How to Leverage AI tools for your PR Business
By Kabir Abdulsalam
As innovations in technology continue to evolve, many companies are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a means to help streamline repetitive process efficiencies. The potential AI has to transform Public Relations and marketing communications approach is sheer.
Although, many might have seen AI as a threat to remove jobs from our labor market, this is not the case in the PR sector.
Just like other professions, PR business is constantly changing. But with the aid of AI, PR strategy has become more controllable. AI is an umbrella term for technologies that enable machines to perform cognitive tasks-like seeing, writing, moving, reading, or analyzing data-as well or better than humans.
Some might wonder how it works, yet we’re already using AI-powered tools like Gmail – which uses AI to predict what you’ll type next and complete sentences, while Jumia, the online marketplace also relies on AI to recommend products based on what you’ve bought or searched In the past, get driving directions, or even get music or movie recommendations like Netflix.
The development of AI can also enable PR pros to devote more time to creativities like – creating compelling messaging or developing strategic media outreach plans, analyzing consumer data, media monitoring, social listening, and content creation.
For the purpose of this piece, I will dissect how automating intelligently and making predictions that are based on machine learning gives brands the ability to increase revenue and reduce costs and more importantly the opportunity to streamline routine workflows.
American Marketing AI Institute has predicted that AI has created up to $2.6 trillion in business value in marketing and sales alone. this report has identified how PR firms can benefit from the use of AI with the sheer volume of information they need to sort through. These include,
Speech-to-text technology: This tool can assist with press conferences, media interviews, podcast episodes, and conference presentations
Translation of audio and text files into multiple languages for broader distribution.
Predictive analytics – AI technology can also help PR with predictive analytics that can help customize story angles for journalists based on interests, past coverage, personalities, and trends and predict the probability of a journalist covering your story.
Video/Image authenticity – There are numerous AI tools that can be used to authenticate images and videos for “deepfake” that could have a negative impact on a client’s brand reputation.
Sentiment analysis – AI tools are also developed to carry out an advanced sentiment analysis on social media posts, media clippings, and more.
The benefits of AI in PR are enormous, as technology continues to advance, more new uses are discovered based on the industry’s needs.
Below are a few AI tools that PR pros can tap in to advance their workforce.
Beautiful.ai uses AI to automatically design presentations. As you build a deck, it adapts slides and layouts to follow best design practices.
Grammarly uses AI to offer suggestions to improve any type of written communication. It’ll flag typos, recommend language choices, and improve your style and tone.
HyperWrite is a sophisticated AI that actually writes entire sentences and paragraphs for you.
Talkwalker is an AI-powered listening tool that tells you how consumers are perceiving your brand in real-time.
Jasper.ai: a great overall tool with support for long-form content.
Copy.ai: best free trial we’ve seen with no credit card required
Meanwhile, instead of looking at AI with apprehension, PR professionals should consider utilizing it intelligently to help their organizations and, ultimately, the businesses and brands of their clients.
Kabir Abdulsalam writes from Wuye District Abuja.
