Sure, but only if you already know what a great press release is supposed to look like.

Artificial intelligence has woven its way into the fabric of nearly every industry, revolutionizing processes, enhancing efficiency, and unlocking new possibilities for innovation. The public relations sector is no exception. AI’s integration into PR practices is reshaping how professionals engage with audiences, craft messages, and monitor media landscapes. Understanding the breadth of AI’s application in PR not only highlights its benefits but also underlines the evolving skills required to navigate this new technological landscape.

Please take note: There is a big difference between incorporating AI into the process of writing PR materials and abdicating all responsibility for the quality of those materials. Professional communicators still must be the curators, the editors, the final arbiters in the process of their creation. And for us to play that role, we must be equipped with certain skills. For example, how can you approve a press release, if you can’t write a press release yourself or don’t know what a great press release is supposed to look like?

Advantages of using AI in Public Relations
AI’s influence spans various sectors, from healthcare and finance to retail and entertainment, each benefiting from its ability to analyze large datasets, predict outcomes, and automate repetitive tasks. PR professionals are increasingly turning to AI to streamline operations, develop targeted strategies, and enhance the impact of their campaigns.

1. Research: AI significantly reduces the time and effort required for research, one of PR’s most time-consuming duties. Tools equipped with AI can quickly sift through vast amounts of data to identify trends, gather competitive intelligence, and understand audience sentiments. This rapid processing allows PR professionals to stay ahead of the curve, anticipate market shifts, and tailor their strategies to meet nuanced consumer expectations – fast enough to act and react in a 24/7 news cycle.
2. Content Generation: In PR, content is king, but the constant need for fresh, relevant content can be daunting. AI helps mitigate this by generating initial outlines of press releases, social media posts, and other PR materials. While these tools provide a base from which to work, they also free up creative minds to focus more on strategy and craftsmanship, and less on the mechanics of writing. However, it’s crucial to note that AI-generated content often requires human intervention to fine-tune voice, style, and subtlety, ensuring the content resonates authentically with its intended audience.
3. Media Monitoring: Keeping track of how and where a company or client is mentioned across different media channels can be an exhausting process. AI simplifies media monitoring by automating the tracking of mentions, analyzing the tone and sentiment of coverage, and summarizing media outputs. This application is particularly valuable in crisis management, where real-time updates and sentiment analysis can help PR teams manage and mitigate potential issues more effectively.

Understanding and leveraging these tools can significantly enhance the efficacy and reach of PR campaigns, marking a transformative shift in how public relations is practiced in the digital era.

Advantages of Using AI for Press Releases
The adoption of artificial intelligence in the creation of press releases brings a host of advantages that can transform the traditional approaches to PR.

• Efficiency: AI accelerates the drafting process, transforming hours/days of work into a fraction of the time, enabling rapid response to emerging news or crises. AI tools generate structured drafts swiftly based on event details, product information, and desired call to action, facilitating a steady flow of press materials without overwhelming PR teams.
• Innovation: AI acts as a catalyst for creativity, leveraging AI’s ability to analyze vast content repositories to suggest fresh angles and innovative approaches. From recommending unique promotional strategies to introducing new presentation formats, AI prompts PR professionals to explore unconventional avenues, ensuring their press releases shine amidst crowded media landscapes.
• Analysis: AI empowers precision targeting and customization by swiftly and accurately analyzing extensive datasets. By discerning audience engagement patterns and preferences, AI tools refine messaging to resonate better with intended audiences. Advanced algorithms segment audiences based on demographics, interests, and online behaviors, facilitating highly personalized press releases. Real-time post-release analysis furnishes valuable feedback for future campaigns.

The Risk of Journalist Backlash
As AI technology becomes increasingly prevalent in the creation of press releases, journalists are adapting to discern between human and AI-generated content. The ability to identify the origin of a press release is crucial, as the ultimate goal of such communications is not just to distribute information but to secure meaningful media coverage, like articles or interviews, in respected platforms. Understanding how journalists respond to AI-generated content is key for PR professionals aiming to leverage AI tools effectively.

After all, Journalists are not just gatekeepers of information; they are also tasked with engaging their audience with authentic and compelling stories. AI-generated press releases can sometimes be met with skepticism or outright rejection for numerous reasons:
• Perceived Lack of Authenticity: If a press release lacks a personal touch or feels too mechanical, journalists may view it as inauthentic. Media professionals prefer sources that provide genuine insight and human-interest angles, which are often missing in AI-generated content.
• Impersonal Tone: The tone of AI-generated press releases may not resonate with journalists who are looking for quotes, anecdotes or emotional angles that human-written content typically provides. An impersonal tone can make the content less appealing for follow-up in the form of articles or interviews. Journalists, and all writers for that matter, have a keen eye for authenticity. They can easily spot:
• Uniformity in Language: AI-generated texts often lack the nuanced language and stylistic variations typical of human writing. If a press release reads as overly formal or uniform, it might reveal AI involvement.
• Lack of Depth or Nuance: AI struggles to capture the deeper context or the subtleties that come from human experience and background knowledge. Press releases that lack depth or fail to adequately address complex issues might be suspected of being AI-generated.
• Repetitive Phrasing: AI can often fall into patterns of repetition, especially with certain phrases or data points, which can be a giveaway to a discerning journalist.

The key for PR professionals is to use AI as a tool to enhance rather than replace the human elements of press release writing. By ensuring that AI-generated content is carefully reviewed and infused with human insights before submission, PR teams can maintain the authenticity and depth required to engage journalists effectively and achieve the desired media outcomes.

Guidelines for Effective Use of AI in Press Release Writing
Integrating AI with human expertise in public relations not only enhances the efficiency of content creation but also ensures the quality and authenticity of the final output. By establishing best practices for collaboration between AI tools and PR professionals, organizations can leverage the strengths of both to produce superior press releases.

1. Use AI for Routine and Data-Driven Tasks: Reserve AI usage for drafting standard informational content, routine updates, or data-heavy reports where its capacity for rapid data processing and pattern recognition can save valuable time. For instance, AI is exceptionally useful in compiling quarterly financial results into a standard press release format.
2. Human Touch for Storytelling and Strategic Messaging: When the press release requires storytelling, nuanced expressions, or strategic positioning, step in with human expertise. These elements are essential when you need to connect emotionally with your audience or when the message will shape public perception of your brand.
3. AI for Preliminary Research: Leverage AI to conduct preliminary research on media trends, historical press coverage, and competitor activities. This can inform the strategic direction of the press release but should be supplemented with human analysis to interpret the data correctly and apply it effectively.
4. Understanding AI Press Release Software: An AI press release writer is a type of software that leverages artificial intelligence to help draft press releases. Unlike broader AI tools such as ChatGPT, which are designed for a wide range of conversational tasks, AI press release writers are tailored for specific elements of PR writing. They are trained on a dataset of press releases and understand the standard formats, language, and key components that make press releases effective. This specialization enables them to generate content that adheres more closely to PR standards, reducing the amount of time and effort required for editing and customization.
5. Customize and Personalize with Human Oversight: Even if AI can customize content based on data, human oversight is necessary to ensure that these customizations are appropriate and resonate with the intended audience. Personal touches, such as a quote from a CEO or a relevant anecdote, should be crafted by people who understand the subtleties of human emotions and how to capture different voices – something at which AI is (at present) inherently terrible.

The Importance of Human Input and Final Review
No AI tool, no matter how advanced, can fully replicate the intricate understanding of human emotions, ethical considerations, and deep contextual knowledge that seasoned PR professionals bring to the table. Before any AI-generated press release is distributed:
• Perform a Thorough Review: Ensure that all content aligns with the brand’s voice and meets the ethical standards of your organization. This includes checking for tone, accuracy, and the subtleties of language that AI may not fully grasp. Be particularly mindful of removing obvious redundancies, for which AI has become famous.
• Ensure Brand Consistency: Verify that the press release reflects the overall branding and long-term communication goals of the company. AI can be numbingly generic in tone. Make sure that your brands tone-of-voice is effectively captured. This consistency is key in building brand trust and recognition.
• Final Human Approval: An attentive senior PR professional should always give the final approval for a release, ensuring that it not only conveys the right information but also delivers it in a way that strengthens the brand and engages the audience.

Incorporating AI into your PR strategy doesn’t mean setting aside the human aspect of public relations; rather, it’s about augmenting human capabilities and freeing up professionals to focus on more creative and strategic tasks.