With social media, blogs and email newsletters, it’s easier than ever for a brand to speak directly to the public. But that doesn’t mean public relations (PR) itself is easier — you have to craft the right message or you’ll end up on a list of epic failures by some snarky content writer.
Here’s a look at the best and worst digital PR examples (and what you can learn from both).
What Is Digital Public Relations?
Digital PR, or online PR, is a strategy whereby a brand seeks to build visibility and awareness through digital channels. The internet has lowered barriers to PR — you no longer have to host a press conference or deliver official communiques to venerated newspapers (though you still can).
When creating a digital PR strategy, consider how it might approach the following:
Building Media Relationships
It’s good to have specific goals for any PR campaign, but the overarching goal is the same as any marketing effort: increase brand visibility. People can’t choose to buy your product or service if they don’t know you exist. By building relationships with media companies and users of social media platforms, you can increase brand awareness.
Content Marketing
At the heart of any digital marketing campaign is content. It’s a word so broad that it can mean pretty much anything.
A short video you post on YouTube? That’s content.
A blog post? That’s content.
A 62-character post on Bluesky? You better believe that’s content.
This means that any PR campaign is also, to some extent, a content marketing campaign.
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Reputation Management
Some say any publicity is good publicity. The examples we’ll see later in this piece test this theory. Yes, you want as many people as possible to know about your brand, but it is rather important that those people have a positive impression. Sometimes PR campaigns are damage limitation efforts, and some are part of rebrands to modify a brand’s personality.
Strategic Outreach
Building relationships is great, but it always works best when brands are strategic in whom they reach out to. This means having a target audience in mind and choosing the right media outlet or journalists to connect with. Digital PR increasingly involves influencer marketing — collaborating with the right content creators to reach the right audience.
How Does Digital PR Differ From Traditional PR?
Traditional PR relies on print media, TV and radio channels. Even in our digital world, all these channels still provide value to marketing and PR teams. Furthermore, press releases are features of both digital and traditional public relations.
Digital PR can reach people those other channels can’t, though. A single social media post can go viral and reach millions of people for a relatively tiny investment. That’s what makes digital PR so attractive.
Good Digital PR Examples
There are lots of great public relations examples you can use to inspire your own PR journey. Here are some PR campaigns that worked effectively in the digital space:
Affordable Cities According to Homebuyer.com
Homebuyer.com specializes in lending to first-time home buyers. If you’ve bought a home, are looking to buy a home or have aspirations of someday, somehow owning a home, you know it’s a daunting task. In many parts of the world, homeownership feels increasingly out of reach for those not yet on the housing ladder.
Homebuyer.com published a list of the most affordable places to buy a home in 2023 in the U.S. This helped homebuyers decide if moving to buy a home was a good decision and allowed everybody else to kvetch about the unaffordability of homes today. Yahoo, Lifehacker and local news sites for top-ranking all covered the list and it generated a lot of buzz.
Casper’s Sleeping Couples
The mattress company Casper published a survey in late 2019 detailing the different ways couples sleep together and what this (supposedly) says about them. We all love to know what our favorite color, Beatles’ album or “Sex in the City” character says about us, so why not what our preferred sleeping position reveals about our personalities and relationships?
How couples sleep (and do other things) together is very private, and this survey gave us a glimpse into how others do it. And, while we’re reading about it, why not consider buying a new mattress?
Kayak’s Summer Trip Calculator
Summer is a great time for a trip. But how much will it cost? Kayak is happy to help you figure it out. And after spending a few minutes using their summer trip calculator, you’re already halfway through planning your summer sojourn, so while you’re there, why not book a hotel, too?
Marketing Statistics From HubSpot
Most marketers and PR specialists trust HubSpot, so when they published a list of marketing stats for 2024, people took notice. But this list spread well beyond the marketing bubble, with outlets such as the Huffington Post and CBS News writing about it as well. After all, marketing is relevant to consumers, too.
The Most Googled Artist in Every County — Ken Bromley Art Supplies
What people search for in other parts of the world is endlessly fascinating for many of us. That’s why a British art supply business gained global attention for publishing who the most Googled visual artist is in different countries.
By providing an answer to the most pressing question of our time — “Who is the most Googled artist in Azerbaijan?” — Ken Bromley Art Supplies got coverage on art outlets such as Creative Bloq and Design Taxi. (The answer is Frida Kahlo, by the way.)
Bad Digital PR Examples
Sometimes it’s good to see what not to do. Here are some, shall we say, suboptimal digital public relations examples:
Deliveroo Makes Itself an April Fool
If you’re considering doing a fun April Fool’s prank to gain attention for your brand, please don’t. These kinds of stunts can work, but more often than not, they’re just cringey. You’d better have a great idea, or you might end up like Deliveroo — sending fake confirmation emails for orders worth hundreds of euros. What could go wrong?
Dolce & Gabbana’s Chinese Misadventure
When entering a foreign market, it’s prudent to tread lightly. Dolce & Gabbana thought they were being playful, showing Chinese models trying to eat Italian dishes with chopsticks. Many disagreed. That’s OK — D&G quickly pulled the ads and apologized for being insensitive, by which I mean they doubled down and insulted the entire nation of China on Instagram.
Google’s Mic Drop
Again, April Fool’s — please just don’t. Next thing you know, thousands are sending confusing GIFs of a Minion dropping a microphone and inadvertently blocking important emails.
EasyJet’s Broken Seat
Wondering what good damage limitation PR looks like? Not this.
Instead of taking the time to understand this viral photo of a broken seat, EasyJet acted too fast and asked the original poster to remove the photo and tried to cover it up.
How To Create a Digital PR Strategy That Works — With Steps
Here are some steps you can follow to craft your own effective digital PR campaign:
Set Clear Goals
The first task of a digital PR team is to define goals. Increase website traffic? Increase social media following? Disseminate a press release? Whatever your goal is, it should guide your whole campaign.
Determine Your Target Audience
If you don’t know who your audience is, your digital PR efforts are almost certain to fail. Knowing who you’re speaking to and what they care about allows you to craft the right message.
Research, Research, Research
The more you know, the better you can construct your digital PR strategy. Using Google Analytics, you can discover why and from where people are coming to your website. This organic traffic can tell you what your customers care about and can inform what media partnerships you pursue.
Identify the Best Channels
Perhaps the best thing about digital PR is all the channels it offers. You can connect with people via social media, cross-promotion with other brands, through media publications or some combination of channels.
Outline Your Strategy
A good PR strategy might detail what channels you intend to use, when, the sequence of posts or press releases and with whom you will collaborate.
Create Content
With the research and strategy outline now done, you can create the content, whether that’s a press release, a series of social media posts, one or more blogs or video content.
Pitch Media Members
Make your pitch and find out what outlets are interested in carrying your story.
Monitor
What do people think of your PR efforts? Thanks to social media platforms, it’s easier than ever to test the public’s temperature. If the response is not good, you can modify or pause the campaign as necessary.
Tell Your Story
Now you know what to do and what not to do, so go out there and start your own digital public relations campaign. PR is all about controlling the narrative — getting customers and potential customers to see your brand as you see it. Whether you go it alone or want some helpful digital PR services to assist you on your journey, it’s always important to tell your story.