Using AI to improve efficiencies and help with data analysis is widely discussed in the digital PR industry. Although there are many great uses for AI in the PR and marketing industry, we believe there are particular tasks, such as content creation, that should be left up to your entrusted PR team.
Recently, we’ve seen many media tracking and distribution platforms promoting their AI press release writing tools for PRs to make use of, so we wanted to put this to the test.
The aim was to see whether AI tools like ChatGPT can write a compelling, engaging and coverage-worthy press release (like one of our team members would) and translate survey data into a newsworthy story.
I drafted a short brief to be posted into ChatGPT along with the task.
Here’s how it went
I asked Chat GPT: “Write me a press release aimed at a marketing industry publication like ‘Prolific North’ using the following brief”.
I then dropped in a short brief which included the following details:
- Client: Wild PR
- Aim of the story: Highlight findings from a new survey Wild PR has conducted of 200 UK business owners, asking them about their marketing budgets for 2024
- Supporting onsite content to link back to within the press release: https://wild-pr.co.uk/marketing-tactics-for-businesses-2024/
- Spokesperson to quote within the press release: Katrina Cliffe, Managing Director at Wild PR
- Survey results: Here, I pasted in the raw survey data we have recently gathered for Chat GPT to analyse and pull out the most interesting stats
The press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wild PR Unveils Insights into UK Business Owners’ Marketing Budgets for 2024
Manchester, [Date] – Wild PR, a leading marketing and public relations agency, has conducted a comprehensive survey of 200 UK business owners to delve into their marketing budgets and strategies for the upcoming year. The findings, now available for public view, shed light on the diverse landscape of marketing preferences and budgetary considerations across various industries.
The survey, led by Katrina Cliffe, Managing Director at Wild PR, aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the marketing tactics employed by businesses in 2024. The detailed results can be explored on Wild PR’s website: Marketing Tactics for Businesses 2024.
Key Survey Findings:
Preferred Marketing Tactics:
- Social media marketing takes the lead with 34%, followed by Search Engine Marketing (SEO or PPC) at 19% and Content Marketing at 16%.
- Traditional or Digital Public Relations (12%) and Email Marketing (26%) also feature prominently.
Budgetary Insights:
- 43% of respondents plan to maintain their marketing expenditure in 2024, while 26% contemplate cutting down.
- For those considering budget cuts, the primary areas targeted include Office/workspace (28%) and Marketing (25%).
Budget Distribution:
- Over half of the respondents (52%) claim to have no specific budget for marketing and PR.
- Among those with a budget, 37% allocate > £5000 annually, demonstrating a range of financial commitments.
Katrina Cliffe, Managing Director at Wild PR, expressed her thoughts on the survey results, stating, “The insights gained from this survey provide a valuable snapshot of the dynamic marketing landscape in the UK. It is evident that businesses are adapting their strategies to align with industry trends and economic considerations.”
For a detailed breakdown of the survey results and analysis, please visit Wild PR’s Survey Insights.
ENDS
What did Chat GPT get right with the pr content?
Looking at the press release ChatGPT generated, the positives were that the AI tool hit some of the basic layout requirements, including a headline, the who, what, where and when can be found in the first paragraph of the release. And the link to the supporting onsite content can be found within the release. The release also included a supporting quote from the outlined spokesperson.
It also successfully analysed the survey data and pulled out some interesting insights.
Where did ChatGPT miss the mark with the press release?
Overall, I wouldn’t use the press release in its current form for press outreach for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the AI tool added in that our location is in Manchester to the start of the release, this is not information I provided and highlights how these tools can sometimes pull in incorrect or out of date information.
The headline, although not terrible, isn’t quite as snappy and newsworthy as I’d like to see for this kind of content. My experience would lead me to focus more on a stand-out statistic from the survey to grab the journalist’s attention here instead.
Secondly, there is a lot of unnecessary jargon and lengthy wording used throughout the press release, a common theme with ChatGPT and a key giveaway that you have used an AI tool to support with content creation!
Although the link to the supporting onsite content has been included in the press release, I personally would not have included this so high up in the content and would look to rephrase how this is introduced within the copy. I’ll let ChatGPT off here though, as I did not explicitly tell it where within the content to include the link!
The main red flag with the AI-generated press release is how the survey results have been listed within bullet points. Ideally, we’d have more analysis and commentary around these statistics in order to really pull together a newsworthy story for a journalist. This is where the personal touch of experienced PRs would come into play.
Here, we would be able to analyse what the survey results mean and the impact of these findings. We would also be able to take a look at the target publications we are aiming for the content to be featured in and pull any supporting insight from them in terms of how they have recently discussed data or survey findings to ensure the content is drafted in a similar way that would appeal to those titles.
The supporting comment drafted by ChatGPT is again structured correctly but is limited in terms of personality and expertise. This is where experienced PRs can pull on their understanding of the topic and the spokesperson and provide something unique that adds value to the content.
Summary
ChatGPT is a really useful tool, one which PRs shouldn’t be afraid to make use of in certain scenarios, but when it comes to drafting press releases and content for ourselves and our clients, AI missed the mark on language, tone, storytelling and engagement with a brands identity. So, we’ll stick to using our expertise and skills when it comes to content creation!
To learn more about our work and how we can support your PR efforts, contact us or book a no-strings-attached 30-minute introductory call with managing director Katrina Cliffe.