free time, she enjoys writing about industry trends and social media. Some of her past stories have been published by top trade publications such as PR NEWS, Ragan Communications, Talking Influence and Marketing Magazine Australia.

How did 2020 change your role as a PR practitioner?

As an account executive at Torchia Communications, a large part of my role includes securing earned media coverage for our clients, and as you can imagine, COVID-19 has impacted the media landscape. Many journalists and media professionals shifted to working from home, which made reaching media by phone more challenging. As such, Zoom interviews have become more common and now the alternative for many afternoon, morning and weekend shows on TV, which required me to become even more creative when pitching segments or story ideas for our clients, so producers and hosts understood the benefit and the visual appeal of my pitches.  

What other changes to your career/role as a PR practitioner do you see emerging in 2021 and beyond? Why?

The media landscape has really changed during COVID and through 2021. Many radio shows on prominent media outlets have been cancelled, some weekly papers have shut down and reporters that have worked at tier-one media outlets have switched to media outlets with low reach. These changes in the media landscape have made building and maintaining relationships a bit more difficult. 

Securing purely editorial opportunities on popular shows, radio and TV and stories on print/web have become difficult. Most outlets have moved to a ‘pay to play’ business model where brands will have to pay a cost to secure an editorial opportunity. These shifts in the media landscape make it harder to rely solely on earned media to get coverage.          

What is your biggest piece of advice for PR practitioners moving forward?

Moving forward, PR practitioners should be even more creative. If the media landscape is changing and making it difficult to secure editorial opportunities for your client’s spokespeople on TV, radio and print/web, then you need to think creatively and consider influencer marketing. Consider partnering with an influencer when doing media tours or make an influencer your spokesperson to prevent the story from sounding too advertorial. There are several angles you can consider to think creatively and to generate earned media coverage.  

Additional comments

The communications landscape is constantly changing. For PR practitioners to provide effective counsel they need to be aware of the latest trends in the communications landscape. PR practitioners should keep up-to-date with the latest trends in communications and write or speak out more about emerging trends so others can learn from them. I believe knowledge-sharing is crucial for our industry as many can benefit from our insights in this constantly changing landscape.

About CPRS Toronto’s In Conversation With blog series

Once a month, CPRS Toronto’s communications and marketing subcommittee will post quick conversations with GTA public relations practitioners and industry thought leaders. During these conversations we look to explore the impact COVID-19 has had on communication practitioners, as well as provide insights into the future of public relations moving forward. If you are interested in participating, please contact our Digital Communications Coordinator, Kaila Currie-Bartlett at kailacurriebartlett@gmail.com.