Where PR Meets Social Media: Why Authentic Content Is More Powerful Than Ever

The lines between public relations and social media have become increasingly blurred, and personally, I think that's a very good thing.

I've worked in PR and communications for many years, creating everything from national media campaigns and international product launches to social media content for some of the world's best-known brands. And while the platforms, algorithms and opportunities have changed enormously, one thing hasn't: the importance of telling a good story.

Some of the most successful campaigns I've worked on have combined PR, social media, advertising and a healthy dose of creative thinking. Others have been wonderfully simple, relying on little more than a good photograph or a real, warm moment between people.

Recently, I've been spending more time behind the camera, creating social media content for businesses here in Derbyshire, the Peak District and beyond. It's reminded me just how much I enjoy this side of communications, and why I believe businesses can achieve so much more when their PR and social media work together.

Sometimes the best content is completely unplanned

I recently spent a day with Winster Foods, a family-run foodservice wholesaler in Derbyshire, capturing photographs and video for its social media channels.

I arrived with plenty of ideas about what I wanted to film, from the fresh produce and warehouse operations to the people who make the business tick. I came away with hours of footage, some fantastic interviews and more content than I could possibly use in one go.

But some of my favourite moments were the ones I hadn't planned at all.

There was the laughter and banter between colleagues, captured when they weren't really thinking about the camera. One member of the team spoke passionately about visiting local farms and being able to tell, almost as soon as he stepped into a field, whether a crop was going to deliver a good yield. Another, a buyer, became wonderfully animated as he showed me one of his favourite locally produced cheeses and explained what made it so special.

These weren't carefully rehearsed marketing messages. They were people talking about things they cared about. And that, to me, is what makes them so valuable.

Those little moments communicate something that a polished corporate video or a carefully worded company statement might struggle to capture. They show knowledge, personality, pride, relationships and enthusiasm. They help customers understand the people behind the business and why they do what they do.

Of course, there's still a place for immaculately produced photography, professional video and carefully planned campaigns. But sometimes the most effective thing you can do is give people the opportunity to be themselves.

A calf, a camera and thousands of likes

Another recent example comes from Church Lane Farm in Great Longstone, where I've been helping with the farm's social media presence.

One of our posts featured a beautiful photograph of a newborn calf, with a simple invitation for followers to suggest a name.

The result? Around 3,000 likes, 99 comments and 38 shares.

No elaborate production. No complicated campaign mechanic. Just a lovely photograph, a little bit of personality and an opportunity for people to get involved.

What I particularly like about this example is that the content is entirely natural to the business. People follow a working farm because they're interested in the animals, the changing seasons, the countryside and the people looking after it. You don't need to invent something extraordinary when there's already so much worth sharing.

And while likes and comments aren't the same as sales, this kind of engagement helps a local business become familiar, memorable and part of its community. For a farm that also sells its own produce and welcomes visitors to its holiday accommodation, that visibility has real potential commercial value.

Authentic doesn't have to mean small-scale

I've been working in social media for a long time, including during my years living and working in New Zealand, where I supported Air New Zealand with its domestic and trans-Tasman communications and social media approach.

One of the campaigns I created, #AirpointsEscape, became Air New Zealand's most successful social media campaign at the time, generating an extraordinary 1.5 million social media engagements and more than 10,000 customer sign-ups.

It's an example I still love because it demonstrates what happens when creativity, a clear understanding of your audience and commercial objectives come together.

Social media isn't simply about keeping a company's channels busy. Done well, it can build relationships, change perceptions, encourage people to take action and deliver measurable business results.

And when a campaign has a strong enough idea behind it, the opportunities can extend far beyond the original platform.

When PR and social media collide

Another favourite example from my career involved creating some rather unconventional pizzas for an international food brand.

We developed a spicy 'pizza roulette' concept and a unique Easter pizza, supporting both with an integrated mix of public relations, social media and advertising. The campaigns took on a life of their own.

Between them, they generated more than 1,000 pieces of media coverage, millions of social media impressions and over 20 million Google search results associated with the campaigns. They sparked conversations on Reddit and even attracted the attention of Perez Hilton, who featured the brand on his hugely influential celebrity blog.

They were fun, a little bit outrageous and entirely appropriate for the personality of the brand.

Importantly, they also demonstrate how the different elements of a communications campaign can amplify each other.

A creative idea generates social media conversation. That conversation helps attract journalists. Media coverage introduces the story to new audiences, who then share, discuss and respond to it themselves.

The result can be far greater than anything PR or social media might achieve in isolation.

Not every business needs a viral pizza campaign, of course. What works for a playful international food brand isn't necessarily right for a luxury hotel, a farm shop or a professional services company. The creativity has to fit the brand, its customers and what it's trying to achieve.

Why PR and social media shouldn't operate in separate silos

Traditionally, businesses have often treated public relations and social media as separate disciplines, sometimes managed by entirely different teams or agencies. But increasingly, the most interesting opportunities sit somewhere between the two.

A journalist visiting a hotel might provide an opportunity to capture behind-the-scenes social media content. A brilliant customer story discovered through social media might become a national press feature. A conversation with an employee could inspire a recruitment campaign, a business profile or a series of short videos.

Equally, the stories we develop for the media can provide weeks of valuable content for a company's own channels.

I think the real opportunity is to stop thinking about PR as something that happens in newspapers and magazines, and social media as something that happens on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or LinkedIn.

They're different ways of communicating with people, and they work best when they're part of the same conversation.

There's also an important distinction between authenticity and simply posting whatever happens to be on your phone. Good social media still needs thought, planning, consistency and an understanding of the audience. The trick is to make it feel natural without losing sight of what you're trying to achieve.

The best stories are often right in front of you

One of the things I love most about my job is getting under the skin of a business, meeting the people involved and finding the stories they might not even realise they have.

That might mean spending a morning in a warehouse, chatting to a chef about the ingredients on a seasonal menu, photographing a newborn calf or developing a creative campaign designed to get people talking on the other side of the world. The scale might be different, but the principles are remarkably similar.

Be curious. Listen to people. Understand what makes a business interesting. Look for the moments that make someone stop scrolling, smile, ask a question or want to know more.

And don't underestimate the commercial value of making a genuine connection.

For all the advances in technology and the endless discussions about algorithms, I think people are still drawn to much the same things they always have been: interesting stories, interesting people and businesses that feel human.

That's what good PR has always been about. And increasingly, it's what good social media is about too.

Looking for PR and social media support?

At Feather & Fern PR, I work with businesses to uncover their stories and turn them into creative, engaging communications that build reputation, attract attention and support commercial growth.

From national media relations and creative PR campaigns to social media strategy, photography, video and ongoing content creation, I can help bring the different elements together.

Whether you're a hospitality business, food producer, tourism operator or a company with a great story to tell, I'd love to hear from you.

If you're looking for someone who can help with both PR and social media, rather than treating them as two separate things, let's have a chat.

Get in touch with Feather & Fern PR to discuss how we could work together. You can email us at jen@featherandfernpr.co.uk.