Traditional vs Digital PR Recruitment: How to Bridge the Skills Gap
Ten or fifteen years ago, a new PR hire mostly needed to be able to write compelling press releases, build relationships with key journalists and secure quality coverage in target audience publications. Today, as agencies see the emergence of more integrated briefs from clients and stakeholders, our PRs need to know more about digital execution, how SEO works, how to write engaging content for social media and devise strong influencer marketing plans. Sounds like the perfect candidate! But do these candidates exist – or can training and experience create them?
From column inches to backlinks
When PR CROWD founder Gavin Watson started recruiting 10 years ago, after a decade of working as a comms professional, digital PR recruitment was still a side consideration. Most roles focused on traditional PR fundamentals, including media relations, building contacts with journalists, and securing column inches in national, regional, trade, and magazine publications.
Fast-forward to today, and digital PR, SEO, social media and influencer marketing are increasingly part and parcel of what clients and key stakeholders expect. The industry has evolved rapidly, but the traditional PR talent pool is still playing catch-up. The few candidates who can do it all are particularly hard to find without a dedicated and thorough search.
The generational skills gap
There's an interesting generational divide happening in PR recruitment right now.
Back in 2008, you started as a junior account executive, sending out press releases and talking to journalists. That was the career path, and digital barely featured.
Today's juniors are different. They're digitally native, in tune with social media platforms and have a more well-rounded understanding of how to link digital and traditional PR approaches. They've grown up in an integrated world.
But here's where it gets tricky: many senior-level candidates we see are strong traditional PRs. They have a general overview of digital PR but don't necessarily have deep execution experience. They understand the concepts but haven't been hands-on with backlink strategies or technical SEO implementation, for example.
Unicorns? The digital PR recruitment quest
The reality is that PR agency clients and in-house stakeholders want more for their money, and the same is true of in-house budget holders.
This has led to the rise of the integrated brief. The ideal candidate for these would be a professional who can successfully pitch features to The Mirror and execute a complex digital PR campaign with SEO optimisation, backlinks and an influencer marketing campaign. Such multi-skilled candidates are still very rare, particularly at senior levels.
A different perspective might be to view traditional PR and digital PR as somewhat distinct disciplines. They often require different mindsets and skill sets.
Get clarity on what you really need
Here are some questions that can help to hone the job specification and clarify what’s required for a new role:
Is digital PR knowledge a 'nice-to-have' or 'must-execute' requirement?
There's a big difference between understanding digital PR principles and being able to implement technical strategies independently.
Will this hire work with a digital agency or own the entire process from end to end?
Coordinating and collaborating with a specialist agency means that less digitally hands-on professionals can oversee the whole campaign while benefiting from deep digital expertise.
What are the essential skills for this role?
It’s tempting to include all possible skills in a job specification, but it’s often better to be specific and selective than comprehensive. It will help to define your true needs, focus your search and get you to a great hire quicker.
The evolving opportunity
While the hunt for integrated skills can be challenging, there's something energising about this evolution. PR isn't just about landing coverage in the nationals anymore — it's become multifaceted and dynamic.
We now live in an era where you have AI tools, social media platforms, and countless different methods of communication at your disposal. It's quite fascinating, and it makes the work fresh and engaging.
The digital race is running fast — but that's what makes this such an exciting time to be working in PR and communications.
Making it work
Over time, the traditional and digital camps will move closer together. The next generation of PR professionals is already more integrated in their thinking.
In the meantime, consider these approaches:
Hire for core strengths, then upskill: If media relations expertise is your priority, find that first. Digital skills can be developed through targeted training.
Build complementary teams: Pair traditional and digital specialists who can learn from each other. This creates a powerful internal knowledge-sharing culture, leading to better integrated results for clients
Look beyond job titles: Many candidates have transferable skills that aren't immediately obvious from their CV.
Invest in training: The best candidates are often those with strong fundamentals and the curiosity to learn new approaches.
The learning process continues
This shift toward integrated PR isn't just a challenge — it's a learning process that's making our industry more sophisticated and effective.
Rather than expecting one person to master every aspect of modern communications, smart agencies and in-house teams are building structures that allow traditional and digital expertise to work together seamlessly.
Ready to discuss your PR recruitment needs? Whether you're looking for traditional expertise, digital specialists, or someone who bridges both worlds, we're here to help you find the right fit for your team. Get in touch with Gavin at PR CROWD.