Companies and journalism: the press office remains the most requested service by 70% of clients, even in the age of digital communication

Companies and journalism: the press office remains the most requested service by 70% of clients, even in the age of digital communication

Research Data from PR Boutiques International

From the interviews conducted with the agencies for Italy Encanto Public Relations: “We see an increasing demand for the traditional press office service, which is able to achieve high-level editorial outputs in the media”.

In the age of digital communication, the world of the press office has been able to adapt to new scenarios and remains the most requested service by PR agency clients. An analysis conducted by PR Boutiques International (PRBI), based on the responses of the owners of 45 public relations agencies in 23 countries around the world and in Italy with Encanto Public Relations, has identified the services most requested by clients in the age of digital communication: the press office remains at the top of the list with 70% of responses, followed by strategic consulting (65%), social media consulting (39%), content management (30%) and crisis communication (22%).


“Even at such a difficult time as this last year, the demand for press office services from companies has not diminished. On the contrary, we have seen an ever-increasing demand from clients in the digital and tech worlds, for a traditional press office service that can deliver high quality editorial outputs in the media. This is a clear sign that the reputation and quality of the press office in newspapers, TV and radio, is central to the communication and marketing strategy,” Cristina Cobildi, Co-founder of Encanto Public Relations, affirms.


The press office is the most popular service, creating and disseminating news on behalf of companies and organisations. The aim of this project is to identify and write eye-catching news items on behalf of the client to promote companies, events, initiatives and new products by selecting the best national and international communication channels in the relevant sector. Moreover, there is a clear correlation between the monetary value of their service and the client’s communication budget: the latter are willing to pay more, if the agency can demonstrate the strategic influence of its work.


According to an analysis by PR Boutiques International, 50% of respondents estimate that demand for PR services will increase in 2021. The other 50% see budgets remaining at the same level as the previous year. The aim of the international PRBI research is to help clients see what PR services they are investing in and what decision-makers expect from agencies. For those clients who are considering buying PR services, this analysis helps them understand the most critical areas of expertise where they will need to invest more.


Therefore, PR professionals have updated their services by adding tools compatible with the changing marketplace, supplementing the rules of journalism by those writing on the web. Also, quality information plays a pivotal role in the digital age. The result of good press office activity is from the generation of a continuous flow of information to the target audience, with the aim of strengthening brand reputation, brand awareness and the company image. A good press officer is an authoritative source for journalists and acts as an intermediary between his company, his clients and the media world.

” The only way to demonstrate that PR is a key strategic tool for driving business, is to be able to link it to business objectives,” points out Cristina Cobildi. “In other words, the agency should find those activities in its portfolio of services that are most likely to help the client achieve its business goal. This means that the agency cannot just do what the client wants, but what the client needs. Everyone knows that the workload in a PR department never ends, so using the right strategic KPI metrics helps the client and the agency to focus on the most relevant activities”.