PR and the Human Touch in 2024

2023 has been a remarkable year for business, with the rise in AI-based technologies, and PR is no exception.  Artificial intelligence and automated PR tools are giving more businesses and individuals the ability to generate press releases and reach out to the media, often without using the expertise of communications professionals.

While these tools can put the power of PR in the hands of non-professionals, there is an inherent potential problem with this.  Generating news-worthy stories (and press releases) is more than just an administrative task.  It takes the ability to know a good news story, and to pitch that to the media.  After all, wouldn’t the news industry simply use AI for writing and reporting, if it is such an effective tool?

Compounding this is the fact that most likely the number of press releases sent to the media will increase exponentially because of AI.  At best, AI-generated writing is average (and often worse).  The increase in the number of press releases, many of them mediocre, will further add to the deluge journalists have to deal with daily, most likely making it even more difficult to get the attention of the media.

One of the biggest and most effective trends we see to successful PR in 2024 is quite simply this:  the human touch.

What we mean by the human touch is the nose for news.  The ability to identify and develop stories, and to tailor them individually to the appropriate media.  And just like not all journalists are the same, not all PR professionals are the same.  You want the ones with the nose for news.  Who know what stands out with the media, and what doesn’t.  Not someone who views PR as simply an administrative task.