What’s on our PR Wish List this Holiday?

As December 25 looms and the holiday hustle and bustle dies down, we have been collectively thinking about what is, or what should be, on our “PR Wish List” this season. Much has happened in 2014 with Boston business journalism, on Twitter and even in the AP Stylebook. And let’s face it: we are in an industry that is constantly changing. So here’s our list for Santa of what PR folks really want for Christmas this year.

1.       Controversial, newsworthy ideas  

Touting a unique point-of-view is important but what’s even more of interest to reporters are stories and perspectives that “challenge conventional wisdom,” says Sam Whitmore of SWMS. This was reflected in a recent conversation between our West Coast General Manager Jason Morris and VentureBeat’s executive editor Dylan Tweney, which discussed the relevance of storytelling in an age of speed. In the coming year, the publication will be even more committed to in-depth reporting, with the goal of telling more complete (and often nuanced) stories.

2.       More breakfast meetings

Thanks to Digiday’s “What’s in and what’s out for 2015,” it turns out that breakfast meetings are back. Who doesn’t like breakfast? But more importantly, we know reporters are busy so the breakfast meeting could be an efficient but personable way to nurture relationships. Managed well, these kinds of meetings result in interesting dialog, inspire  outside-the-box thinking and can set the stage for great opportunities for media, speaking or content.

3.       A comeback of editorial calendars

Understanding how publications plan out their media calendar for the year ahead used to be mainstay but in the past few years, as reporting has become more real-time and with the arrival of native advertising, the traditional editorial calendar seems to have disappeared, except for trade publications. But don’t count the “ed cal” out for good: a mid-November article in TechCrunch told us that the publication will be experimenting with an editorial guide for thematic guest columns topics in 2015. In January, parts of TechCrunch will be dedicated solely to consumer technology (to coincide with the Consumer Electronics Show) and in March, focused on tech and politics.

4.       Retire old words and find better ones

Samantha McGarry’s annual Words to Retire post highlighted the shallow or overused words and expressions from 2014. We’re ready to say goodbye to bae, basic and blessed – among others like literally and leverage. In 2015, using more eloquent and meaningful words will make the difference between marketing speak and a powerful pitch.

5.       Capitalize on “what’s working” to reach audiences

What we really want this holiday is to continue to reach the right audiences and to explore new channels. We’ve covered a lot of what happened in this space this year on the blog, including lessons from Reddit, Tumblr, Storify, Instagram, Ello and data behind the stories on Medium. With the variety of channels and tools available, it’s important to study what’s working and tailor your approach accordingly.

The pace of change in PR and media is expected to accelerate in 2015, and driving awareness for our clients through their unique point-of-view has become even more important. Do you have other wishes for PR this year? Share with us in the comments.