Remember when public relations meant hoping your news release would land in the right journalist's inbox? While that still has its place, the world of PR has transformed into something far more dynamic—and frankly, more exciting. Moving beyond traditional media outreach, a modern PR strategy now demands a nuanced understanding of digital platforms, audience segmentation, and authentic brand storytelling.
A few months ago, we had Carol Yeung, PR expert and Managing Director at Golin Hong Kong, join a Women of Hong Kong Community Call to share key trends and strategic approaches to public relations in the Hong Kong market. Here's her tips on how founders and marketing leaders can build credibility and achieve sustainable growth in Hong Kong.
Emerging Platforms: Strategic Allocation of Digital Resources
To effectively reach target demographics, brands must look beyond established social networks and prioritise platforms demonstrating significant growth and engagement in Hong Kong. If you're still only thinking about Instagram and Facebook, you're missing crucial conversations happening elsewhere. Carol highlighted two platforms seeing massive growth in Hong Kong:
Threads: The Organic Reach Opportunity
As a Meta-owned, text-centric platform, Threads has rapidly gained over two million users in Hong Kong. Its current lack of advertising creates a unique environment for pure organic discovery. Brands can leverage this by sharing authentic product experiences and user testimonials, particularly in sectors like beauty and skincare, where genuine narratives drive conversion.
RedNote (小红书): The Authenticity-First Ecosystem
With a similarly sized user base in Hong Kong and the recent establishment of a local office, RedNote presents a substantial opportunity. The platform’s users actively seek in-depth, informative content, making it an ideal channel for brands to demonstrate expertise through detailed reviews, tutorials, and destination guides. Its perceived authenticity offers a distinct advantage over more curated visual platforms.
Building a Foundation of Credibility
Long-term brand trust is built on a foundation of strategic positioning and verified credibility.
Establishing Thought Leadership
A founder's personal brand is a critical asset, particularly on professional networks like LinkedIn. The strategic approach involves selecting a specific domain of expertise and developing consistent, high-value content around it. This method positions the founder as a subject matter authority, fostering trust and opening doors to B2B partnerships.
Evaluating Award Credibility
Pursuing industry awards requires diligent vetting. Prior to submission, assess the award’s history, the reputation of its organising body and jury panel, and the caliber of past recipients. The strategic value of the recognition must justify the resource investment.
Hong Kong Market Nuances: A Segmented Approach
A successful local strategy requires a deep understanding of distinct audience behaviours.
The Language of Connection
Brands must tailor their platform choice and messaging linguistic style. Content for local Hong Kong audiences benefits from cultural specificity, while Mandarin-language content is essential for engaging the expanding Greater Bay Area market. Local slang and cultural references resonate deeply with Hong Kong audiences, while Mandarin content opens doors to cross-border opportunities.
Shifting Consumer Behaviours
The rise of experiential travel among Gen Z demands a shift in strategy for hospitality and tourism brands. Marketing must now emphasise unique, immersive experiences over traditional shopping-centric itineraries to align with this preference for meaningful engagement.
The Cornerstone of Modern PR: Authentic Representation
Ultimately, public relations amplifies a brand's existing narrative; it cannot construct one from scratch. "PR cannot resolve fundamental business challenges," Carol noted. The integrity of the product, service, and operational execution is paramount. Any communication strategy must be rooted in authentic representation to build sustainable media relationships and audience trust.
This principle extends to crisis management. A prudent strategy involves maintaining a neutral stance on political and controversial topics to mitigate long-term reputational risks associated with permanent digital footprints.
Strategic Implementation Framework
To integrate these insights, Carol recommends the following actions:
Platform Diversification: Pilot authentic content on Threads and develop in-depth, utility-focused guides for RedNote.
Executive Branding: Cultivate founder thought leadership on LinkedIn through a structured content pillar strategy.
Prudent Vetting: Conduct thorough due diligence on all awards and partnership opportunities.
Commit to Authenticity: Ensure all public messaging is anchored in the true brand identity and business reality.
Conclusion
We extend our gratitude to Carol for providing a strategic framework for navigating the complexities of modern public relations. In an era of constant change, genuine expertise and authentic storytelling remain the most valuable currencies.