PR_Trends – GritDaily

The tech and startup worlds are fast-paced environments where things shift and change all the time. In this ever-changing landscape, spotting trends and jumping on them as soon as possible is key to staying relevant. So much of that is true of public relations trends for tech startups and other small businesses.

What trends will shape most of the remainder of 2021 and the years to follow? Here are some of the public relations trends startup owners and tech professionals should keep an eye on. 

A premium on personal brands

People connect more with a brand with a face than a corporate entity on social media. One quickly thinks of names like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, or Oprah Winfrey before thinking of SpaceX, Microsoft, Virgin, or Harpo Productions. These people get it—people trust people more than they trust companies. Up to 81% of people say they will only buy from a brand they trust. Putting a human face to a brand makes it easier to trust than an empty shell.

Voice as a new stage on the rise

Many eyes —or ears —are turning toward voice-centric content and platforms. It wasn’t too long ago that the voice platform Clubhouse came out. Now, Spotify has released Greenroom, which is their version of Clubhouse. Moreover, Facebook has been slowly rolling out podcasting features. As a result, more people will be listening to more audio content, so it’s time to start thinking about appearing on as many podcasts as possible – or possibly starting one yourself.

Digital publications catching up fast

We’re far from the day when traditional media will entirely go away, if that ever does happen. But digital publications are picking up fast. A growing population of people would instead turn to news websites than read a newspaper or magazine.

Shift to micro-influencers

It only seemed like yesterday when influencer marketing was a top strategy. Today, it still is, but companies are now turning to micro-influencers more often than before. More prominent influencers still have a lot of power, but the smaller ones are getting a chunk of the pie, especially among startups. The number of followers is just one thing PR agencies look at now. Instead, metrics like engagement and conversations have become the main considerations for influencer marketing now.

The rise of mission-driven messages

More than finding out what you do, audiences are now asking why brands and people do what they do. In the words of Simon Sinek, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” As a result, when appearing on new channels, blogs, podcasts, or other outlets, tech companies and startup founders are talking about their organization’s mission more than ever, and that’s creating more inspiring stories.

Good public relations strategies leverage the best channels to get the right messages across. Hence, it’s essential to keep an eye on growing trends. These five points are great places to start, but we’ve got so much more to learn. So it’s best to start acting on these new developments as early as possible.