When the PR industry evolves so rapidly, trying to stay on top of the latest trends and tactics can feel overwhelming. Yet, despite all the changes, the heart of PR remains unchanged: building and maintaining a strong, positive reputation for your brand. The real challenge? Understanding how the old and the new—Traditional PR and Digital PR—differ, and more importantly, how they can work together to amplify your efforts. If you’ve wondered about the best way to strike that balance, you’re not alone. So, let’s break it down and explore how each approach fits into a winning strategy.
Traditional PR: The Classic Approach
Let’s start with the familiar one: Traditional PR. This is the world of newspaper features, magazine articles, TV interviews, and even radio spots. It’s where you’re working to establish strong relationships with journalists, editors, and media outlets that have been around for decades (or longer!). Whether it’s through a press release or an organised press event, Traditional PR is all about getting your brand into trusted, established media.
So, why does Traditional PR still hold so much value? First, there’s the credibility factor. There’s no denying that when a major newspaper or magazine writes about your brand, it carries weight. It gives your brand a sense of authority and trustworthiness that’s hard to replicate in other forms of media. Plus, Traditional PR has a broad reach. There are still huge audiences out there who read newspapers or watch TV news, and this type of exposure ensures your message reaches them. And don’t forget, coverage in traditional outlets tends to stick around longer. A printed article or a TV segment can continue to be referenced and re-shared, giving your story a longer shelf life than a tweet or post might have.
Digital PR: The New Norm
Now, let’s talk about Digital PR, the newer kid on the block. It’s the online version of what Traditional PR has been doing for years—but with some key differences. Instead of focusing on print publications and broadcast media, Digital PR is all about working with online journalists, bloggers, influencers, and content creators. The goal is to get your brand featured on websites, social media platforms, and blogs, as well as to use digital strategies like SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to make sure your brand stays visible.
One of the big advantages of Digital PR is speed. The online world moves fast, which means Digital PR allows you to be part of conversations in real-time. Whether it’s responding to a trending topic or getting a product review up on a popular blog, digital coverage can happen in hours, not days or weeks. Plus, there’s an SEO boost—every time a high-quality website links back to your brand, it helps your rankings on search engines. That’s not just PR, that’s powerful marketing in action. And while Traditional PR can offer broad exposure, Digital PR can be much more targeted. You can reach specific audiences with tailored messages, whether that’s through niche blogs or targeted social media campaigns.
Bringing Them Together: Why Choose When You Can Have Both?
If you’re wondering whether you need to choose between Traditional and Digital PR, the good news is: you don’t. In fact, the most successful PR strategies usually combine both. It’s about using the strengths of each to complement the other. For instance, you might launch a major product with a Traditional PR campaign—think securing a feature in a well-known magazine or organising an in-person event. But then you follow up by amplifying that same story through Digital PR, reaching influencers and bloggers who can keep the buzz going online.
Consistency is key here. You want to ensure that no matter where your audience encounters your brand—whether in print or online—they’re seeing the same message. A cohesive brand story, told across multiple platforms, strengthens your presence and makes you more memorable.
And don’t forget the data! One of the big perks of Digital PR is the analytics. You can track what works and what doesn’t—whether it’s website traffic from an online article or engagement on social media. Those insights can be used to fine-tune your strategy for both Traditional and Digital PR, ensuring that your campaigns are as effective as possible.
How Press Loft Makes It All Easier
Whether your PR focus is more traditional or digital (or ideally a mix of both), our platform gives you the tools to manage it all seamlessly. With access to a vast network of journalists, bloggers, and influencers, Press Loft allows you to put your brand in front of the right people at the right time.
Our platform simplifies the process of sharing your content. Need to get your press releases or new product images out there? Press Loft makes it easy, helping you get your materials in front of the people who matter most. Plus, we’ll always keep you in the loop if we spot you in the press so you can see exactly how your PR efforts are performing—both online and offline. You’ll know what’s working, where you’re getting the most coverage, and what to focus on moving forward 💫
What is Press Loft?
Press Loft is a PR platform specialising in the home, gift and lifestyle sectors that helps thousands of brands to get their products into the press. Their PR tools allow companies to easily secure press coverage and quality backlinks for SEO by connecting with their network of 26,000+ journalists, bloggers and influencers.
Did you know that we offer a FREE trial of our PR tools (including influencer outreach) for new brands? Click here to start your free trial and join over 1,400 brands already using Press Loft for their business.
