An integrated approach has long been key to successful public relations campaigns, but as public trust in the media continues to wane, a multi-pronged approach is increasingly important.

An October 2024 survey from Gallup found Americans continue to have record-low trust in the media. According to their findings, just 31% of those surveyed reported “a great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the media to report the news “fully and accurately,” compared to 32% last year. Another 36% responded they have no trust in the media. Not surprisingly, these numbers are down dramatically since Gallup began the survey in 1972, when trust in the media hovered around 70%. Since 2018, the percentage of individuals who reported a great deal of confidence in the media has fallen continuously from 45% to 31%.

In this environment, it has become critical to consider PR tools and resources beyond just the media interview. A strategic, multi-faceted approach can be tremendously impactful when it comes to raising awareness for your brand. Introducing additional channels allows you to control your message more than a traditional news story alone.

Thought Leadership

Thought leadership features insights and expertise by industry leaders designed to educate the reader around trends and challenges. This content is not meant to promote or sell.  Thought leadership helps build credibility for organizations and/or the c-suite. Unlike a news article written by a reporter, thought leadership is penned by the executive, or ghost written on their behalf based on the thought leaders thorough interviews with a communications team or PR agency (preferably one staffed by former journalists). This helps ensure the company retains control of the messaging and narrative. Articles are then published by third-parties – typically trade media – or on the owned channels of the organization. Thought leadership is not only attractive to companies looking to build their media profiles, but for editors seeking to fill “pages” as newsrooms continue to shrink.

This education or insight-based content approach is proven to raise awareness. In fact, seven in 10 decisionmakers surveyed by Edelman and LinkedIn for a 2024 report said they are “very likely to think positively” about companies that produce consistent and smart thought leadership. And 67% of decisionmakers and c-suite leaders said thought leadership has led them to “research a product or service they were not previously considering.”

Social Media

Of course, with shrinking newsrooms, have come growing voices on social media. While most companies now have some type of presence on social media, they may not leverage these channels to their full advantage. As distrust in mass media grows, people are turning to social media channels like LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok or Instagram.

In its newsletter feature, LinkedIn provides a built-in publishing platform for company leaders – or anyone – to share content that lands faithfully in the inboxes and newsfeeds of their followers and newsletter subscribers each time an article is published. We see increasing value and reach in this particular communications tactic. Again, comms teams must be careful to limit or avoid promotion in this content as readers will likely reject promotional content. However this provides another platform to weigh in on industry trends and consumer issues, as well as educate, while reaching a wide and growing audience.

Social media also allows companies to amplify any published thought leadership on their own social media channels to enhance visibility and further the article’s reach. The publications will often do the same with quality thought leadership published on their platforms.

Owned Media

Finally, other owned media, like blogs continue to be a compelling tool to raise brand awareness and demonstrate expertise as trust in the media declines. A blog, hosted on a company website, that is frequently updated with original content demonstrating your company’s expertise, can also help to raise your profile. White papers, short videos on company-branded YouTube or Vimeo and more can do the same. Again, this content can be circulated across social media to stretch its reach.

Connecting with Today’s News Consumer

While legendary newsman Walter Cronkite may have been known as the “most trusted man in America,” for many American households, today’s news anchors, reporters and editors are not as warmly perceived. Fortunately, as we head into 2025, more options exist for us to see and/or hear the news. People can choose where and how they want to consume their news, and companies will need to continually find new ways to meet them where they want to be met.

A good public relations agency can recommend the best strategies and tactics for your company and that should include a multilayered approach that considers more than media relations.