Contrary to popular belief, the pre-internet world was not the Dark Ages of advertising. Traditional methods succeeded (and they still do). Working with a PR professional gave you the opportunities you needed to connect with journalists and editors.
But, it’s like they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Blogging and social media rose along with the new culture of tech startups and transformed the way companies sought attention. Startups took their hacker mentality and applied it to marketing. With that, growth hacking was born.
Growth hackers developed their own methods for getting the attention of big-name blogs, the traditional media, and their ideal audience. The methods included using SEO, social media, and content marketing.
Now everyone is a media creator. Naturally, that lowers the barrier to entry. If you can create your own media, you don’t need journalists to do it for you, right?
If that were true, then the PR industry would be irrelevant. But, that’s not what has happened. Now there’s more demand for it than ever.
PR still connects you with media gatekeepers, but it uses different approaches than in the days when traditional advertising was the norm. It’s had to change to keep pace with new forms of marketing and the techniques of changing roles, like growth hackers. But don’t be fooled. PR is not going anywhere.
