What’s in store for 2019?

We may have the answers.

This is the time of the year that all PR professionals anticipate. No, not the holidays. It’s new year predictions season. Just about every publication and site publishes predictions, and we’ve been writing and pitching predictions for most of our clients. So, we decided that we should use our crystal ball to predict major shifts in our own industry. Here are just a few PR trends that we predict for the new year.

My personal prediction is that the role of the traditional PR agency will continue to evolve and expand in 2019. Once tasked largely with media relations and getting coverage, today’s PR agency is also involved with messaging and positioning; social media content and management; content creation and management; and influencer relations – identifying influential voices within an industry or community and cultivating, ideally, collaborative relationships with them. The good news for PR professionals is that this diversification signifies a shift to higher-level activities that have a direct and measurable effect on the achievement of client marketing and corporate goals.

And here are the predictions of a few of my Bospar colleagues:

Curtis Sparrer, Bospar Principal

2019 will be the time to take sides. President Trump’s domination of the news agenda will explode exponentially as Democrats take power in the House and the Mueller investigation reaches its conclusion.  Brands wanting to insert themselves into the headlines will have to take a stand on the President’s growing scandals in order to cut through the news of the day. The potential for a market correction will have a serious impact on larger PR agencies which depend on blue-chip clients for revenue. Agencies will continue to build their content departments to meet the demand for social and paid opportunities. Agencies will also continue increasing their investment in artificial intelligence to automate rote processes and analytics.

Ruben Ramirez, Bospar Director

On the social media front, LinkedIn will cement its place as the go-to social destination for business. 2018 can best be described as the year that people’s trust in social media networks went out the window. Facebook’s woes put a spotlight on what should and shouldn’t be trusted online. As Facebook continued to see its user growth numbers stall, one network seemed to fill people’s time online: LinkedIn. This year, the social networking platform for professionals surpassed 500M users. It has quickly become a publishing powerhouse, with more than 100,000 articles a week published. All that content means it’s a great place for professionals to share their expertise and also learn from others. 2019 will see more companies put more emphasis on LinkedIn; it has quickly become everything a professional craves – useful news, industry connections, and groups of people interested in the same things.

Rachel Thomas, Bospar Senior Content Associate

Contributed content, including executive bylines and thought leadership pieces, will become increasingly difficult to place as cash-strapped publications continue to expand paid and sponsored content programs like the Forbes Technology Council and the recently launched Ad Age Collective. Executives – and the writers helping them develop bylines – are going to have to bring more to the table than the “lessons learned” and industry predictions that currently saturate the internet. For example, suggests tech media consultant Sam Whitmore, “Publications are looking to grow their own audiences by choosing contributors who already have strong followings on Twitter and LinkedIn. The acronym BYOA comes to mind – bring your own audience.” He also cited advice from WSJ editor Rich Bellis that your client should be able to bring more insight to a topic than a staff reporter. Bottom line: the bar is much higher for placing contributed content – and it’s only getting higher.

Samir Sampat, Bospar Senior Account Associate

Pitching and securing stories may become more competitive in 2019 as newsrooms continue to downsize and consolidate workforces. Limited bandwidth will require journalists to become more critical and selective in the stories they choose to cover. This will also require companies to reevaluate what is truly newsworthy and how to position their story. Marketing buzzwords will only go so far in the new media landscape of 2019.

So, what’s in store in 2019 for PR professionals and agencies?  It will be a year of accelerated change, with adoption of new technologies and new tactics as we deal with a business environment that is characterized by uncertainty. Happy New Year!

So, what’s in store in 2019 for PR professionals and agencies?  It will be a year of accelerated change, with adoption of new technologies and new tactics as we deal with a business environment that is characterized by uncertainty. Happy New Year!