It’s #WPRD2026. So what?
I have worked on some of the most amazing print publications, including Advantage magazine, which some of my older peers and colleagues will remember. It was an iconic print publication that featured advertising agencies on the cover.
Everyone wanted to be on the cover of AdVantage. We would get calls asking what it cost to be featured on the cover. The truth was it cost nothing. You just had to pitch your agency and why it needed to be featured on the cover.
What does it have to do with WPRD? Well, everything.
The PR professional’s role
Because it was the PR professionals who approached us, developed ideas for the cover and the story, and then set up the interviews, rounded up the relevant people and gathered the necessary material.
It was a lot of work, and as an editor, I couldn't do it all without the PR professional's help. Their help was invaluable.
Think of 10 years ago - there was no internet like there is today. Finding the right people and then setting up appointments took time. Material was often physical and had to be delivered.
My point is that without the PR professional, this work would not be done as efficiently as it was.
A fair amount of content on publications also relied on the PR professional – they would supply press releases, facilitate interviews, field trips and events as well as exclusives.
Things get personal
That’s my one point. My second point is that in my tenure at Advantage and other publications, I got to know the PR professionals who worked in the various industries I covered.
Some of these relationships became more than a working relationship. In the course of a press trip, for example, you get to know that person and something about their lives.
These relationships also mean you can contact the PR professional and ask for help getting an interview or getting in contact for a feature.
The value of this is immeasurable.
A world of stiletto heels
Today, the world of publications and magazines has changed. Print publications are a rarity and often a luxury. Many of the great publications, like AdVantage are gone.
The world of print was a beautiful time for many of us, which we look back at fondly - I was chatting to one of the publishers of that great mag
Today’s publishing world looks very different, but it’s still a great place to work.
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Publications are mainly digital, and just like there was with print, there are some great ones, including Bizcommunity, that serve their industries very well.
And really, the same principles that were around in the print era are still valid today when it comes to public relations, if not more so.
PR professionals are still providing valuable resources such as press releases (now sent by email or even WhatsApp, not snail mail).
They are still your first contact when you are looking for an interview or that exclusive. They are the organisers of events and press trips. Some move out of PR into corporate communications, and they come to you first with that great story or exclusive.
This is what a great relationship between a journalist and a PR professional is about. Some of these relationships are relatively new, others span years (a few over 30 years) and include monthly lunches that really have little to do with work and much more about the actual person(s) and relationship.
But to be fair, it is these get-togethers that allow for an exchange of information and have so often led to an idea that then becomes a great article.
The more things change, the more they stay the same
My point is that the world might have changed and everyone is banging on about AI and that’s all great (that’s also another story for another day), but my relationship with the PR professional and the work they do has not changed.
As a journalist, PR professionals are still one of the most important resources and relationships you can have.
PR has stood the test of time. It has adapted, changed and evolved, and it still delivers.
Thank you to all the great PR professionals I have worked with over the past years. Thank you for making my life just that little bit easier. Thank you for your hard work, and thank you for (often) pursuing me relentlessly with your story/interview idea.
Thank you to all the great PR professionals who have supported me and Bizcommunity team over the years. We appreciate you and the work you do.
It’s WPRD. Let’s celebrate what PR professionals do for us and the great relationships we have with them.
