2024 Checklist That Every PR Professional Needs

As the year draws to a close, many would be taking time off to plan their holidays and turn things down a notch. The reality for PR and communications professionals? It’s full steam ahead to strategize and plan for 2024! For instance, crafting a comprehensive communications plan for CES 2024, which is set to take place in early January next year. So, let’s help one another out, from one industry mate to another, here are some things that should be on your 2024 PR checklist.

#1: Audit and Update Your Messaging

“Change is the only constant,” this cannot be more accurate given the evolving landscape of communication, technology and public sentiment. As such, it would be good to review and refresh key messages across all communications channels to ensure that your messages are aligned with your current business goals and market trends.

#2: Embrace AI like a Champ while Adopting a Humanized Approach

2023 could be coined as the year of AI explosion! AI-powered analytics tools, such as those offered by Cision can help PR professionals collect and analyze vast amounts of data to identify trends and track the effectiveness of PR campaigns.

Although conducting tasks is now more efficient due to the famed ChatGPT and AI, which have streamlined the planning process for campaigns, the human touch still remains essential! It is critical to humanize your campaigns, which require both emotional intelligence and creativity. 

Dove’s Real Beauty campaign’s impactful choice of using everyday women challenges societal’s beauty standards, which spoke to the hearts of many. “Heart” is something which AI might not have it all figured out yet. One should put that freed up time (all thanks to AI) to good use and humanize your campaigns so that the messages conveyed would resonate with your target audience. 

#3: Continue Nurturing Media Relations

Nurture and strengthen relationships with your key media contacts even when a favour is not required! Treat them as your friends, as genuineness can go a long way. It could be something as straightforward as sending your media contacts a media kit with the latest company information and assets. Do also remember to foster relationships with new contacts so that you can strategically expand your contact list. 

#4: Integrate Videos to Your PR Plan

Journalists are relying more on multimedia and data to enrich their content. Our State of the Media Report 2023 shows that a substantial 44% of journalists have used videos in the past year! 

This trend could not be timelier as Cision-Multivu has just launched a new offering – Social Video.  You can now share the same story with repurposed content by Cision-MultiVu social media experts in a new, exciting and engaging video format tailored for social channels to your audience. Find out more about it by contacting us [email protected].

#5: OWN Social Media, especially LinkedIn

 Twitter and LinkedIn are predicted to be important platforms in the world of public relations in 2024. With over 950 million members in more than 200 countries and territories, LinkedIn is technically an A-lister celebrity! As such LinkedIn is ideal to share thought leadership articles, such as our “How to Master Year-end Comms and Finish 2023 Strong?”, written by industry professionals to those who are eager to learn.

Besides publishing articles, you can also readily network, start discussions with like-minded individuals and share concrete insights, while building a robust brand presence.

#6: Collaborate with Industry Experts

Thought leadership articles are great, but you get further enhance your brand’s credibility when you partner with industry experts and thought leaders.

#7: Get Involved with All Things - Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance 

Without a doubt, industry interest in ESG has steadily risen over the last few years, just look at the reports we’ve churned out, ESG Communication Trend Report and The Growing Importance of ESG in Corporate Communications. As such, do identify partnerships and initiatives to support. When you’ve done so, do showcase your ESG efforts through your various desired channels.

#8: Emphasis on Purpose-Driven Communications

On this note of ESG, consumers increasingly expect brands to have a clear sense of purpose and to communicate it authentically. PR efforts will likely focus on conveying a brand’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Meaningful and purposeful communications make a difference!

#9: Don’t Shy Away from Data and Analytics

If you’ve not integrated these tools for media monitoring, sentiment analysis and social media tracking, it’s high time that you start! These data and statistics can be highly useful for measuring the impact of PR efforts and adjusting of strategies. Check out Cision Communications Cloud ® to amplify your PR and marketing power.

#10: Personalize Communication

The same message sent to journalists who cover entertainment news and those who cover business topics would likely be a recipe for disaster! It is imperative to tailor messages to specific audience segments, so that their needs are catered and aligned with yours. Sending irrelevant content or messages is a sure way to get yourself strike off by journalists. Leveraging on personalization technologies can also be helpful in building meaningful connections.

Add Them to Your 2024 PR Checklist Now

2023 has been quite the exciting year of change for PR and communications professionals, and we can expect more changes to unfold in 2024. However, extreme and novel changes are not always required for crafting a bullet-proof PR plan. Sometimes, all it takes is to go back to the basic, like nurturing relationships with media contacts and personalizing communication. Mix those up with a few new tweaks, such as incorporating AI responsibly, you would be good to go for the new year.

Chat with us to find out more about what we can do for your 2024 PR Plan today.