With 2022 nearly gone, it’s time to begin planning for the coming year.

Strategic planning helps make sure you’re clear about your client’s business and communications objectives and how to achieve them in 2023. Below are five tips for strategizing in the new year.

Realign on communication objectives

Clear objectives create winning strategies. Have a conversation with your client about their goals and how PR can help them achieve the right outcomes. This is also a wonderful time to discuss any changes in messaging, products and services, and operations that could affect your program.

Implementing a PR program without these updates is like trying to bake a cake without a list of ingredients. Without an understanding of what is required, you can’t design a PR program that will produce the desired results.

Evaluate successful (and unsuccessful) strategies

Another important step is analyzing your previous PR efforts. What strategies were successful? Which missed the mark?

Consider KPIs such as client feedback, reporter response rate, client retention, and coverage amount and quality. If you’re looking for ideas about how to measure media coverage, check out my colleague’s recent blog post specifically analyzing message pull-through and outlet readership.

Understanding what worked helps you focus on strategies with proven track records. Use past success to drive future results.

Re-evaluate media targets

Just as many people use New Year’s resolutions to clean up their lives, PR professionals should clean up their media lists. It is common to use similar media lists and contacts for pitching throughout the year. But to get the most out of these lists, it’s necessary to update them. A good practice is to update your list throughout the year when you receive bouncebacks or learn a reporter has left their position.

Don’t stop at edits, though. Media lists should evolve with your client. Consider any new verticals or targets where your client can be a part of the conversation. When analyzing a new publication, search for articles that could relate to your client. Make a note of the author and add them to your media lists.

Going into 2023 with stronger media lists will optimize pitching results and drive coverage.

Identify important dates

The new year means new opportunities. Identify the deadlines for key events for editorial calendar opportunities, speaking engagements and conferences.

This information is typically on a publication’s website. However, if the publication staff hasn’t updated opportunities for the new year, it never hurts to send an email. Get a jump before January, though, because many deadlines come sooner than you think. You don’t want to miss a valuable PR opportunity because a deadline snuck past you. 

Consider year-in-review or predictions stories

In December and January, it is typical for publications to run year-in-review stories and trends or predictions for the new year. These packages are often planned well in advance and are listed on a publication’s editorial calendar.

These articles are a great way to secure a product or company write-up or to showcase your client as a thought leader. Take advantage of this time of year by inserting your client into the conversation. Highlight their successes, significant accomplishments and announcements for the new year in a momentum-focused press release.

Your PR New Year’s resolution to enhance your strategies begins well before Jan. 1. To attain results and satisfied clients, start planning now.