How to Leverage Social Media for PR

What is social media for? Well, it’s in the name. SOCIAL, connecting with other people, and MEDIA, because those connections can happen over the internet—you don’t have to be face-to-face. But what does that mean for a business?

Many businesses lose sight of the social aspect of social media and instead use it as just another place to advertise their products and services. However, using social media in that way ignores the reason your audience is there.

People don’t use social media to be sold to. They go to connect, engage, learn, and, yes, even disassociate. So, as a business, your focus should not be only on marketing and sales. Instead, focus on fostering trust, building relationships, and creating conversations.

Bringing PR into the mix can get you back to making meaningful connections with your social audience.

How to use PR in your Social Media Strategy

In the past, PR has been seen as a one-way broadcast similar to advertising, where organizations focus on projecting messages to the masses. However, the truth is that PR has always been about building mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the public. Now, with the advent of social media, there is even more opportunity for interactive dialogue with your audience, which revolutionizes how brands manage their reputation and connect with customers.

Along with traditional PR tactics, social media can be a powerful addition to your PR toolbelt, allowing you to amplify your message and repurpose your content in numerous ways.

For example, when crafting a press release, use it to create content for your social media platforms around the same topic. You can also include social media handles in your press release to allow your content to be easily tagged and shared.

Think about it this way: You no longer have to wait for the media to write your story. With social media as a PR tool, you can write your story and reach your target audience in an instant. This amplifies your message and allows your PR to be more impactful. Here’s how:

1. Be Intentional

Just as your business plans need to be targeted and specific, so do your social media strategies. Each platform has a different purpose and different expectations. Do your research and focus on the platforms that are most relevant to your target audience.

Instagram and Facebook are about engagement and connection, with a strong visual component. Reels are where it’s at, along with still photos and pithy captions. The key difference between the two platforms is the audience demographic. 

On Facebook, you have the freedom to write longer captions to include details that might be missed on platforms where you need to be more concise. Take advantage of those extra words to tell your story and include clickable links. You can also create event pages that allow your audience to RSVP, ask questions, and share the event with friends and family.

For Instagram, use stories for polls, sliders, and countdowns to boost interactions.  Carousel posts are great for step-by-step and educational content. Curate your best stories into permanent categories using highlights so your audience can always find what they’re looking for.

As a video platform, TikTok prioritizes short, digestible videos that draw in your audience. Share tips, FAQs or tutorials to build credibility and provide value for followers. Hashtags, tagging relevant accounts, and incorporating trending audio and video into your content are important ways to extend your reach, while participating in trends and challenges can show that your business is in tune with audiences and showcase your brand personality and values.

Short-form platforms like X, Threads, and Bluesky are ideal for quick messaging and engaging conversations. Announcements or newsworthy items about your company or your clients can find traction here, especially if you cultivate relationships with journalists and other media contacts by liking, commenting on, and retweeting their content.

LinkedIn is where you can connect with other industry professionals and focus on the business side of your brand. Your company’s page should stay up-to-date, and your posts or articles can prioritize thought leadership, industry insight, and networking. This platform is a great place for you to express the values and mission of your business.

On all these platforms, you can look for content creators and influencers to collaborate with, and use platform-specific tactics to increase your reach, such as hashtags, links, tags, and share buttons. You can build trust through peer influence by collaborating with local creators.

2. Be Engaged

Unlike traditional advertising and marketing methods, with social media, you can’t just throw your ad up on a platform and forget about it. Instead, make sure to engage with your audience. Follow accounts that exemplify your audience and provide value. Share and comment on their posts. Tag relevant accounts in your content to capitalize on this opportunity to strengthen relationships and highlight partnerships.

Make sure to be conversational. You are there to build community and trust. Relationships sell more than any high-dollar advertising campaign can. If your audience trusts your brand and your business, they will be more likely to remember you when they need your product or service.

Additionally, ensure your content provides value to your target audience and gives them a reason to follow and engage with you.

3. Be Consistent

The key to successfully building the public image of your brand or business on social media is to be consistent. Build an expectation of who you are and follow through. Creating a social media calendar allows you to plan ahead so that you never find yourself scrambling to put up a post. Your calendar can be as simple as filling in a spreadsheet.  

To get started, first decide on a post frequency that works for you—don’t try to overcommit! Consistency matters more than volume when it comes to social media. Then you’ll want to set aside regular time to batch create your content.

Tools like Canva can help you easily rework your content for each platform. Once you have your content planned, created, and captioned, look into using a scheduling tool such as Loomly or Buffer. Pre-scheduling your posts is especially helpful when you’re busy. Finally, track your content to see what works and what doesn’t. Make note of top-performing posts and lower-performing content and revise your approach accordingly. 

This kind of plan will allow you to get ahead on your social media and spend time engaging with your audience instead of stressing about what to post.

It’s All About Relationships

Every post, comment and interaction is an opportunity to build trust, relationship and community with the very people you are trying to reach. Pairing engaging content with relationship building contributes to social media success. With a thoughtful content strategy, your audience will be able to see how your brand can meet their needs.

If you want help getting started with your social media strategy and community engagement, check out our Social Media Management services, which are designed to position your brand as a trusted authority while creating genuine connections with your audience.

Your brand deserves better than just winging it.

Let us manage your socials so you can get back to business.