It is no secret how much of an impact the media has on the kind of work that we do as public relations (PR) professionals. Everyday news becomes a part of our daily routines as professionals and individuals. PR professionals must be well informed on what is happening nationally and globally to ensure that clients are updated on relevant news and trends that impact their business objectives.
But how you get your news is essential. When you think of how massive media is, there are many forms in which we consume media. Media consumption can happen in two ways; we search for relevant news, or it comes directly to us.
Here are our tips and tricks to stay updated on current events as a PR professional:
Set Up Google Alerts
Setting up Google Alerts with keywords specific to your client or the topic you are interested in monitoring is a great way to stay updated with relevant current events and news. Setting clear and specific search terms in Google Alerts will help pull all the mentions of that topic and ensure that every time a new article on that topic or including that topic comes out, it comes straight to your email account.
Download news apps
The beauty of having smartphones is that you can get your news directly to your home screen. Whether you have an iPhone or Android device, you will find that you have access to various free news apps that can quickly notify you of breaking news. News apps are our modern-day handheld newspapers.
Subscribe to Top Tier Publications
Subscribing to publications may come with a cost, depending on the outlet or magazine. We get it. Who wants to pay subscription fees all the time? Some news sources that offer free subscriptions include:
Listen to Podcasts
If you prefer to listen to the news but do not have time to watch your TV, podcasts are always an option. You can catch up on the latest news when grabbing coffee or going into the office. An example of a great podcast is NPR WAMU 88.5, where you have access to news covering everything from politics to music. If you’re thinking about getting more into podcasts, here are some others that you can check out:
NBC News PodcastThe Guardian Podcast
The Wall Street Journal Podcast
Creating a Slack Channel
Teamwork makes the dream work! If your company or team uses Slack for your daily internal communication, a great way to ensure that you consistently get important news is by creating a #news-update Slack channel. This channel can be useful for sending relevant news to colleagues who work with different client accounts.
Social Media
Even though social media gets a bad reputation for spreading misinformation, it is still a great resource when catching up with current events. For example, Twitter allows you to watch live broadcasts from top-tier outlets. If you’re more of an Instagram person, many top-tier outlets have accounts that share breaking news. Find links to a few different social media pages for the outlets below:
Our media consumption is only as much as we tailor it to be. In the PR industry, staying on top of the news cycle is key to successful media relations. From setting up Google Alerts to following the news via social media, there are many ways to stay connected to what is happening around you. Not only will your clients be consistently updated on the news that matters to them, but you’ll also learn something new from the publications mentioned here and more. You’ll never go a day missing relevant information!
