Despite this year being one of the hardest ever for many industries, PR included, it has also shown a tremendous boost in media consumption. Last spring, Nielsen found that total TV usage increased by nearly 60%. 

Additional research showed that 51% of US adults were using social media more since the start of the outbreak. Editors have worked more than ever, and companies learned to communicate their changes in the new reality. I've personally sent hundreds of pitches this year (and the years before) and noticed trends that are going to be in play in 2021, too. 

1. Content leadership and expertise 

Editors are interested in opinion pieces more than ever before. In 2020, publications experienced extensive layoffs, so it turned out, suddenly, that they needed more content, and they had a lack of writers. This was when founders and CEOs stepped in to create strong thought leadership content. Editors started accepting more opinion pieces. For example, the two biggest outlets in the crypto industry, Cointelegraph and Coindesk, changed their editorial guidelines and started welcoming more opinion pieces on various topics from experts.

This year, Forbes pushed its paid program for entrepreneurs, Forbes Councils, which allows p opinion posts from experts in the fields. Along with them, Entrepreneur.com started its paid Entrepreneur Leadership Network program for founders who want to share their expertise on entrepreneur.com, and other magazines followed with similar programs. 

This trend reflects the pandemic's impact on media space. There will be more outside content since people consume more articles, and staff is looking to fulfill the demand. It's harder to hire more journalists since ad and marketing budgets shrunk this year. 

In 2021, we will see more content-driven strategies, especially opinion pieces. That's the only type of content that PR people have control over.  When you share your pitch or an expert POV with a journalist - you rarely know if the reporters will end up using it or if the story will ever go live.  Opinion pieces allow SMEs to say exactly what they want, in their POV.

2. Company data 

This year, despite the crisis, Ditto PR increased its client base and saw an uptick in customers from various industries, from consumer to fintech. Companies need to show that they bring genuine value and that their products are useful based on their data. Journalists are always looking to back their stories with numbers. 

When covering trends, they are eager to include relevant data points. Recently, I was asked for advice on pitching for an edtech company - they were providing internships abroad for exchange students, and despite the global pandemic, their business was growing. That sounded insane, considering that borders were already closing, yet they still managed to grow. As a curious person, I was excited to learn how they made it work, and I believe that was what would interest journalists, as well. 

3. Tips and Listicles 

This is an ongoing trend, but this year listicles started playing a role in a new way. Because we've all been at home for a while, many began to refurbish their cabinets, working spaces, and homes. People were picking products for their home by checking out listicles like "top 30 most adjustable chairs for working from home" plus reading about more activities such as "10 ways I can earn money from home". 

This year journalists also turned to products that give back. For example, we've recently worked with a diamond company and were able to secure a mention of their jewelry in a gift guide by New York Magazine. The selling point was that they were donating 10% toward Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund. Social impact has become significant as many people struggle with the pandemic.

4. Reports and surveys

If you don't have enough insights related to your products, you can still arrange new data by surveying your clients or partners. SurveyMonkey and similar tools allow you to launch a quick poll and get insights not only useful for your team but also for journalists. Think about your customer's pain points and industry trends.

For example, one of our clients, Celsius, surveyed its 250,000 customer base and found that the digital assets market is booming in countries with political instability. We utilized this data to create a trend pitch.

Another company surveyed their clients and noticed an uptick in a country where they had never been popular before. After researching the situation, they figured out that the boost was related to new government initiatives in that country. This connection to a global trend is much easier to pitch to journalists than a simple story about the company.

5. Human interest stories 

Reporters are looking for personal and moving stories. Some of them can relate to a  product directly if you are offering an edtech solution - "How this teacher has adapted to online education," or one about your customer - "How this teacher organizes her day to teach class and stay in touch with peers."

Another angle is related to the founders' personal stories where they share their personal insights and pain points. Every entrepreneur has challenges to share, especially during a crisis. For example, the founder of MEW wallet was in Sri Lanka when the country went under complete lockdown without food delivery or postal services available. We started pitching a story about how the founder was managing his company from another part of the world with a 10 hour time zone difference, and we were able to land that story in multiple popular podcasts. 

With the BLM movement and many businesses shutting down during the pandemic, journalists turned to personal interviews to learn how people, who suffered due to these issues, were struggling and overcoming pain. These moving stories have a huge impact on readers and shed light on how people are really feeling about these events. 

By Anastasia Golovina, communication specialist,  Ditto PR