PR Trends for 2024: The Need for Funding Announcements, the Continuing AI Revolution, and More

by SF Agency
December 28, 2023

What’s going to happen in PR in 2024? The truth is, that the entire field of communications is constantly changing, and we don’t often see completely new PR trends emerging each year. Still, certain trends are becoming more prominent and relevant as we go into 2024. For startups preparing to do funding announcements or those with innovative ideas, there’s great news: your chances of gaining media attention are better than ever. Similarly, scale-ups, SMEs, and large corporations can find plenty of new, exciting opportunities. Here are the key PR trends of 2024 that you should be aware of.

AI revolutionizes PR

Do you want good or bad news first? Let’s rip off the band-aid with the bad news: AI won’t magically craft perfect pitches or press releases for you.

But here’s the silver lining: AI can be a phenomenal aid in creating top-notch PR materials. With the rise of AI, it’s anticipated that AI tools will become an indispensable element in the PR professional’s arsenal. Take ChatGPT, for instance – it’s like a brainstorming buddy on steroids. AI can spark ideas for themes that journalists are keen to explore, help find the right story angles, or find the most suitable media outlets and relevant journalists. AI reduces your manual workload, freeing up precious time for brain work and letting your creative flair truly sparkle. What more could you ask for?

Media is hungry for startup news and interesting innovations

The current global economic situation is challenging, and it’s evident in the struggles many startups face when raising funds. From a PR perspective, this means to less competition, as there is less positive startup news around. You don’t necessarily need to raise millions of euros to secure earned media attention. That’s when it becomes crucial to make a proper funding announcement as soon as your funding round closes. In smaller markets, we’ve seen startups that raised only a few hundred thousand euros still capturing the spotlight in top-tier media. Bigger rounds have gotten top-tier international attention, even if they are much smaller than they would have been a few years back.

The key takeaway is that it’s not just about the amount of money; it’s about the uniqueness and appeal of your story. This is also a crucial reminder for other businesses, including scale-ups, SMEs, and large corporations: journalists are on the lookout for growth companies with compelling innovations, and they have much less choice than they’re used to. With the media landscape dominated by negative news, they are more eager to report on positive business developments.

Crisis comms moves to the core of comms strategies

Every day, we see companies get a bad reputation, often due to how they react to negative publicity. Nowadays, it’s really important to have a plan for handling crises. Just one misguided social media post can create a huge mess. This is why many businesses, even small startups, are putting money into a crisis communications plan. Being prepared helps you respond quickly to bad news, say the right things when you talk to the public, and maybe even turn a bad situation into something that improves your reputation.

Data, data, and data

For years, there’s been a big focus on data in marketing and communications, and it’s still a major and growing topic. In PR, data plays several key roles. Firstly, your company’s data is crucial for driving your own AI revolution, helping you get the most out of it.

Secondly, today’s data-driven environment means CMOs and CCOs need to show the value of PR to their leadership teams with solid data points. With many companies facing budget cuts due to economic pressure, maintaining your PR budget requires strong evidence of its results. Thirdly, data is becoming increasingly important in content planning. As it gets harder for companies to find positive and newsworthy topics, they need to delve into their own data to uncover trends and interesting insights.

Thought leadership on the rise

People buy from people they can relate to. That’s why many companies are now using their own experts in marketing and communications. This often means selecting top experts within the company to build their personal brands in both traditional and social media. The goal is for these experts to become thought leaders, shaping opinions in their field. While thought leadership has been trending for some time, it’s quickly gaining even more momentum. It’s important for all growing companies, and especially for startups that may not have large marketing budgets, as thought leadership can be a cost-efficient factor in their growth plan.