𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘆.
For public relations and communications pros, there are a few key trends to watch for:
𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲
Layoffs abound in the industry, from agencies to newsrooms.
Journalists are striking out on their own, launching news creator platforms to escape the red tape and corporate interests impacting their work.
At the same time, PR pros are discovering the power of self-employment and boutique firms, giving them more control over their professional future.
𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.
• Brands get top-tier solutions for more affordable pricing.
• Experienced pros take their careers into their own hands.
Me? I’m living this reality, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀
Speaking of the above, audiences of all sorts are becoming more fragmented. Gone are the days of relying on large legacy media outlets to reach the masses.
Today, approximately 40% of consumers use TikTok as a search engine; Substack reports more than 20 million active subscribers; and social media users are able to curate personalized feeds on every platform. These are just a few of the radically different ways people are now getting their information.
𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰:
•Identify your audiences.
•Zero in on what matters to each of them.
•Become deeply familiar with how they consume news and search for content.
𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆
When “living in a post-truth world” becomes an open secret, trust is your super power. And with so many brands and senior leaders falling short on this front, this can easily become your most potent differentiator.
According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, more than 60% of people worry that business leaders, government officials, and journalists are trying to mislead people.
𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 2025.
•Say what you mean.
•Show up reliably and consistently.
•Make sure your actions match your words.
It’s simple, but it’s not easy.
𝗔𝗜 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗨𝗽
With some of the fanfare of AI dying down, it’s time to dig in and adopt practices that advance your PR and communications work.
Streamline reporting and competitor research, develop rough drafts and outlines, jump start informational interview one-sheeters, become more deeply familiar with the tone and voice of the senior leaders you represent. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘐 𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘙 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.
• Being afraid of AI will get you left behind.
• Using it improperly will reveal you a fool.
• It’s time to get serious.