By: Samantha Gonda
Like many parents, my father likes to share articles he finds that remind him of me. These can range from a new makeup product, a movie review, or any news on the media or public relations industry. Several weeks ago he shared an article with me about how Chat GPT wrote a $600 article in just 30 seconds. Before reading this article, AI felt like the boogeyman — a looming presence in the media industry that somehow, no matter how fast you ran, was always just steps behind. With the launch of Chat GPT in December and search engines on the brink of launching more AI tools, it’s safe to say that the boogeyman caught up.
In December 2022, Buzzfeed announced a 12% layoff of its entire workforce. Then towards the end of January, Buzzfeed reported that it will be using AI to create content (resulting in a 150% jump in their stock). Many other mass media publications have undergone extensive layoffs this past month including: Bustle Digital Group, Dotdash Meredith, and News Corp. While Buzzfeed is one of the first groups to announce using AI written content, rumors have been swirling around the industry that other publishers will be moving in a similar direction.
The use of AI is impacting public relations in many ways, and yes, some are positive. AI is a quick way to create content such as pitches, press releases, and social content, as well as for monitoring media and analyzing influencers. For lifestyle brands, this means more tools for having a deeper understanding of the average consumer, more efficiency in writing copy, and more ways to measure the results That’s the good news.
The bad news is that AI has been following a path of pushing out content creators from the media industry. There simply aren’t as many staff positions at top magazines for human writers. There are editors refining AI-generated stories and commerce managers plugging in products. This means that securing media placements has become significantly more competitive.
As brands continue to search for means to compensate for the increasingly difficult editorial landscape, we predict that a renewed focus on cost-efficient bloggers, nano and micro influencers will become the main driver of brand awareness in the coming year.
For companies seeking the valuable endorsement and credibility of editorial coverage, it’s more important than ever that public relations professionals continue to build upon their network of journalists, editors, and affiliate managers. These relationships remain essential to be on the media’s radar. Having the stamp of approval from a top publication that ranks high in Search is a badge of honor for brands that is becoming more exclusive by the day.
Speaking of Search, Google (which just launched its own AI tool) says it will prioritize content that demonstrates E-E-A-T: expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. To us, that’s good news in the game of human vs robot.
While AI can produce decently acceptable art, poetry, and marketing plans within seconds (we hear it’s not good with math), its content lacks the emotional understanding and creativity that’s essential for engaging real humans.
At a time where we have been locked away from one another and the need for socialization is at an all time high, computer generated content is not what is connecting with readers. People crave humanity in the content that they consume. This means first-person product reviews are the new feature stories and stories about real-life experiences are winning.
If you’re a brand that’s wondering how AI impacts your current marketing goals please email us at RED@RED-PR.COM to schedule a complimentary information session.
