A lot of sectors are jolted thanks to the on-going pandemic including the Public Relations service. However, there’s always a silver-lining capped with a solution-centric approach & strategy. A lot of experts are still decoding the COVID-19 Impact on PR services in India to suggest ways forward. Don’t expect to flip to now-paused 2020 PR strategy switch when businesses reopen. While nobody knows when the country is going to be back to normal, organizations should plan and implement digital activities now which will set them up for future success. There are a couple of things to think about.

Those folks in PR and communications have also seen a shift within the way we interact with journalists. Our approach to pitches and PR plans has adjusted to the present media cycle, which is crammed with coronavirus stories. Tons have changed and that we should expect many of the changes to be long-lasting. So, what impact has this new way of working already had, and exactly how will it change our world when the pandemic is over?

Have you noticed that each one’s email now starts with, “I hope you’re keeping safe” or “Hope you’re well”? Both PR pros and journalists have had to regulate to the present new work life and we’re mindful of the challenges and sensitivities involved. Now’s not the time to be pitching anything self-promotional. For instance, journalists are working almost exclusively on stories associated with COVID-19. Pitching irrelevant or self-serving news will backfire. We don’t want to get blacklisted when the news cycle goes back to normal after the pandemic is over.

Few things will remain the same. The PR services in India employ several tactics to disseminate its clients’ messages into the marketplace. These include:

• putting together press releases
• getting these published in various media outlets, and
• hosting events where potential customers, existing clients, and influencers can interact with the brand. These sorts of events aim to urge people to talk about the brand and, in doing so, keeping it top of mind.

Options one and two are quite easy to translate into the digital world as many ‘traditional’ publications have websites as an addendum to their physical publications. Also, many start-up publications are choosing the digital world first.

Brand interaction needs to be reinvented. PR professionals will need to re-evaluate the way to get their audience talking about their clients’ brands. Previously, it had been very easy to try to do. All Public Relations services had to try to do was to be placed on an occasion that might appeal to their audience, introduce them to the brand, give them goodie bags and free food and drinks; the invitees would be only too happy to post on social media about their experiences. However, it’s tough to get this same sort of interaction between your brand and customers using digital. This suggests that PR agencies in India will have to plan the box up terms of making an equivalent sort of buzz around a brand.

It’s said that vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and alteration. The COVID19 pandemic has made us all incredibly vulnerable. However, it’s from this place of vulnerability that Public relations services providers or agencies will be ready to innovate their industry to form it better than it had been before.

During this pandemic, the educational institutes have faced a major impact which is not just negative but also positive. It has swiftly shifted towards online teaching. Now faculty members can complete their courses online. With remote learning becoming more impactful and also need of the hour, We at School of Communications and Reputation has launched Online Post Graduation in Public Relations Certificate Programme (PGPR Lite) which is a 10 month long immersive program in Public Relations and Corporate Communications which can be completed remotely through video conferencing. Feel free to contact as us in case of any queries.

– Hatsoff Digital