It’s 2014. Surely by now most PR professionals are integrating content marketing into their PR strategy for various audiences. But what does content marketing really mean for PR? A recent post on the subject is a great wake up call for all of us attempting to navigate a moving target: how to use content marketing to capture attention.

This is an incredibly challenging yet exciting time for PR. Gone are the days of sending a well-crafted email pitch to a few target editors. We’re competing against a growing tsunami of information sources spread across the Internet and social media. What can we do to improve the chances of our content resonating with the right audiences? How can content marketing help?

The post suggests that we may already be doing some form of content marketing in our efforts to secure media coverage. The writer says that telling a story, creating captivating content and knowing where to distribute the content based on a target audience are all components of content marketing.

Here are a few examples. Some of these may help to improve results the next time you launch a PR campaign:

  1. Brand Journalism. I’ve believed for some time now that the online media fragmentation makes it impractical for companies to rely on journalists to communicate their stories. Companies are now leveraging their blogs as media outlets to distribute valuable information. Corporations such as GE are even hiring journalists to develop and publish content on branded sites.
  2. Thought Leadership. More popular publications are posting content from contributing authors versus staff editors. This is an excellent chance for your company executives and product experts to share industry trends and best practices.
  3. Influencer Content. Here’s a new and interesting example of how to promote a blog post: send your piece to an influencer for edits or recommendations before publishing, giving him or her credit for help in the published piece.

Blurring lines between PR and content marketing is an important and valuable transition to improve quality and attract increased attention. Take a deep breath, know that content marketing has changed your PR program, and then get to work.