Each new year always brings the opportunity to forecast the year ahead and take a look at the trends we see developing. From artificial intelligence to influencer marketing, legal PR in 2020 is shaping up for another year of disruption in the legal communications industry. So, as we once again look forward, here are my thoughts on the public relations outlook for 2020:

Media Relations Continues to Matter

Earned media will continue to be the bread and butter of law firm PR. Native content is not a substitute for real substance and relationships with key reporters. Reporters are still going to be the decision-makers when it comes to what is of interest, what fits for the stories they are writing and who they quote. Reporters will continue to be picky about the issues they care about and it will get harder to get profiles and differentiate one attorney from the next. PR professionals will still be drafters of press releases (to their dismay) and content providers producing rich and significant content that can attract attention and help the brand. As with any year, relationships are key and those that have them will be in high demand. Earned media will still be the way to go in 2020 and streamlining your firms' message will be key.

PR Professionals Will Adjust Their Skills

When I started my career in PR, there was a thick solid line between public relations, marketing and advertising. In 2020, this line continues to blur. As law firms review PR, marketing and advertising budgets, these three disciplines will become even more tightly intertwined as they should be if you are trying to have impact. As a result, PR professionals will have to evaluate, adjust and refine their skills. They will continue the evolve to become better brand ambassadors, social media experts, content marketers and trend spotters. With this development, PR firms offering services must extend beyond traditional PR. Firms will be called upon to add value as crisis advisers and transfer knowledge to the internal team so that they too are increasing their skills and abilities.

Content Marketing Will Begin to Die. Long Live Content Marketing.

Controversial as it is, there will be death and rebirth of content marketing. 2019 saw a massive increase in the amount of contributed content to outlets. Editors pitched with lawyer bylines writing on anything and everything created mayhem within their email boxes. In 2020, if you have an interesting angle and an attorney can write about it excitingly, you can get published.

However, straight write-ups without business implications or addressing why the topic matters to businesses will get overlooked. In some law firms, people decided that everyone needed content, and everyone must be a contributor. However, in 2020, only the best and most thoughtful material will be published.

AI Is Super Interesting, But Still in the Distant Future

AI is a fascinating development, and everyone is talking about it. The PR sector is no exception. However, it's unlikely we'll see an impactful adoption of AI-based applications in legal PR in 2020. We have as legal PR professionals been somewhat hesitant to acknowledge the momentum of AI trends because it is still uncharted territory. That said, there are some fundamental ways the industry will begin to see improvements like efficiently providing essential information. If that takes the form of increased target audience optimization, that would be ideal. Good news, right? If we have an opportunity to create hyper-specific material that is perfectly aligned with the lawyer's audiences' interests, we'll look like superstars! If we have the ability to look at, analyze data and use it to plan future strategies effectively, that will make a world of difference to our profession. So, it is exciting, it's just not here in a meaningful way, yet.

2020 Will Be Another Year of Influencer Marketing

In 2019, we saw PR meet influencer marketing. PR professionals will continue integrating this increasingly common tactic in their offerings. Public relations professionals will continue to make efforts and build relationships with key influencers on social networks. These relationships can help them get their lawyers' direct access to a specific target audience and will continue to be a big trend in 2020. The ability to effectively pitch influencers will be a valued skill in legal marketing and on the social media channels where clients can be found.

Storytelling Will Be More of a Thing

The digital age has been the biggest disruptor to the practice of PR. Consumer attention spans have gotten shorter, and the desire for instant gratification threatens in-depth narratives. Depending on your generation you prefer one or the other. However, whether 250 or 800 words, you can't change the fact that PR remains very much about storytelling. Telling your story will become more important than ever. Ill-conceived stories will be unlikely to get many pick-ups. Those that paint a visual, create a narrative and engage the reader, win the ink. In 2020, the storytelling element of PR will be more critical than ever.

Analytics

In 2020, analytics will play a huge role in PR for the internal PR department. Any law firm that ignores the powerful opportunities data brings will be at a significant disadvantage. However, getting your PR professionals bogged down on this task can be dangerous to the flow and fluidness of PR. Instead, PR, marketing, and BD must combine data with creativity to predict future trends, identify new audiences, and ensure programs are engaging and exciting to end-users.

Diversity and Underrepresented Voices

Despite public and press attention, there's still much to be done to address the diversity and inclusion of women and diverse attorneys' voice in PR. Getting quoted is a contact sport and requires time and effort. If we all make the effort to get more women and minorities quoted, the media will begin to look more like the world we live in. Bold, diverse and full of different perspectives. This is a perfect time for everyone to show support and urge women and diverse groups to take the microphone. The voices of men and women matter. Doing a better job at raising the diverse voice within the media and balance the playing field can provide significant benefits to readers who will be exposed to ideas and research from another perspective.

Reputation Management and Crisis Communications Never Leaves the List

Reputation and perception management will remain a major theme for 2020. Crisis management has remained on PR trend-watching lists year after year, and each year it earns a place as reputation remains a fundamental part of public relations today. The immediate nature of social media and the fact that news is disseminated so quickly means that potential scandals can broadcast across the world in a matter of minutes.

Both crisis and reputation trends will continue to be a significant element of the practice of PR in 2020. PR departments will continue to upskill staff and develop social and digital crisis communication strategies. And as I have said before, every law firm should have a crisis plan in 2020. No exceptions.

I'm certainly excited to see what 2020 brings to our industry and its influence on the future of public relations. Let's talk about it!

Elizabeth Lampert is president of Elizabeth Lampert PR an international legal PR firm that specializes in media relations, crisis management and training the next generation of legal PR professionals. She can be reached at [email protected].