This is a guest post by Dina Mostovaya.

The role of PR professionals has evolved significantly. Numerous global studies show that nowadays, a head of communications plays the part of a company’s business partner, becoming critical in the process of achieving the firm’s business goals.

Gone are the days when PR solely provided support; now, it is recognized that communication must have a strategic focus. The definition of public relations has expanded and now includes activities such as managing social networks, developing blogs, implementing email marketing campaigns, participating in events, and more. In essence, the goal is to use a wide range of channels to effectively convey the brand's key messages, mission, ideas, and values, all of which ultimately convert into tangible business metrics and leads.

In that context, Iliyana Stareva’s "Inbound PR" is an excellent guide on how to create content that helps generate inbound inquiries and provides data with which to measure the impact of strategic communications. I first read this book a few years ago, and still consider it one of the most useful.

In her concise and easily digestible book, Stareva, a highly experienced professional with a reliable background in PR, Marketing, and more, combines her knowledge to present a compelling argument for a fresh approach, and provides a practical roadmap to implement it.

Unsurprisingly, Inbound PR places a strong emphasis on the digital landscape and a company's online presence, focusing on capturing and analyzing the results of all online interactions. Stareva highlights the undeniable reality that without an online presence, a business simply does not exist.

The book is thoughtfully divided into six chapters that guide readers through a comprehensive journey, starting with the basics of external communications and how to measure them. It then delves into a thorough exploration of the inbound marketing methodology, offering valuable insights on how to effectively implement it in media relations and content creation, including storytelling.

The inbound method revolves around four core principles: attract, convert, close, and delight. In this book, the author offers practical and actionable guidance for effectively navigating each step of the process. From generating awareness and attracting leads to building your sales funnel, fostering loyalty, and retaining clients.

• In the first phase, the focus is on analyzing and utilizing compelling content to capture the audience's attention and draw them in.
• Moving to the second phase, personalized content is created to effectively convert this attention into active engagement.
• The third phase presents the opportunity to close the transaction, ensuring a successful outcome for both the client and the business.
• Lastly, the fourth phase centers around delighting the customer, providing ongoing support, and continuously engaging them through new offerings and experiences.

While the first chapters of the Stareva book cater to both professionals and clients seeking to maximize their collaboration with external advisors, the final sections are geared towards individuals running PR agencies. I found these last chapters particularly beneficial when I launched Mindset Consulting — an international strategic communications firm for tech companies & VC funds. The author’s seven-step process for crafting a positioning strategy, as well as her practical advice on defining and packaging Inbound PR services into a twelve-month retainer, proved to be invaluable resources for me.

Overall, this book offers an engaging and thought-provoking read that left me with helpful insights on optimizing my PR business and delivering exceptional outcomes for my clients. I highly recommend it to all professionals in the field of strategic communications, especially those who may still be adjusting to the evolving role of public relations. 

In conclusion, I share some Stareva’s thoughts I highlighted while reading:

1. Communications professionals are responsible for generating leads, so they do this by making use of content marketing, social media, blogger relations, online reputation and crisis management.
2. We make decisions based on the content that we find when we need it.
3. Inbound PR is about attracting people with the right content.
4. It’s content that drives our thoughts and decision-making, but when we flip it into the business world, we also need to figure out its return on investment.
5. Irrelevant metrics: media impressions, number of placements or clippings.
6. PR today is not just publicity or media relations.
7. The idea of inbound marketing is to put data and analytics at the center of everything you do.
8. There are no good leads without good content. Nor are there any good relationships without added value.
9. What sets inbound PR apart from traditional one is the ability to measure results.
10. Content is the fuel for lead nurturing.