Sending PR: Why It's Popular
- Natalie Moe
- Feb 26, 2020
- 2 min read
A newer tool being used in many industries by public relations teams is the act of sending products to people for review in hopes that this review garners attention. This trend is interesting to me because it is so common nowadays and has only grown in popularity over the years. It’s a new spin on tradition public relations that has proved to be successful. It has been nicknamed appropriately ‘sending PR’. Sending PR has been popularized in the world of influencers. Youtube personalities bloggers and social media presences receive free products. This is all done in hopes that the free product will be featured on their social media and gain the company essentially cheaper advertising. When compared to traditional advertising the cost difference is obvious. Sending someone one free product in exchange for millions of views versus paying for the cost of an advertisement campaign makes the choice seem obvious.
In my opinion, sending PR is a brilliant strategy in theory. However, as its grown in popularity I believe consumers can become a bit numb to it. For example, you see someone promoting clothing they like in a ‘haul’ video. This is one of thousands of videos just like this. What are the odds after seeing all these videos you go out to purchase the one shirt talked about for 10 seconds? I think the only difficulty that comes with sending PR is the fact that the market has become very oversaturated and consumers aren’t as trusting of every product recommendation put out there as they used to be.
However, that being said the benefits still show when put in comparison to a traditional ad campaign. The production costs of creating an advertisement for TV or social media are huge and when you put that next to the cost of sending out a few free products the choice is simple.
For those in communications, this is a great way to get their brand name out there, increase brand loyalty and trust, and advertise new products.
Overall, the choice is simple- send PR.
Hey Natalie,
I'm so happy you chose this topic because it is something I love to see in social media and I think it is such an effective marketing tool. From beauty products to tech gadgets, this strategy can be used in a lot of different markets and is wildly interesting. I personally love watching YouTube videos of new tech devices being unboxed. I agree that consumers have developed more doubt when exposed the "sending PR" media, but I also think that it has as much to do with the credibility of the content creator.
Hi! I find influencer marketing very interesting, and you shed light specifically on "sending PR". I have the guilty pleasure of watching youtube videos since I was in middle school. It is interesting how youtube stars have evolved from simply promoting a product to getting sent a product to promote. I agree that the trend of "sending pr" has lost some of its value, but it can be a much cheaper and more effective option than a tv spot or sponsored ads.
Hi Natalie,
I love this example of a PR tool that is effective and still used frequently in the everyday world. I agree that "sending PR" has been used so much that it has lost some of it's power, but I agree with you that it is still quite effective when you consider how many people will see the product on an influencer's channel versus a traditional ad which could cost thousands of dollars. Plus rather than simply being seen like in an ad, this product will also have a positive connection to someone that the audience likes, which is also powerful.
Great example!
Lucy