2 MINUTE READ

Empathy is essential for public relations (PR) professionals, and its importance cannot be overstated. Empathy allows PR professionals to understand better their clients’ values, goals, and challenges, enabling them to create effective communication strategies that resonate with their target audience. Additionally, empathy is invaluable in helping PR professionals anticipate when a story is gaining traction and manage overexposure when necessary. Moreover, when executing their PR campaigns, empathy helps PR professionals share in their clients’ excitement, anticipation, and adrenaline as they build their visibility. In the UK, relevant statistics highlight the importance of empathy in PR.

According to research by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), 71% of respondents believe that empathy is vital for PR professionals (CIPR, 2020). The report emphasizes that empathy is critical in helping PR professionals build relationships with clients and the media. Furthermore, the report shows that empathetic communication can increase customer satisfaction, revenue, and profitability.

Empathy is also crucial when managing negative publicity. A study by PR Week and Opinium shows that 59% of UK adults believe that a company’s response to a crisis significantly impacts their perception of the brand (PR Week, 2020). The report emphasises that empathy is critical in helping PR professionals build relationships with clients and the media. Furthermore, the report shows that empathetic communication can increase customer satisfaction, revenue, and profitability.

Empathy is also essential when building relationships with journalists and influencers. The State of the Media 2021 report by Cision shows that journalists receive an average of 25 pitches daily, but only 1% are considered relevant (Cision, 2021). Empathy helps PR professionals understand journalists’ and influencers’ needs, motivations, and perspectives, enabling them to tailor their pitches to their interests. This personalisation is critical in building stronger relationships with journalists and influencers and increasing the chances of the client’s stories being shared.

Empathy is a vital skill that PR professionals must possess. Empathy enables PR professionals to understand better their clients’ goals, values, and challenges, allowing them to develop communication strategies that resonate with their target audience. Research shows that empathetic communication can increase customer satisfaction, manage negative publicity, and build stronger relationships with journalists and influencers. Therefore, PR professionals must prioritise the development of empathy as a critical attribute in their practice.

References:

Chartered Institute of Public Relations. (2020). State of the Profession 2020: Empathy. 

Cision. (2021). The State of the Media 2021. 

PR Week. (2020). PR Week/Opinium reputation survey: The public is overwhelmingly negative about companies’ responses to crises.