From the course: Using Generative AI in Public Relations

Data meets PR

From the course: Using Generative AI in Public Relations

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Data meets PR

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- It's no secret PR pros shy away from numbers. In fact, many of you might say you got into the business because you're not very good at math. But with generative AI, data is extremely important and you need to figure out how to understand and use data in a strategic way. A good place to start is by exploring three types of data and what each does: structured data, semi-structured data and unstructured data. Now, structured data is what you're most familiar with, from a spreadsheet. It's labeled, has columns and rows, and often includes formulas. It's organized, so it's easy for a computer to understand. Unstructured data includes all the words you read, hear, or say, and all the visuals you see. So that's any of the content you write or images and videos you produce. Machines have had a very difficult time processing this type of data until generative AI. Semi-structured data contains some elements of both structured and unstructured data. Let's take one of your social feeds like Instagram as an example. You have structured data like your username, the email or phone number you use to set up the account, how many followers you have, the number of posts you've done, and so on, and you have unstructured data, which includes all the text and visuals in your posts. Now, you'll also want to think about the types of data you produce for your digital assets. You likely create documents, JPEGs, PDFs, .MOVs, and lots more. How do you organize and store your digital content? Do you have a naming convention so your files are easy to find? Or is your shared drive more like a shared free-for-all? Talk to your IT team. Maybe your company already has a digital asset management system, or DAM, you can use. Ask them for advice on how to name, organize, and store your files in an accessible way. And while you're at it, start building relationships with your IT folks saying, "Hey, my password doesn't work." Find out what they do. Tell them about your projects and look for ways you can collaborate and help each other out. It doesn't matter how creative or strategic you might be. Communicators like you need to shift your mindset and become savvy data managers too, because, well, everything you produce is data.

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