Public Relations is changing all the time. When we started our company up 25 years ago, PR was restricted to a few channels, albeit busy ones. Today, we have social media, influencers, podcasts ... the list goes on. Following are three key trends that we are actively working on for 2025.
The Rise of Owned Media
We’re talking podcasts and magazines in particular. They are a great way to build a brand. Bakery GAIL’s has recently launched Companion magazine, a magazine exploring food, history, nature, and craft through essays, stories, recipes, and art. Closer to home, Rab’s The Mountain People Podcast is an inspiring look at explorers' lives across the world. Both channels give companies the opportunity to tell their story, their athletes' stories and help their customer get to know the brand, its culture and values.
Authenticity over perfection
We’re seeing this in film, social posts and websites. In a world where social media often showcases only the polished, perfect side of life, vulnerability stands out as refreshing and authentic. Highly produced press releases and overly polished brand messaging can feel disconnected. People want raw, behind-the-scenes content that feels more relatable. Brands need to equip their PR teams with stories that are human, conversational, and transparent rather than overly curated. That's why unpolished, honest, User Generated Content (UGC) is trending. In fact, signs indicate that it can increase brand engagement by up to 28% compared to professionally created marketing content.
Influencers? More like micro communities!
Throwing cash at big-name influencers is out. Working with authentic, niche communities is in. We’re putting a lot of energy into communities and loving the results. We’ve worked with AT95, the influencer-led hiking community to great effect. Lifestyle community GLO has also been an exciting and rewarding group to work with. Check out our case study with AT95 here.
These three trends are just the tip of the iceberg. We’re also seeing a growing demand for in-depth coverage analytics, which is where our go-to platform, CoverageBook, shines. With 73 different metrics - including Domain Authority, Radio Listenership, Media Value, and Social & Digital Impressions - it’s a powerful tool for measuring PR impact and proving ROI.
Crisis management planning is also high on the agenda, as brands recognise that reputation damage can happen in an instant. Social media can amplify issues at lightning speed, making a proactive crisis strategy essential.
And, of course, sustainable brand messaging remains a key priority. To stay relevant and competitive, brands need to embed sustainability into their story - and who better to help tell that story than your PR team?