Many decades ago, there was a close relationship between public relations personnel and news reporters. There were a lot of reporters back then, and a lot of publications as well.

Now, the number of reporters and publications has lessened. Of those reporters, many view the public relations person skeptically and engage in an adversarial relationship with him/her.

Additionally, organizations today have to be savvier and look at new ways to generate content as they promote themselves, Andy Abramson (News - Alert), CEO of Communicano and a veteran public relations expert, told TMC’s Rich Tehrani at ITEXPO in Las Vegas.

Abramson said there are three kinds of content that businesses need to be aware of: owned, earned and paid.

Owned content is the stuff a business would put on its own website, send out in a newsletter or post on YouTube (News - Alert).

Earned content are articles published in magazines, newspapers or on news services. They are about one company or different companies. Paid (News - Alert) content are those articles which companies pay to have published. Such content has been called “advertorial” and now it is often called “paid content.”

As you consider these options, “You need to have at the core, your own digital media network,” Abramson said. That includes your own content generated by the company, items related to social media, stories from media outlets, video, webinars, podcasts, and other types of content, all of which can amplify your presence.

More recently, many companies have moved away from trying to spoof search engines. “Search engines have gotten really smart,” Abramson said. “They can tell if you are trying to game it.” Instead, become an expert in a select field and write on topics in depth, he advises.

Do not be concerned about how many people are reading your content. “The key is who is reading you,” he adds. “Is it a vertical audience that is interested in what your business has to say because you’re providing relevant content back to them, that they would be interested in?”

“If you don’t give them relevant content you end up losing their attention and they ultimately disappear,” he warned.

Instead of focusing on an image or the pedigree of the CEO, focus on your strengths. The message to the audience is what matters, he explains.

“If you have a great product and a great story, you are probably going to succeed,” Abramson said.