How AI is shaping and helping the PR business

Authored by Ganapathy Viswanathan, Independent Communication Consultant and Chief Mentor Roarrr Media and Public Relations.

Few years back especially after the covid when people were forced to work from home the concept of AI was gaining fast momentum. In one of my chats with a PR professional he said they were using a lot of AIbased tools to manage clients. Now how much as AI evolved since then and how the PR teams across agencies are cleverly deploying AI in managing clients. Some of the places where AI is playing a significant role is in creating fresh content and managing data to draw useful insights for crafting messages for the various PR campaigns. The other areas where AI has played a significant role is smartly use the tools in social media platform where trolling happens quickly for any negative or sensitive news.

AI in PR Strategy

AI is revolutionizing PR strategy by making campaigns more data-driven, efficient, and personalized.

Examples:

Coca-Cola's AI-Driven Campaigns: Coca-Cola uses AI to analyse consumer behaviour, optimize ad placements, and create targeted PR campaigns that drive brand engagement.

Netflix’s AI-Powered Content Strategy: Netflix analyses viewing trends to predict content popularity, helping them craft PR narratives around upcoming shows that are likely to resonate with audiences.

AI-Powered Audience Insights: AI tools like Brandwatch and Talkwalkeranalyse online conversations to help brands understand what their audience cares about, guiding PR messaging and strategy.

AI in Media Relations

Media relations is all about building strong relationships with journalists, influencers, and media houses. AI-powered tools make this process more efficient.

Examples:

Cision’s AI Journalist Matching: PR software like Cision uses AI to analyse journalist preferences, previous articles, and engagement history to recommend the most relevant media contacts for press outreach.

AI-Powered Media Monitoring: Tools like Meltwater and Google Alerts track real-time mentions of brands across digital media, allowing PR teams to react swiftly to emerging stories.

Automated Press Release Distribution: AI-driven platforms like PR Newswire and Newswire optimize press release distribution by identifying ideal publication times and outlets.

AI in Crisis Management

AI helps PR teams detect, assess, and respond to crises more efficiently.

Examples:

United Airlines' Social Listening During Crisis: When United Airlines faced backlash over a passenger removal incident, AI-powered sentiment analysis tools helped the company gauge public reaction and adjust its crisis communication strategy.

KFC’s Crisis Response in the UK: When KFC ran out of chicken due to supply chain issues, AI-driven media monitoring tools helped them quickly address consumer concerns with a humorous PR campaign.

AI-Powered Sentiment Analysis: Tools like Brand24 and Hootsuite Insights use AI to detect negative sentiment early, enabling brands to take pre-emptive action before a full-blown PR crisis erupts.

AI in Creating Compelling Pitches for Journalists

AI enhances the pitching process by analysing journalist interests and crafting data-driven pitches.

Examples:

Forbes AI-Assisted Storytelling: AI tools assist journalists at publications like Forbes by analyzing data trends, making PR professionals more reliant on AI-driven insights when pitching stories.

Persado’s AI Writing for PR Pitches:Persado, an AI-powered content platform, helps PR teams craft emotionally engaging pitches that are more likely to capture journalists’ attention.

A/B Testing PR Pitches: AI-powered tools like Boomerang for Gmail track when journalists open emails and which pitch variations receive the best responses, allowing PR teams to refine their outreach.

AI in Managing Client Expectations

Clients expect measurable results from PR campaigns, and AI helps PR teams manage these expectations effectively.

Examples:

Real-Time PR Dashboards: Platforms like Coverage Book and TrendKite use AI to track media coverage, audience reach, and engagement, providing clients with real-time campaign insights.

Predictive Analytics for PR Performance: AI-driven analytics tools can predict the success of press releases based on past media coverage, helping set realistic client expectations.

AI-Powered PR ROI Measurement: Companies like Onclusive use AI to measure the true impact of PR efforts by correlating media coverage with website traffic and conversions.

AI in Raising the Skillsets of PR Professionals

AI is not replacing PR professionals; instead, it’s enhancing their capabilities.

Examples:

AI Training Programs for PR Pros: Google’s Digital Garage and HubSpot’s AI in Marketing courses help PR professionals develop AI-related skills.

Automated Speech-to-Text for Press Briefings: Tools like Otter.ai and Rev transcribe interviews and press conferences in real-time, making it easier for PR teams to extract key quotes.

AI-Powered Video Editing for PR Content: Adobe’s Sensei AI and Canva’s Magic Resize help PR teams quickly create high-quality videos and graphics for campaigns.

AI is fundamentally reshaping PR, making it more efficient, precise, and impactful. Today clients are looking for deep and powerful insights as there is huge data available. And this where AI is able to jump in and mined those data for culling out useful insights which helps them in formulating the right messaging or strategy.

PR professionals who embrace AI are not only able to manage clients more effectively but also gain a competitive edge in the industry. But one thing you must remember is you need to also have a strong idea and strategic thinking to leverage AI. AI on its own will not deliver the desired results. Both AI and the human interface is what will drive winning strategy for PR campaigns.